Changes Afoot!
Just as the seasons change, so do things in other areas of our lives. I am by nature quite resistant to change, but am recognising that change is not always a bad thing – just a new season.
How we homeschool is one of those things that is about to change radically. For 6 years we have used KONOS unit studies with our girls combined with a good dose of Charlotte Mason. Plenty of nature study and outdoor time, plenty of artist study, narration and composer study. All good things. But worry and concern has plagued my heart of late.
Firstly, our girls are outgrowing KONOS and I was not convinced that perusing the high school program was right for a family living in England. We have different criteria that need to be met should we wish to sit exams.
Secondly, our girls are growing up! They are no longer of elementary school age. As of tomorrow my ‘little’ one is 13. We now have two teenage girls in the home and their educational needs are changing. We feel that we want them to have the option of entering college or uni one day. They are both expressing interest in careers that will require them to have a school leavers certificate in order to study further. The problem is that after 6 years of diligently teaching our girls from a biblical worldview, and wanting to – needing to – remain true to our calling of raising Kingdom Children, I just could not reconcile myself to ditching all our values and embracing the British schools secular curriculum in order to ‘jump through the necessary hoops’.
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God is good and he knows our hearts. He has led us – through a wonderful friend – to the A.C.E curriculum (Accelerated Christian Education). Here in England A.C.E is overseen by CEE (Christian Education Europe), the distributor for A.C.E in Europe. Through CEE and using the A.C.E program, our girls will walk away with an International school leavers certificate which is accepted by colleges and universities worldwide. We will have met the worlds requirements but not compromised on a Christian education.
Of course it is not perfect. It means that I have to let go of my ideals of being a true Charlotte Mason homeschool. I can add elements of the CM method, but it wont be true to her philosophy.
It also means that I have much less control over what we learn. We follow the program that is set out. I think these two big changes to our homeschool was what put me off initially. But – we gain more than we loose, and life is full of compromising and as we grow change is inevitable.
So, our homeschool will look very different from now on, but I am happy that we have chosen to go with a curriculum and a provider who’s philosophy keeps Christ as the centre and who’s aim is to grow children in Godly character and wisdom.
**I’m over at Curriculum Choice today with a review. Why not pop on over and have a look?**
14 Comments
Ellen, the Bluestocking Belle
Shirley, I've made many alterations and full-out changes as my girls grow, too. I think your plans sound wonderful!
Shirley-Ann
Thank you Ellen. It is always daunting when changes occur. We are trusting that Lord will continue to lead us as He has done so far in our homeschooling journey.
Bevy @ Treasured Up and Pondered
I grew up using A.C.E. — if I were to head into homeschooling – which I'm praying about – I think that is the route we would take.
You'll enjoy. And you can always add to it and enhance it with other stuff.
Blessings on you today.
~B
Shirley-Ann
Thanks for sharing Bevy. It is good to hear that you had a positive experience with A.C.E. I pray that the Lord will reveal His plan for you with regards to homeschooling :o)
Bevy @ Treasured Up and Pondered
Let me know -in time- what you think of it. I would be interested to hear..
🙂
Lisa
I have heard of ACE, but never tried it. I look forward to hearing all about this new season in your home school. 🙂
Many blessings,
Lisa
Shirley-Ann
Thank you Lisa :o)
Loving Learning
Hey Shirls, my mum teaches at an A.C.E. school! Enjoy the journey!
Shirley-Ann
I didn't know that Wends! TEACH, which is the division of CEE who provide support for A.C.E users here has the exact same philosophy as Sonja and Greg BTW. They have a great support and fellowship program. I have really missed that aspect of Oikos!
Unknown
A wonderful solution! I've just happened upon your blog this morning and I look forward to 'poking around'. As a KONOS mom with a desire to add more of a charlotte mason bent to our homeschool, I look forward to reading more about how you've accomplished it. Enjoy this upcoming season!
Shirley-Ann
Glad you found me :o) I found that Charlotte Mason worked really well with KONOS. I would use Fridays as our family/co-op days as well as nature study, composer and art appreciation.
Creative Life Studio
Thank you for visiting my blog, Shirley. I'm so glad to have discovered yours! I wish you well with your new changes and remind you that while you may not be remaining true to CM's philosophy, you are remaining true to yours – most important to do with your own children. I like many things in the CM philosophy too, and we have tried and incorporated many over the years, but there were just some things that didn't work for us. One example was her use of short subjects. We found that we often wanted to linger longer over topics that were delighting us. One year I tried setting a timer for every 20 minutes and it really was a comedy! I would be rushing my girls to finish up so we could switch gears and move on to the next topic. This was designed by CM, if I remember correctly, to keep them interested in their subjects. I was quite missing the point when I was tearing them away! Anyway, I was disappointed too when we switched gears, but the changes we made were better for OUR family. I imagine that CM's philosophy worked well… and especially well for Mason herself and her teaching personality. I am thankful for everything she taught me about educating and still respect her work greatly. The entire scope of it just wasn't for us and the beauty of homeschooling is that we can craft a unique education tailored just for our child(ren). Blessings on this new stage of the journey!
Shirley-Ann
Too true! I think that the most important thing for me is that we are raising our children for Christ and according to His will for their lives. The only downfall with being strictly CM is that you can get a bit carried away trying to implement her philosophy and loose sight of what God is wanting for our children. Like you I really respect her work, but we need to take our lead from the Creator Himself. Thank you for your lovely comment and insights.
Blessings
Anonymous
Hello Shirl Darling, I know we keep in touch but I am here to say that we are very proud of you,Trevor Victoria and Jessica. Lovely blog.
Loving Gran and great gran. XXXX