With all my talk about Charlotte Mason recently, readers are surely thinking, “Wow, she’s a confirmed Charlotte Mason-ite. Clearly, that’s her method. She sure loves Charlotte. Yessirree, no doubt about it. That Karen is a CM-er.”
Well, yes. No. Maybe. Well, part of the time. But, then there’s our classical side. And our unschooling days. And sometimes, now and then, a workbook-y type of thing going on.
And there you have our homeschool in a nutshell. I’m a pendulum, swinging back and forth between various methods and ideas. I try a bit of this, throw in a little of that. Our homeschool isn’t easily pegged. That sounds haphazard, inconsistent and sloppy, but I prefer to think of it as adaptable, flexible and creative (isn’t it nice to find positive adjectives for our weaknesses?)
In all seriousness, there are pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses to changing or combining one’s methods. Without any forethought, it could become haphazard, sloppy, confusing and unproductive. But, with some consideration, an overall philosophy in place, and the various methods and ideas being plugged in when and where appropriate, it can be a rich and exciting way to homeschool.
The overall philosophy that I try to live by? I want my kids to “learn how to learn,” and I want them to be, and remain, excited about learning. With these as end goals, our day-to-day methods become less important. And the mixing-up of methods becomes just one more method to reach the goal, if that makes sense.
I’ve learned a lot about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophies, and I subscribe to several of them, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ideas we live by. No one educational method has ever answered all of my questions, or suited each and every one of my children perfectly. Kids are unique individuals who can’t be fitted neatly into boxes. Therefore, I peek into a lot of boxes, pull out what works for us, and leave the rest.
So, rather than being a “confirmed CM-er” or a “confirmed unschooler” or a confirmed anything-elser, I’d rather think of us as confirmed learners. And it’s so much quicker to say than, “We’re Charlotte Mason-Unschooling-Touch-of-Classical-Unit-Study-Book-Loving Learners.” Whew.
Yeah … eclectic is a handy word.