Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life. A simple concept with profound implications. It was this phrase that stopped my breath, seized my mind and propelled me down the road to a Charlotte Mason education. It’s accuracy and simplicity consumed me.
Education is An Atmosphere
There is so much to the word atmosphere, it encompasses all of your senses, how you react to life, what you feel, how you learn. A whole person is being educated when atmosphere is taken into consideration.
Think about where you would like to work, the environment. Would it be near the seashore? Beside a mountain range? I once had an office on the fourth floor of a building that overlooked a forested region with a lake in the focal point. Sunrises were magnificent. I never dreaded the view. A very tiny office was my existence, but I could prop open my door and soak in the beauty of nature. Real nature inspired me, not a fake reproduction.
Think about a typical classroom. Usually concrete walls, florescent lighting and ceiling tiles that stretch forever. I tried to defy the coldness of my classrooms in life by adding fake windows with curtains (hot glue is amazing), using fabric and ribbon for bulletin boards and hanging posters of nature around the room (did I mention my adoration of hot glue?).
I liked to play classical music in the background and tried to set the tone of a calm atmosphere. I knew my students were above childish posters that flashed cutesy sayings and craved a real world setting.
Some schools understand the vital importance of atmosphere; however many are missing the mark.
Calm speech, inspiring music, acceptance that not knowing is fine, field trips with meaning, an environment not artificially created-these are my focus. Sure we have our moments of atmospheric chaos, but trust me-it’s much calmer than a typical classroom.
Education is a Discipline
In life you either do or you don’t. It’s up to you.
Do you get up early to complete the project that’s due? Do you realize that staying up late does nothing for your morning personalty? Do you pass on that Turtle Caramel Nut Sundae so you can run up the stairs without sounding like a roaring T-Rex?
Education is more than book smarts-it’s about learning how to discipline your mind and learn self control.
I try to spend moments during the day teaching AND showing what discipline looks like. You don’t give it a letter grade and check it off a to-do list because discipline is an everyday endeavor. Some days you have it while some days you are the one being chased by the raging T-Rex. It takes discipline to practice discipline.
Education is Life
A better life. That’s what we seek for our children. It’s not a fact check or trivia game-it’s life.
Life is encompassed in music, literature, science, poetry, mathematics, history, physics (that one is for me), art, science and more. It’s the whole child experiencing all that life has to offer. Homeschooling provides the opportunity of abundant learning that will lead to an abundant life.
Who knows what talents lie dormant in a child unless they are exposed to it? Is the world missing a Renoir or Einstein because a standardized test didn’t focus upon the topic of a child’s interest?
The entirety of the child should be given an opportunity for a rich education in life. A life that encompasses the mind, body and soul.
What component do you think is primarily missing today in a child’s education?