Recent national conversations have trickled down into the homeschool world and caused somewhat of an awakening among home educators. Many are realizing for the first time that their kids’ school books lack windows into other cultures and their home libraries are full of cream with no hints of butterscotch, caramel, or mocha fudge. They see it, they don’t like it, and they want to do something about it. And to this I say, “Amen!”
I’m excited to see the new interests being developed by some and the deepening commitment by others. I’ve been talking about the need to add some colorful voices to the traditional Charlotte Mason curriculum options for years, so what’s happening right now in home education is invigorating and validating. It’s giving me all the feel-goods.
And as this is all going down, I’m getting a lot of messages from moms who are ready to burn their plans for the fall and get rid of every book on the shelf because the books are all “white-washed and lack diversity.” They’re holding a match under it all and have an eye towards starting over using my blog and others like it to rebuild from the ground up. These moms are going to scrap their traditional Charlotte Mason curriculum, and they want to hear me say, “You go, girl!” but instead I’m saying…
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Hold up, girlfriend.
Before you go posting a whole year of Ambleside Online for sale on a “buy used” Facebook page, let me talk to you for a minute.
Why are you getting rid of your curriculum?
If you aren’t enjoying it, haven’t felt inspired by it, or are feeling stifled by the guidance, then by all means…scrap it. Free yourself from the chains because there are so many different routes you can take to building beautiful CM lessons without relying on a standard curriculum or booklist.
BUT…
If you love what you’re using and are only thinking of scrapping it because you feel guilty that it’s too white or that your kids aren’t getting enough color, or because Heritage Mom has so many awesome recommendations on her blog that you never even considered (haha), then I’m asking you to reconsider.
Because the thing is that I’m keeping my curriculum.
- My oldest started with AO Year 1, I still have all of those books, and I continue to collect titles from other years for our home library. I stalk the old-school AO moms online like nobody’s business, and I sit at their virtual feet to hear them talk whenever I have an opportunity. I’ve determined that it’s impossible to read every single article or page on their website, but I’m going to die trying. There is a lot of beauty in some of the books they recommend.
- I cherish my ADE (A Delectable Education) consults. I look forward to it every year and will continue to do so. Liz can call me out on this if I’m not accurate, but I’m 99% sure that I was one of her first consults of 2020 if not the first because I signed up AS SOON AS they opened up new slots in the scheduling app. And when I get that email back from Emily with their recommendations, I hide in my closet…inside my locked bathroom…inside my locked bedroom to read it. I binged on their podcast one summer on a 24-hour roundtrip drive to visit family, it transformed my home, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I had the opportunity to meet all of them (Liz, Emily, and Nicole) at a conference one time, and I was GEEKED.
- I have enough stuff from Simply Charlotte Mason to create a SCM lending library that could get someone through at least a year or two of lessons, and I use it. Sonya Shafer lives less than an hour away from me, and it has crossed my mind that if I do my grocery shopping at a different store I could conceivably bump into her in the produce section. That may be a little stalkerish but…I’m just keeping it real.
- The Charlotte Mason Institute’s Alveary is one of my loves, and I’m (im)patiently sitting here waiting for their new lesson plans to come out on July 1st. My son’s birthday is July 2nd, and I feel sorry for him because…well…Mama is going to be distracted.
- I have to wear sunglasses when I find myself being pulled against my will (smile) onto Beautiful Feet Books so I won’t spend too much money on all the glittery things, and when the CMEC (Charlotte Mason Educational Center) just released their Kinderleben guide, I was smiling ear to ear. I wish I’d had that when I was starting out, and I’m so happy to see the new crop of moms who are getting that early support.
- I continue to see cool books people have gotten from their Wildwood plans, and although I’m 100% committed to Christian home education (Wildwood is secular), I see the work they’re doing to be inclusive and wholly admire it.
- I’ve seen many moms online talking about how A Gentle Feast helped bring balance back to their families. I’m in a FB group with Susan Harnish from A Modern Charlotte Mason, and she seems earnestly committed to including multiple voices in her work.
I’ve left many out as I’m not attempting to list every CM curriculum available, but my point is, that the existing Charlotte Mason curriculum options are not evil. Some may be incomplete or contain outdated and occasionally even inappropriate books, but that in no way renders them useless. I use them.
And I’m going to continue using them.
My message has never been that you should run for the hills. It’s always been one of commitment. I have an unwavering commitment to provide my children with what I think are the best books. At times, my definition of the “best books” diverges from mainstream CM circles, but it often aligns well. In my home, that means that I listen to what the major curriculum providers are suggesting, and I use some of what they recommend ALONG WITH what I know to be best for my children. Not this or that. But this and that.
Along with commitment comes expectation.
I don’t expect any of the companies or people above to provide me with complete open and go lesson plans that will meet all of my needs. They don’t know me or my kids, and quite frankly, it may not even be possible for them to be brown & black enough for me. I’m always going to need to remove, add, or replace some books. Some years, I need to replace a lot of books. Other years, I haven’t needed to change as much. Either way, they’re providing an amazing gift. They work hard at what they do, and though they have varying levels of commitment to including POC voices, there is much we can take from the work they’ve done and feel good about it.
You still may have legitimate reasons for getting rid of your curriculum. If your heart has been pricked and you want to build your own curriculum – not because you feel shamed into it but because it’s what you actually want to do, then you should proceed full-force ahead because that’s different.
If you feel that way, then you are moving towards something from a place of growth vs. running away from something due to shame or fear.
There are a lot of CM moms who build their own plans from the ground up. Alisha from Little Women Farmhouse shares the plans she develops for her girls each term, and I almost broke my neck last week trying to get to the computer so I could read her latest share on a big screen. Alisha enjoys building her own curriculum and she’s good at it. Really good. She does what she does because she wants to – not because she’s terrified or has been shamed into letting go of something else that she loved. She’s confident that she can put together what she knows to be best for her family.
If you’re like Alisha and want to scrap convention to do your own thing, that is wonderful and you should totally do that!
If you’re like me and want to use curriculum and then tweak the heck out of it to fit your vision, that is great and you should totally do that!
If you want to keep using what you’ve been using, as is, but want to stick on a little multi-ethnic flavor, that is cool and you should totally do that!
If you think another curriculum is a better fit for where you are right now and would like to give it a try, that is neat and you should totally do that!
And hear my heart here…If you’ve heard the recent buzz and just don’t feel moved to add any color to the cream, that’s OK too. The fact that you’re reading this right now tells me that something is moving inside of you. It may not be manifested in the 2020-2021 school year, and you and your kids are going to be fine. It’s OK to just listen to the conversation, and you still have a seat at my table.
If you don’t feel right about what you’ve been using, then by all means, make changes. But please don’t feel like your only option is to throw the baby out with the bath water. You don’t have to know it all or do it all or blow it all up and start over. Consider your goals. Determine your commitment. Moderate your expectations. And move forward with confidence in the direction you choose because you think it’s the right thing to do.
Coming Soon! Resources to help you bridge the gap between the curriculum you love and your legitimate desire to incorporate POC voices into your lesson plans.
You can find me on Instagram @heritagemomblog. See you there!
This is excellent. I especially love this: “Not this or that. But this and that.” Thank you for your excellent posts! I’ve been loving your blog and IG. ❤️
I love that part too! It really describes the whole essence of what I was trying to communicate. Thank you for reading and following me, and I hope the things I write will continue to resonate with you.
This is such a validating response to what I have been doing. We so enjoyed our Gentle and Classical Preschool this year but the next level for next year left me feeling a bit underwhelmed because of the lack of diversity. I didn’t want to totally knock it off because we really do love it. SO…I’m scratching off two artists and two composers and replacing with women and/or POC. I also am trying to find a Puerto Rican composer to add in since my girls are half PR too. All that to say, I’m committed to making sure my daughters are given a diverse education that honors the diversity found in the Kingdom of God! Thank you fo writing this.
You’re so welcome. I’m glad that you’re using the freedom you have as a mother to create what your family needs. That’s what it’s all about.
You are amazing. You are my hero. The other day in a different post you were responding to “how much black history is enough?” Which gave me a gut clench because I hear that question and I want to say “ALL OF IT,” and your response was “How much white history is enough?” and I unclenched. I realized that was it. It is okay that I hate history as a subject, especially traditional history (both wasp and date based x.x). My kids will know more about Dr Bullard, Katherine Johnson, George Washington Carver, Pierre Toussaint, all my own Black heroes, but we WILL learn history. Together. Slowly. Steadily. And not seventeen biographies of civil rights figures that I feel guilt for not knowing in one year because history cannot take over my life. And this post made me feel also that way – slow and steady will be enough. We’ll get there. I’ll get there. Maybe even someday I will like history! (There is hope. The other day I read a picture book about James Lafayette and I can’t stop talking about him)
Thank you for speaking up because there are other people who feel this way and need to hear you say it. I don’t think it’s possible that anyone hated studying history as much as I did before I began homeschooling. Well, I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t care about it. But when I began reading what my kids were reading, I was floored. It was amazing. Invigorating. Inspiring. I began to fall in love with it, and here I am.
Yaaaas!!! So well said. Thank you for your encouragement to moms 🥰
Yay! I’m happy that you agree and support what I’m saying. We are all in this together.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and kindness! “You still have a seat at my table” is a line I will be thinking about in many facets of life. What a testament to Christ-centered charity.
Thank you, Kristen. I’ve been reading so many things online (as we all have), and it has just really been on my heart that I shouldn’t reject another homeschool mom because she isn’t YET doing what I know to be right. That actually ensures that she remains alone or only with other people who are in the same place she’s in. If we really want to be change-makers, then we can’t tell people to go away. That’s what I was thinking when I wrote that.
Love this. So thankful for your voice here.
Thank you, Brooke. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know how you feel about what I wrote. I love what I’m doing, so it feels good to be validated.
Beautiful! I love so much of this. But when you said “you still have a seat at my table.” My heart right there. Where I want my heart to keep growing and growing.
Thank you for letting me know that it touched you. It can be hard to open up and be “real” over the Internet, but I feel like this is important enough to take the risk.
Thank you for writing this…I hugely appreciate the love and balance in this post and can’t wait to see your book recommendations which I’m sure I’ll be straight online to buy!
Haha! I’m excited to share as well. I’ll be posting about some of the sites I use when I’m looking for books very soon. But I’m also pulling things together for something bigger as we speak. So excited!
Tha k you so much for sharing your heart on this! We’ve used some form of CM since the beginning (almost 7 years now) and have always felt comfortable not reading certain books and replacing them with others! I look forward to your resources 😘❤️ Also I would totally stalk Sonya Shafer!!! 😂
Yes, that’s where I have landed as well, and I think moms need to hear that they have that freedom. Thank you for backing me up on the stalker thing. Mom solidarity is important, lol!
Just thank you.
You are so welcome, my friend.
I love this. Just so you know, I will totally stalk Sonya , Richele Baburina and you.😁
Hahahahaha! I’m cracking up over here. Well, I’m totally flattered to be named along with them.
This was beautiful!! Thank you so much for the encouragement. We are merely at the beginning of our journey…I have a 6,4,2, and almost due (any week now) little babe. I feel blessed to have found a voice like yours early in the game♥️
I’m so glad that we connected. I remember when I was EXACTLY where you are…6,4,2 and due any minute. Your hands and your heart are full, I know. WELCOME!
So so thankful for your voice!
And the heart it is communicating.
Thank you, Jane. I really appreciate that.
❤❤❤❤ Thank you.
You’re so welcome. Thank YOU for taking the time to read and respond.
I just want to hug your neck!
I do like hugs, so I hope we meet in person one day 🙂
Love, love, love, love!!!!
Especially “ They don’t know me or my kids” … and to expect them to certainly isn’t gracious or realistic. We will always be looking for what fits our family and that is good and right.
I am so grateful to you for writing this post which pulls in all these CM denominations under one church building – to use a rather pointed metaphor.
Plus – I’m pretty sure I’ve read your entire blog now also. 😉
Hahaha! That’s hilarious. I thought I was the only one who went back and read people’s old posts. I hope I didn’t say anything to embarrass myself too much way back when, lol. But yes, this is what I want to do – pull the CM family together.
That is a fantastic metaphor Carley!
So you’re okay with families just ignoring racism for another year? What a position of privilege that must be.
No, not at all. I have the privilege of intentionally choosing to not turn away people who aren’t doing things my way. There are stages of awareness. Some moms are just coming to an understanding that there is a problem with their book selection right now. School starts for many of us in 8 weeks or less. Very few people – and certainly not my readers – intentionally seek to harm their children with bad information. But they may not all be as far along the path as you are. We don’t teach our fellow moms by beating them over the heads. We teach through example and encouragement. If someone who was reading racist stuff to their kids found my blog, I’d like them to stay here and learn. It could be transformational. I’m not going to yell at them and make them feel like a horrible mother for being at a different place in their journey. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” In addition, for some moms, they are just trying to survive. They’re sleep-deprived and on the edge with babies on the hip, toddlers underfoot, and school-aged children who need to be taught in the midst of a pandemic. Grace abounds. I trust that most moms have their children’s best interest at heart, and I believe that they will do what they can when they’re able. I pray for them, and I believe that God is moving inside of them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be reading my work.
This is such a gracious, love filled reply!! Blessings to you- this is exactly the kind of mind set that will draw people into a conversation that can be life changing. Thank you!!
Thank you, Shay! We need to open up the lines of communication and have these real conversations. It’s so easy to inadvertently pull each other down in our attempts to do the right thing.
Thank you so much for this – grace enables. Giving people space, rather than guilting them into doing more and doing it better actually frees them up to do more and do it better! Thank you for your healthy, Christ-filled, Christ-fuelled perspective on this really important issue, and for your patience!
Yes, I agree with that! Totally.
How have I never found your blog until now?!? Thank you, thank you, thank you! I look forward to reading everything you’ve written. 🙂
It must have been buried in the middle of the web somewhere, lol! But I’m glad that you’re here now 🙂
I’m sitting here, reading through your words and sitting with them. Thank you.
I am new to your blog. This post resonated with me. I am trying to decide on curriculum and I want to have a variety of viewpoints. I love that you pick a curriculum and make needed changes to fit your family’s needs.
Welcome to this space, Tonya! Yes, that’s what I’ve found to be best for me. It’s certainly not the best path for everyone, but there are a lot of us who approach it this way, so I wanted to make sure that moms know they can do it too.
I am new to your blog and I am a black mom in love with all things CM and was sadly going through some books that are dear to my heart and was about to donate them.
After reading your post and reflecting on it I realized that donating my books was not the answer, instead, I could including the books that I am lacking.
I am laughing while writing this because I was going to make a drastic decision when all along it was such an easy fix. When you have so many other things coming at you sideways, like: meal planning, curriculum choices, no field trips and trying to find alternative choices now that Covid19 numbers are doubling in my State, plus social upheaval and trying to be proactive in the midst of a pandemic its hard to think at all. I appreciate you for thinking so clearly and stopping me from doing something I would have certainly regretted.
Welcome, Tina! I’m really glad that you found me here. Yes, these are hard times. We’re living in it and trying not to be overcome, but the history books will describe this time as one in which our entire world was under an enormous strain. And that strain is being felt by all people, even homeschooling moms. I’m glad you didn’t donate books that are dear to your heart.
Gosh Amber. You have such a gift for words, CM, and loving people. I feel like there is constantly some kind of social media war that is driving people apart (mom wars, homeschool wars, curriculum wars), and then right here in the middle of this big ole internet there is love and compassion and wisdom. Thank you for the reminder that there really is a place for all of at the feast.
Lee Ann, this makes me feel so good. I’m also tired of all of the fighting online. I feel like we can carve out our own little sliver of sanity where we can intentionally stand together, work together, and have fun!
Thank you for this. First, I love your writing style. As you describe tripping over yourself over the years to soak in all the info you can, I’m feeling a bit like this reading your words! Going into 20-21 with a K and pre-K kiddo and was feeling discouraged about CM. As I research, I’m convinced it’s for us, and now I’m more energetic than ever to make it work alongside our family’s vision…even though the excitement of planning also feels like drinking out of a firehouse. Thanks again. Now to read everything else you’ve written 🙂
Hahahaha! You’re just like me when I find a new blog. I stay up way to late at night trying to make my way through the maze to ensure that I don’t miss any good stuff. Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. Your kids are the perfect age for you to be digging in and learning right from the start.
I’ve used SCM mainly in the past, but am finding it very difficult to continue due to the whitewashing that is in it. I want better for my children, but I am also not good at coming up with my own curriculum and need something like SCM has for history, geography, and BIble. Do you have any suggestions to point towards something like that?
Hi Shanna! How old are your children?
I spent all day yesterday trying to find the right balance of history for this upcoming school year and ended the day feeling so frustrated because it doesn’t seem to exist! And then I happened upon this post today and I LOVE IT! Yes! Thank you! I’ve always addressed and supplemented along the way and I want to continue doing that as I learn more and find more resources that I didn’t know existed. I’ve got 5 kids – with two entering HS via homeschool this year. I’ve been struggling w them branching out into an independent history study since we’ve always done family integrated history and read alouds. But, I’m thinking if they stay in the same time period as the rest of us….I’m more comfortable w them having some independent reading/study. Would you be comfortable commenting on Zinn’s book for young people? In my research, I finally thought “I found the book!” But then in reading reviews people claim he is tearing down America. I want my kids to learn the truth but also still be proud of the country we live in – learning from the past. Anyway – I see this book recommended more and more…but am still in the learning process myself. Looking to possibly build an EA history for my high schoolers (unless you know of one you’d recommend) as the rest of us use a pre-packaged EA history that we do as you say….this AND that…tweaking as we see fit for our unique family.
Welcome! I’m glad that you found my little space here. It sounds like you’re on a perfect path for your younger kids, and I understand that the transition to high school involves many difficult decisions. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with that age group. I also have read the conflicting reviews of the Zinn book, but unless something better comes out, I still plan to use it along with biographies or a traditional text to offer a well-balanced view of history. I think sometimes the problem comes when we read a single book with one perspective or another. Hopefully, using a combination of multiple books, we can present various viewpoints – even if, or maybe especially when, they’re opposed. So I guess my advice would be to use Zinn along with another book to offer a well-rounded context and presentation. As an aside, I wonder if the people who don’t like the Zinn book feel as passionate about other books that make America sound perfect at the expense of telling the truth? I’m not sure, but it’s something I’ve thought about.
Just found your blog and Instagram. I’ve been reinventing our homeschool with my last two babies. Our materials and booklist are still a work in progress. So glad I found your blog. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this and for sharing with other homeschool families.
You’re welcome! I’m thankful that you found me here. I always think it’s a mini-miracle that anyone finds my little voice within the whole huge world of homeschooling online.
I just found your blog through this post. Your attitude is so beautifully gracious! I love how you are comfortable with and can defend your heritage and identity without throwing rocks or breaking down another people group. I don’t usually comment on blog posts but I really wanted to applaud you!
This heart of yours will break down racial barriers and bring healing
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It really fills me up to receive your encouragement. It was the perfect thing for me to read on this Monday morning.
Thank you so much for this post! I’m a former public school teacher who NEVER thought I would teach my own kids but started 3 years ago. Two years ago we discovered Ambleside and Charlotte Mason and it’s been more intense then my masters in education…trying to learn all that is out there. I was ready to quit CM after feeling it was not covering POC enough or accurately but realized those books offer a teaching opportunity as well.
I love your blog and this post was so much your heart for homeschooling parents. How you are so gracious to those that may not agree with your point of view and your encouragement made me tear up.
This will be my first year trying to use curriculums and tweak the heck out of them! Do you have suggestions on what time period to start with multiple grades (1st and 4th)
I want can’t wait to incorporate some of your units and book recommendations in our journey.
It really is intense, isn’t it? And we’re dealing with educating our own children so there is so much emotion tied up in wanting to get it right. Thank you for seeing my heart with this post. I received some push back for not coming down hard enough on people, but I don’t want to “beat” people into submission. Because this work requires commitment, you have to want to do it, and people are at different stages. I hope anyone who comes to my blog will be motivated to get started and feel like they have some tools to do so.
In terms of time period, I’d probably start with Early Modern (or whatever the first time period offered by your preferred curriculum is) if you can choose. Another approach would be to pick up with where you left off this year (or last year) and just continue on. Some of the Charlotte Mason curriculum options (Alveary, CMEC) don’t have options for every time period so you’ll just jump in where they are (1700s for 2021-2022 school year). I hope this helps!
I just want to jump through the screen and give you a big hug. THANK YOU! The Holy Spirit is so at work in you, and I am so thankful. Prayers for you, your family, and families everywhere. Thank you for reminding me of God’s beauty in the midst of sometimes messy humanity. I am so encouraged.
You’re certainly welcome. Thank you so much for your support and prayers.
Thank you for writing this. This is the question I was just struggling with big time as I gear up for my first year homeschooling. I will be going through your blog for book recommendations. Thank you this is beautifully written and encouraging.
Welcome! I’m so glad that you found this as you were preparing for your first year. I hope that you’ll find encouragement and the resources you need to provide beautifully diverse resources to your children this year.
Thank you for all your resource and time you’re putting into this. How do you handle CM science? Do you just go by one of the curriculum plans, do your own thing or not do it the CM way? Have you found living books for children that cover different cultures and authors that are African American? I have found it very hard to find older books / besides G. W. Carver for example. Any ideas or input on that?
Great question! We generally use modern books for history, and I look for books that include women and people of color contributing and excelling in their fields. Here is an example of one that my kids really enjoyed: https://www.amazon.com/Frog-Scientist-Scientists-Field/dp/0547576986