Should I Scrap My Charlotte Mason Curriculum?

Should I Scrap My Charlotte Mason Curriculum? | Heritage Mom

source: https://heritagemom.com/index.php/2020/06/18/should-i-scrap-my-charlotte-mason-curriculum/

Recent national conversations have trickled down into the homeschool world and caused somewhat of an awakening among home educators. Many are realizing for the first time that their kids' school books lack windows into other cultures and their home libraries are full of cream with no hints of butterscotch, caramel, or mocha fudge. They see it, they don't like it, and they want to do something about it. And to this I say, "Amen!"

I'm excited to see the new interests being developed by some and the deepening commitment by others. I've been talking about the need to add some colorful voices to the traditional Charlotte Mason curriculum options for years, so what's happening right now in home education is invigorating and validating. It's giving me all the feel-goods.

And as this is all going down, I'm getting a lot of messages from moms who are ready to burn their plans for the fall and get rid of every book on the shelf because the books are all "white-washed and lack diversity." They're holding a match under it all and have an eye towards starting over using my blog and others like it to rebuild from the ground up. These moms are going to scrap their traditional Charlotte Mason curriculum, and they want to hear me say, "You go, girl!" but instead I'm saying...

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Hold up, girlfriend.

Before you go posting a whole year of Ambleside Online for sale on a "buy used" Facebook page, let me talk to you for a minute.

Why

are you getting rid of your curriculum?

If you aren't enjoying it, haven't felt inspired by it, or are feeling stifled by the guidance, then by all means...scrap it. Free yourself from the chains because there are so many different routes you can take to building beautiful CM lessons without relying on a standard curriculum or booklist.

BUT...

If you love what you're using and are only thinking of scrapping it because you feel guilty that it's too white or that your kids aren't getting enough color, or because Heritage Mom has so many awesome recommendations on her blog that you never even considered (haha), then I'm asking you to reconsider.

Because the thing is that I'm keeping my curriculum.

My oldest started with AO Year 1, I still have all of those books, and I continue to collect titles from other years for our home library. I stalk the old-school AO moms online like nobody's business, and I sit at their virtual feet to hear them talk whenever I have an opportunity. I've determined that it's impossible to read every single article or page on their website, but I'm going to die trying. There is a lot of beauty in some of the books they recommend. I cherish my ADE (A Delectable Education) consults. I look forward to it every year and will continue to do so. Liz can call me out on this if I'm not accurate, but I'm 99% sure that I was one of her first consults of 2020 if not the first because I signed up AS SOON AS they opened up new slots in the scheduling app. And when I get that email back from Emily with their recommendations, I hide in my closet...inside my locked bathroom...inside my locked bedroom to read it. I binged on their podcast one summer on a 24-hour roundtrip drive to visit family, it transformed my home, and I've been a fan ever since. I had the opportunity to meet all of them (Liz, Emily, and Nicole) at a conference one time, and I was GEEKED. I have enough stuff from Simply Charlotte Mason to create a SCM lending library that could get someone through at least a year or two of lessons, and I use it. Sonya Shafer lives less than an hour away from me, and it has crossed my mind that if I do my grocery shopping at a different store I could conceivably bump into her in the produce section. That may be a little stalkerish but...I'm just keeping it real. The Charlotte Mason Institute's Alveary is one of my loves, and I'm (im)patiently sitting here waiting for their new lesson plans to come out on July 1st. My son's birthday is July 2nd, and I feel sorry for him because...well...Mama is going to be distracted. I have to wear sunglasses when I find myself being pulled against my will (smile) onto Beautiful Feet Books so I won't spend too much money on all the glittery things, and when the CMEC (Charlotte Mason Educational Center) just released their Kinderleben guide, I was smiling ear to ear. I wish I'd had that when I was starting out, and I'm so happy to see the new crop of moms who are getting that early support. I continue to see cool books people have gotten from their Wildwood plans, and although I'm 100% committed to Christian home education (Wildwood is secular), I see the work they're doing to be inclusive and wholly admire it. I've seen many moms online talking about how A Gentle Feast helped bring balance back to their families. I'm in a FB group with Susan Harnish from A Modern Charlotte Mason, and she seems earnestly committed to including multiple voices in her work.

I've left many out as I'm not attempting to list every CM curriculum available, but my point is, that the existing Charlotte Mason curriculum options are not evil. Some may be incomplete or contain outdated and occasionally even inappropriate books, but that in no way renders them useless. I use them.

And I'm going to continue using them.

My message has never been that you should run for the hills. It's always been one of commitment. I have an unwavering commitment to provide my children with what I think are the best books. At times, my definition of the "best books" diverges from mainstream CM circles, but it often aligns well. In my home, that means that I listen to what the major curriculum providers are suggesting, and I use some of what they recommend ALONG WITH what I know to be best for my children. Not this or that. But this and that.

Along with commitment comes expectation.

I don't expect any of the companies or people above to provide me with complete open and go lesson plans that will meet all of my needs. They don't know me or my kids, and quite frankly, it may not even be possible for them to be brown & black enough for me. I'm always going to need to remove, add, or replace some books. Some years, I need to replace a lot of books. Other years, I haven't needed to change as much. Either way, they're providing an amazing gift. They work hard at what they do, and though they have varying levels of commitment to including POC voices, there is much we can take from the work they've done and feel good about it.

You still may have legitimate reasons for getting rid of your curriculum. If your heart has been pricked and you want to build your own curriculum - not because you feel shamed into it but because it's what you actually want to do, then you should proceed full-force ahead because that's different.

If you feel that way, then you are moving towards something from a place of growth vs. running away from something due to shame or fear.

There are a lot of CM moms who build their own plans from the ground up. Alisha from Little Women Farmhouse shares the plans she develops for her girls each term, and I almost broke my neck last week trying to get to the computer so I could read her latest share on a big screen. Alisha enjoys building her own curriculum and she's good at it. Really good. She does what she does because she wants to - not because she's terrified or has been shamed into letting go of something else that she loved. She's confident that she can put together what she knows to be best for her family.

If you're like Alisha and want to scrap convention to do your own thing, that is wonderful and you should totally do that!

If you're like me and want to use curriculum and then tweak the heck out of it to fit your vision, that is great and you should totally do that!

If you want to keep using what you've been using, as is, but want to stick on a little multi-ethnic flavor, that is cool and you should totally do that!

If you think another curriculum is a better fit for where you are right now and would like to give it a try, that is neat and you should totally do that!

And hear my heart here... If you've heard the recent buzz and just don't feel moved to add any color to the cream, that's OK too. The fact that you're reading this right now tells me that something is moving inside of you. It may not be manifested in the 2020-2021 school year, and you and your kids are going to be fine. It's OK to just listen to the conversation, and you still have a seat at my table.

If you don't feel right about what you've been using, then by all means, make changes. But please don't feel like your only option is to throw the baby out with the bath water. You don't have to know it all or do it all or blow it all up and start over. Consider your goals. Determine your commitment. Moderate your expectations. And move forward with confidence in the direction you choose because you think it's the right thing to do.

Coming Soon! Resources to help you bridge the gap between the curriculum you love and your legitimate desire to incorporate POC voices into your lesson plans.

You can find me on Instagram @heritagemomblog. See you there!

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