Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!
Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.
ON THIS EPISODE
Nestled amongst nature and beauty, happy children are busy learning and creating. This magical place is Sundial Classical Farmstead, located in South Lansing, Michigan, and is the creation of Sarah Kwilinski, my guest on today's podcast. She has inspiring ideas and strategies to create a lovely space for anyone, even those with special needs, to be seen and to flourish. Some of the things we talk about during our TRUE segment are the use of audio books, short lessons to avoid fatigue, setting up multi-age ability-based instructional groups, practicing talking less (ie. Masterly Inactivity), engaging in Picture Study and Narration to help develop the muscle of attention, and the benefits of inviting parents into the classroom. In our segment on the GOOD, Sarah shares about how she teaches Hospitality in the classroom and how that helps develop ideal relationships amongst people.
In our last segment on the BEAUTIFUL, Sarah explains how their program engages with the Fine, Common, and Performing Arts to round out an excellent Classical Liberal Arts program.
Some of our favorite resources are:
COMMONPLACE QUOTES
. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174
APPLICATION
- How can you divide your students up so that they can get more individualized attention with people with their shared abilities? Is the environment causing some problems? What steps can you take to help your students thrive?
- Contemplate and put into practice how your classroom exhibits Hospitality, in general ways as well as serving as a "Hospital" and a "Hotel."
- What Fine, Common, and Performing Arts can you add to your students' life experiences? Can you involve the parents perhaps?
