Session 1 Through the Window - A Glimpse Into the Everyday CM Journey (Joy Shannon, Bethany Stillwell, Micah Pettes, Stephanie Lee, Julia Wilson) Join the IFL retreat organizers as they offer a transparent look into their everyday lives as homeschooling mothers. Share in sincere and authentic conversation as each in turn presents a snapshot of their typical day and some advice they've learned along the way. Each mother is at different stages in homeschooling, on individual Charlotte Mason journeys, in differing seasons of life with their children, supported by husbands employed in varying jobs, and attending various churches, among other variables. Yet, they all find common ground in their admiration of Charlotte and her principles and methods, which she so earnestly and thoughtfully discovered and offered to us, her readers. So come, take a peek through the window and be encouraged on your CM journey.
Session 2 Growing Peaches - The Posture of Masterly Inactivity (Joy Shannon) Do you feel stress and anxiety under the weight of the monumental task of not only rearing your children but educating them as well? As parents and educators we often feel a heightened sense of responsibility towards our children. We can become anxious, fussy, and fretful. Charlotte Mason says that what is needed is an adjustment – an understanding of masterly inactivity.
If we admit the idea of masterly inactivity as a factor in education, we shall find ourselves framing our dealings with children from this standpoint, without much conscious effort. But we must get clearly into our heads what we mean by masterly inactivity. - School Education, Ch. 3, p. 28.
In this session we will gain a clear picture of what is meant by masterly inactivity and the elements that comprise it, as well as identify practical areas where we can and should artfully stand aside. As we assimilate this idea, we will learn to hold a posture of masterly inactivity and become wise women of confident repose.
Session 3 An Outward Focus (Joy Shannon) Have you ever thrown a stone into the water and watched the circles round it spread? – Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Book I, p. 81 Mason does not confine her philosophy to “school subjects” only but also addresses our hearts and minds. She repeatedly calls us from a focus on self to an outward focus on others. This theme is laced throughout her volumes, particularly her fourth volume – Ourselves. We will take a careful look at self-reverence, self-knowledge, and self-control and see how these will aid us toward that endeavor. Come explore how an outward focus could change the atmosphere of our homes, our habits of doing and thinking, as well as our lives and the lives of those around us.