A Little Fire Will Kindle a Torch: Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom
Welcome to A Mother’s Thinking Love: Living Ideas, Lovingly Shared! As part of my yearly summer encouragement reading, I picked up a biography of Charlotte Mason called: “The Story of Charlotte Mason” by Essex Cholmondeley. Somehow, I was not aware this book existed until earlier this year. When I finally sat down to begin the trip through Charlotte Mason’s life, I assumed it would merely be a biographical read. What I found throughout was much more than I expected, and I wanted to share one of the precious pieces of wisdom I gained from Miss Mason. Join me for “A Little Fire Will Kindle a Torch: Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom”!
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When the Fire Dims
If there’s one lesson I have learned over the last eight years of homeschooling, it’s that homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. When we first began traveling down this less ventured road, my enthusiasm kept me going. I spent days and nights dreaming about our new adventure: books, curriculum, school supplies, and more! But soon enough, those dreamy days and nights turned into real weeks, months, and years, and, while I knew we were on the right path, I found that a homeschool mom cannot live on enthusiasm alone. The fire for home education was still there, but it had dimmed.
…But Why?
But why had the fire, which once burned so strongly and brightly, grown dim? My husband and I did not take our decision to homeschool lightly. It was a major decision for us, which involved, among many changes, going from two incomes to one. We knew our “why”. We had dozens of logical reasons to support our choice. Shouldn’t this list of reasons be enough fuel for me to grit my teeth, pull myself up by my bootstraps and keep going as I had in those early homeschooling days?
A Little Fire Will Kindle a Torch
It’s in Charlotte Mason’s writings that I eventually found why the fire had dimmed. Although I had spent hours reading about homeschooling, watching curriculum reviews, and listening to homeschool mom podcasts, I had forgotten to apply Miss Mason’s first principle to myself: Children are born persons. In devoting myself to this principle in our homeschool, I had overlooked my own personhood. While I chased after beauty, living ideas, and great books in our lesson plans, I disregarded my own need for those same pursuits. This is what Miss Mason so aptly reminded me of through a letter to her former student, now teacher, from the House of Education in 1895:
To return to “enthusiasm.” The writer of a paper on this
subject in your last issue will like to know that other members
caught fire from her though she herself complains that she is
burning low. It is astonishing how little fire will kindle a torch,
and this is a thought to encourage us in depressed moments if
we were not all too healthy minded to have any such moments! But, please remember that enthusiasm is a fire that
throws out light and heat at a cost of constant waste of fuel.
Do not for a moment suppose that you can warm yourselves
and others for months together upon the original stock you
brought from Ambleside. Every day new “thoughts that
burn” must be supplied or the fire will go out and present the
dreariest of all spectacles, a desolate hearth. Where shall we
get new ideas? These are, as Wordsworth says of pleasure,
“cast in stray gifts through the world, to be found by whoever
will seek.” Read, not only in The Book, which one cannot read
without many life-giving thoughts, but almost any good book,
poetry, biography, history, essays, good novels,–all will supply
our need. You will find that if we read thoughtfully and steadily and only that which is worth reading, daily nourishment
of stimulating thought will come to us; and, however foreign
the subject may be, what we read, if it is worth reading, will
help us to do our work better and will give us fresh thoughts
to impart to the children. Never be without a really good book
on hand. If you find yourself sinking to a dull commonplace
level, with nothing particular to say, the reason is probably
that you are not reading and, therefore, not thinking…
I fear I am exceeding the space allowed to me so I will offer
just one other little word of counsel—study. I know that all
good teachers have some study each day in preparing for the
next day’s work, but, besides this, study some two or three
subjects, definitely on your own account. Do not think this a
selfish thing to do, because the advantage does not end with
yourself. Every hour of definite study enriches your mind and
increases your power, so that, the more you study in your
spare time, the more there is in you to bestow upon your pupils.
Advice & Ideas
Read the Book [Bible]. Read other great works from a variety of genres. Study two or three subjects on your own. The advice is simple. The benefit is immeasurable. Not only will you grow as a mother, you will have more to pass on to those in your care.
In honor of Miss Mason’s advice, I wanted to share a few of the books & studies that have enriched my own life.
Links
Scripture & Worship – Without these two as my foundation, none of my other pursuits amount to much. Daily reading & regular study of the Scriptures help me to renew my mind. Learning to sing the Psalms grounds my worship in God’s Word. Reading about the saints and martyrs of Church History orients my perspective. Finally, studying beloved hymns and their writers fills my heart with song.
- Bible
- A favorite CD based on the Psalms
- Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters
- Then Sings My Soul
Art & Classical Music – Studying famous works of art & listening to classical music has become part of my routine. I never imagined myself saying that! It may be as simple as sitting an art post card on my dresser to glimpse each morning or turning on classical music while I fold laundry, but these little acts bring beauty to each day.
Books – This category has come most naturally to me. I have always been a voracious reader. Although I have always read books, I found myself limiting my choices to non-fiction. When I began to introduce living-style, non-fiction books, like 1776, and works of fiction, I found my enthusiasm for learning and teaching returned.
- 1776
- Jane Eyre
- Hannah Coulter – When I say this book impacted me in the deepest way, I am not exaggerating. The story features high-highs and low-lows, but, if you choose to read it, keep going! Read until the very last line. You won’t regret it.
I hope you have been encouraged by “A Little Fire Will Kindle a Torch: Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom”. How do you keep going when your enthusiasm for homeschooling is nowhere to be found? Share your ideas in the comments!
