Guide, Philosopher, and Friend

I’ve mentioned the 2018 CMEC retreat recordings many, many times this summer and how incredibly helpful listening to them was for me to prepare for this new school year (thank you to Joy Cherrick, who originally brought it to my attention!). In this post, I’m sharing a little bit more about two of the talks and how they have influenced my approach to this school year.

Guide, Philosopher, and Friend

In the opening talk, one of the quotes that Amy Snell shared comes from Towards a Philosophy of Education about the role of the teacher:

We as teachers depreciate ourselves and our office; we do not realise that in the nature of things the teacher has a prophetic power of appeal and inspiration, that his part is not the weariful task of spoon-feeding with pap-meat, but the delightful commerce of equal minds where his is the part of guide, philosopher and friend.

Ironically, Art Middlekauff of Charlotte Mason Poetry, also gave a talk on this topic at the Living Education Retreat this past summer (I haven’t listened yet but hope to in the future). He shared several quotes about this idea of being guide, philosopher, and friend, including this one by Charlotte Mason from a 1915 Parents’ Review article:

…instead of forcing facts upon his class by way of tedious drawing out, illustration, recapitulation, etc., the teacher becomes its guide, philosopher and friend, a wonderfully stimulating influence through his own natural enjoyment of and interest in the books his pupils read.

As with so many Charlotte Mason quotes, I had come across the one Amy shared as I read through the volumes, but it didn’t make it into my commonplace book until I listened to the CMEC conference recordings. What a beautiful picture of how I want my homeschool to look! Instead of powering through lesson plans and checking off boxes, I want to cultivate an atmosphere of mutual learning. I want my kids to know that though I may have more life experience than them, I’m learning right alongside them, and I want to hear their thoughts and discuss these ideas we’re coming in contact with on a daily basis. I want to guide them to lasting friendships with the authors we’re reading and plant their feet firmly in that wide room. As the first quote says, I want this to be a “commerce of equal minds,” and I want my kids to know that I’m learning from them as well.

In recent years, my pre-reading time has been a chore that I, in some ways, dreaded each week. I often waited until Sunday to even begin diving into the following week’s readings, which meant that I was spending most of (if not all) the afternoon, and even into the evening, pre-reading the books my kids would be reading on their own that week. Not quite a Sabbath rest for me. I did not take notes, and when it came time for them to narrate what they read to me, there wasn’t a whole lot of exchange or discussion. However, a box was checked, so it was a success! But not really.

After listening to the CMEC talks, I decided that instead of looking at pre-reading as a chore, I needed to look at it as an education for myself as well. Celeste Cruz, in “Pre-Reading as Scholé,” talked about taking on the posture of a student. And if we take the above quote into consideration when pondering that idea, they fit together beautifully. If I approach my children’s school tasks as if they’re my own, I can truly enter into a “commerce of equal minds” with them and serve as their guide, philosopher, and friend.

So, in preparation for this year, I bought myself two three-ring binders (one for each kid’s readings), dividers, and page tabs, and started reading. As I went through the readings, I took notes and recorded dates and places, then looked them up in our map books and entered them on map printouts that I keep in the binders. I took out my neglected Book of Centuries and entered the events I was reading about. I also reworked my daily schedule and set time aside specifically for the purpose of pre-reading so I’m not trying to rush through it all on Sunday afternoon. It’s been a few weeks now, and while I’m not to the point where everything is done by the time I get to Sunday, I’m making progress.

I have also seen how these simple preparations have made our school time so much richer. After they narrate to me, I get my notes out, and we have conversations about what both of us read. They remind me of things I missed, and I define terms for them or provide more context for what we read. I am also serving as an example with my maps and Book of Centuries right beside me while I’m reading (as Karen also suggested!) so I can label and make entries as I go and model the posture of a life-long student.

Whereas before, I dreaded my Sunday pre-reading time, now I look forward to my half hour of pre-reading each night and practicing the art of narration in written form for myself. It does take more time than what I’ve done in the past, but sometimes, choosing the better path takes more time.

So, as I go into this new school year, I’m keeping this quote in mind. I want to join my kids in their education and come alongside them as we make our way through the weeks. I want to be not only their mama but also their guide, philosopher, and friend.