Hi Everyone...
There is a lot I can say about the last few years...My oldest son has graduated, and I still have my younger two boys at home (currently 13 and 14)...I also work part time in a bakery...We are still homeschooling, and we are doing a MP Core next school year...This will be my third time doing MP...
We spent the last few years doing Charlotte Mason...I had joined a local group that met one day a week for lessons, then we did follow up and other reading at home...I had consultations to come up with a plan for each of my boys (before my oldest graduated), and bought tons of books for them to read and narrate back to me, either orally or in writing...I read CM's Volume One and part of Volume Six with a study group...I have a decent understanding of the CM method, and the mom who runs the group I use to belong to is doing a wonderful job with her homeschool - it is just not working for us...I gave it a few years because I invested a lot of money on books and supplies and I really wanted it to work out...At least I have a decent home library now ;-)
After reading CM's own words and trying out the method, I discovered that I agree with some of what she says, and disagree with other things...The things that I disagree with I just can't get past...For anyone who is interested, I will discuss it a bit...
- Narration after just one reading: My boys struggled with this...The idea is that you should be able to give your full attention and be able to recall great detail after hearing or reading something once...You do not re read or revisit material that you have read...You narrate immediately after reading and are expected to retain that information going foreward...
- Teachers are not to ask questions or "get in the way" of the book: I struggled with this...The thinking is that the Holy Spirit is the true teacher of your child, and your child will get what he/she needs from the book without you asking questions or putting your thoughts out there in the way of discussions...Your child tells you what is important about the reading...Your job is not to "teach" but to "guide" towards learning...
- Too many subjects/moving parts: We all struggled with this...You can be expected to cover close to and sometimes beyond twenty subjects at one time...Short lessons (15 - 20 mins is the time slot for most lessons, a few may last half hour), with some lessons only lasting 5 - 10 minutes...Most subjects are only done once a week...So we would do a picture study, read a book for 10 mins, read a different book for 10 mins, do math, read another book or have a lesson for another 10 mins, etc....Too much for me to plan and keep track of...Most days it was a bunch of reading without any actual formal lessons because it was just too much to plan out...
- Too much reading/learning required about the CM method to feel like you can do it justice: I don't have any more time to devote to learning a method in order to feel successful...I would rather spend my time reading the books my boys are reading instead of trying to learn how to implement CM...My boys will be grown before I read all six of those volumes and figure out how to put it into practice to get the results we all want and need...
I don't regret trying out CM - it was always on my mind and a source of struggle for me the last time I tried to do MP...I guess I needed to go down that road...The bottom line is that I need structure and confidence...My boys need structure and confidence...With me working part time, doing a full MP core is going to be harder than it has ever been, but we have already started doing prerequisite work to prepare for the fall and I have already bought our materials so there is no turning back...I am afraid and nervous, but hopeful at the same time...
Is the third time really the charm?
There is a lot I can say about the last few years...My oldest son has graduated, and I still have my younger two boys at home (currently 13 and 14)...I also work part time in a bakery...We are still homeschooling, and we are doing a MP Core next school year...This will be my third time doing MP...
We spent the last few years doing Charlotte Mason...I had joined a local group that met one day a week for lessons, then we did follow up and other reading at home...I had consultations to come up with a plan for each of my boys (before my oldest graduated), and bought tons of books for them to read and narrate back to me, either orally or in writing...I read CM's Volume One and part of Volume Six with a study group...I have a decent understanding of the CM method, and the mom who runs the group I use to belong to is doing a wonderful job with her homeschool - it is just not working for us...I gave it a few years because I invested a lot of money on books and supplies and I really wanted it to work out...At least I have a decent home library now ;-)
After reading CM's own words and trying out the method, I discovered that I agree with some of what she says, and disagree with other things...The things that I disagree with I just can't get past...For anyone who is interested, I will discuss it a bit...
- Narration after just one reading: My boys struggled with this...The idea is that you should be able to give your full attention and be able to recall great detail after hearing or reading something once...You do not re read or revisit material that you have read...You narrate immediately after reading and are expected to retain that information going foreward...
- Teachers are not to ask questions or "get in the way" of the book: I struggled with this...The thinking is that the Holy Spirit is the true teacher of your child, and your child will get what he/she needs from the book without you asking questions or putting your thoughts out there in the way of discussions...Your child tells you what is important about the reading...Your job is not to "teach" but to "guide" towards learning...
- Too many subjects/moving parts: We all struggled with this...You can be expected to cover close to and sometimes beyond twenty subjects at one time...Short lessons (15 - 20 mins is the time slot for most lessons, a few may last half hour), with some lessons only lasting 5 - 10 minutes...Most subjects are only done once a week...So we would do a picture study, read a book for 10 mins, read a different book for 10 mins, do math, read another book or have a lesson for another 10 mins, etc....Too much for me to plan and keep track of...Most days it was a bunch of reading without any actual formal lessons because it was just too much to plan out...
- Too much reading/learning required about the CM method to feel like you can do it justice: I don't have any more time to devote to learning a method in order to feel successful...I would rather spend my time reading the books my boys are reading instead of trying to learn how to implement CM...My boys will be grown before I read all six of those volumes and figure out how to put it into practice to get the results we all want and need...
I don't regret trying out CM - it was always on my mind and a source of struggle for me the last time I tried to do MP...I guess I needed to go down that road...The bottom line is that I need structure and confidence...My boys need structure and confidence...With me working part time, doing a full MP core is going to be harder than it has ever been, but we have already started doing prerequisite work to prepare for the fall and I have already bought our materials so there is no turning back...I am afraid and nervous, but hopeful at the same time...
Is the third time really the charm?
. And you are right - sometimes you just have to go down that road a bit to see if it’s for you. 
, but I very much related to your initial post about going between CM and MP and coming to a reckoning. We have swayed back and forth between those approaches for the last five years. My oldest, nearly 14, has language processing issues so doing CM style read-alouds and narrations were beyond frustrating for her. My next oldest could be the "poster child" for CM as she listens quite well and loves to talk, but writing anything down is akin to torture to her and she needs the discipline of a more structured curriculum. My oldest daughter is happy that so many of the resources she has for next year are MP and my other daughters are coming to appreciate that there is a wonderful sense of mission when Mom has a plan with a few optimal resources instead of pages of book lists.
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