Charlotte Mason was a white educator who lived in England from 1842-1923. What on earth does she have to do with black children living in America now?
Important note: I wrote this post several weeks ago, and I’d scheduled it to go live last week, but I held it back once I realized we were smack dab in the middle of a red hot national conversation on race. I saw a lot of ugliness, hate, and deafening silence (?!?!?!) from white Christian homeschool moms, and that hurt. I wasn’t sure if this post was still relevant. BUT THEN…there was an intense wave of love and affirmation that swept into my inbox, text messages, Instagram, and blog. It was pervasive and consistent, and at the root of the very intentional and authentic love fest were Charlotte Mason mamas, along with other Jesus-loving women, who were insistent that their voices would drown out the hate they knew I was seeing and feeling. So in the end, I’ve decided to move forward with my unedited original post. No sugar added. No salt poured. Because I still stand by every word. So without further ado…
When I look at Charlotte Mason websites, blogs, Facebook groups, and Instagram posts, I just see a lot of white moms and their white kids learning about white people and all that they’ve done, said, and written. I don’t really see myself pursuing that type of experience for my Black kids.
I’ve heard this too many times to count, and I get it. I REALLY do. When black moms* come across or are introduced to the Charlotte Mason style of education, they are often intrigued and interested until they search for curriculum options. They’re then typically faced with booklists that will leave their children feeling like people who look like them have done very little worth knowing, have written very little worth reading, and have created very little worth studying.
Then, along with rejecting the specific curricula and booklists, black moms reject the entire Charlotte Mason philosophy – not realizing that they are not one and the same.
And the online CM world, and its related in-person communities and conferences, carry on as life-giving spaces masked with an imaginary “for whites only” sign hanging above the water fountain.
And if these online and in-person communities were hostile towards new visitors of color, I would agree that black moms should stay away because who needs that? But therein lies the problem:
I have found the Charlotte Mason homeschooling community to be one of the most amazing, loving, intellectually stimulating, and God-honoring spaces for me and my family. It is a place where I feel a sense of belonging, and yet, at the same time, I often feel alone on a beautiful island. I don’t want to leave the island, but I want more of my people to join me from the mainland.
There are other homeschooling communities that run alongside, overlap, or stand separately from CM where I’ve seen the same type of acceptance and fervor (I see you Wild + Free!), but for the most part, I’ve found it to be unique among CM circles. That’s just my personal experience.
And I know there are white moms in the CM world who would like nothing more than for me to stop talking. Yep, I’ve heard it all. But ignorance and hate lurk in every corner of the world. As far as my companions – the white moms that are doing this thing with me personally – they are down for me and my kids. That doesn’t mean they understand the complexities of our lives, but they try. It means that they listen and show that they care. It means that they tell me that they hear me and are leaning in to learn more. It means that they send me book recommendations when they find a needle in a haystack and speak up when ignorance abounds so I don’t always have to do the heavy lifting. These ladies are following Him, and it shows.
A Charlotte Mason education is based on a philosophy shared through a series of books she wrote (The Original Homeschooling Series – here or here), including 20 Principles that CM educators are committed to following to one degree or another. When I read through the principles, they speak to me as being incredibly beneficial to black children, starting with even the very first one – Children are born persons. The absence of many of these principles being applied to children of color in school districts across the country is a reason that many black parents choose to home educate, whether they realize it or not. That you can have your children home with you and use CM’s principles as a framework on which to build your educational and home atmosphere is a blessing. The principles have no color.
Some dedicated women and men have taken on the heavy lifting of using these principles and building out booklists and lesson plans that they feel honor the essence of a Charlotte Mason education. And from what I’ve seen, most of them have done a good job. I’m thankful for their work and use much of it. However, none of the options that I’ve personally seen will work – as is – for black children.
But that is okay!** Because we can fill in the gaps…together.
Black moms:* I’m here, in this space, extending my hand and encouraging you to move across the divide. I’m reading and researching and practicing and sharing what I find so that black children – all children – can experience the beauty of a Charlotte Mason education without abandoning the need to offer a loving, truthful, affirming education. But there’s so much more work to be done, and I don’t want to do it alone. Please join me! Make the brave choice to pursue beauty without a rock-solid road map for precisely how the feast will be spread for your brown and black children. It will all be fine. You’ll purchase curricula, and there are books that you will add or replace and changes you will make, and YOU SHOULD make those changes. Or you may choose to build your plans from the ground up. Either way is perfect. No one on Earth knows your babies the way you do, and no one will love them better.
White moms: Please help me. Can you imagine what it would feel like to look at the CM world from the outside and feel like it’s not for you? Please say out loud to anyone who will listen that “A Charlotte Mason education is open to all, and all means all.” [Tag #charlottemasonmulticultural if you’d like] When you meet homeschooling moms with brown and black children, share about the wonderful aspects of CM that have attracted you and make sure they know that there is no mandatory prescriptive book list. Empower your black and brown sisters in Christ by letting them know that you see them and recognize that the specific books/composers/poems/artists you’re using, or that they may find on a quick google search, may not work for them all the time and that this community is still for them. Explain that there are moms committed to walking the journey out with them and that they’ll have support and understanding. Ensure that they know they are welcome in this space.
Charlotte Mason leaders: If you are a curriculum provider, blogger, co-op/bookclub/support group leader, conference organizer, magazine editor, social media influencer, author, thought-leader, or anyone else with a platform or voice in the CM world, please know that our beloved CM world is generally seen as only being for white people. Now part of that, as I mentioned, is certainly due to the confusion related to white booklists being mistaken for a Charlotte Mason education. And even if I have to scream it from every rooftop, I’m determined to see that fallacy exposed. But a lot of it is also due to the lack of POC voices, books, and images in everything. I see the needle slowly moving here, but please continue to include other voices. We exist. We are here. And the best way to show moms that the CM world is inclusive is…to be inclusive. If there is a barrier preventing it from happening, please let me know. I’d love to help if I can.
This is not about a specific curriculum. The philosophy is not about black or white. The Charlotte Mason world is a rare space ripe with the opportunity for us to unite as mothers with a common purpose, rooted in Christ and watered with the collective love we have for our children – both yours and mine.
“Education is a discipline—that is, the discipline of the good habits in which the child is trained. Education is a life, nourished upon ideas; and education is an atmosphere—that is, the child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents; that of the ideas which rule their own lives”
Charlotte Mason, Volume 2, p. 247
Discipline…life…atmosphere. Those tenets hold no loyalty or attachment to skin color. They are universal because they are true and emanate from Truth. Any mom can breathe new life into her home(school) by relying on the Holy Spirit to lead her and her children. No one owns that – not even Charlotte Mason – but there is a community of moms that can choose to stand together and help ensure that every single child in the village has what they need to be healthy and whole.
*I write “black moms” for ease of language, but I’m actually speaking of ALL moms with black and brown children.
**It’s actually not okay with me that some of these lists are sooooooooo very, very white because I wish some curriculum providers would go further in including the stories of black and brown people. But it is okay because we can do it ourselves. In other words, it’s not philosophically okay, but everything is going to be okay.
You can find me on Instagram @heritagemomblog. See you there!
Amber, you are so right. We have to understand that curriculum is a tool to be wielded, rather than a set of tick boxes that says ‘follow this exactly, and you’re CM’. I’m reminded of a quote in vol. 6 where she says that someone got all the books and ‘failed miserably because he didn’t understand a few basic principles.’ (That’s a paraphrase!). I’m so glad you’re speaking in the CM conference this month. Thank you for sharing – this is so important. I’m taking your words to heart.
Thank you, Amy. I know exactly which quote you’re referring to, and that fits perfectly. I’m very excited to be speaking. I see the CM world expanding, I just feel happy to be a part of it.
This post was ah-maaazing… You’ve given flesh to so much of what I’d been internalizing as a non-white CM-inspired homeschooler (and feeling like my home would never quite reflect a true CM home because of exactly what you wrote here). You are a much needed voice and bridge-builder for such a time as this. Thank-you for using your voice, your time and your gift in of words to write about this. Lord Bless, Amber!
Thank you for this encouragement, Euna. I really hope that I can help even just a little bit to unite the CM world under one roof. It would make the whole experience richer for all of us.
You are a GIFT! I now really feel a part of a community. I used to feel like I was pushing myself in there and trying to do as they do because I loved the philosophy. Thank you- can’t wait to hear you at the conference.
Yay!!! Actually YOU are a gift to me. I want us all to be in this together. I look forward to having you at the conference. It will be fun!
Thank you! I’m just starting this homeschool journey, and I was feeling lost and alone, and honestly like I was fooling myself. I have bilingual Black and Latino boys, and I started to feel like I was making the wrong choice even though the principles of CM resonated with me so much!
I’m following you TODAY!
Thank you!! For your voice and your work. I’m thrilled to have found your IG and blog and plan to include your multicultural recommendations with our curriculum next year. Yes! A CM education is for all.
Awesome! I’m excited to hear how you like some of the books. Hopefully, they will speak to your family.
I am so glad you are speaking to this!!!!! I have often looked at many of the book lists and conferences and thought, where are the people of color!!! I am so happy to share this same CM philosophy with you and would love to learn how to proactively make our spaces seem less white. I am listening!!!! #charlottemasonmulticultural
Thank you for that, Heather! I’m just so happy at the response so far. I KNEW that my fellow CM moms were open to this. We all want to include others. Now we just need to get the word out!
Yes Amber! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 This post is right on time. We are a black Charlotte Mason inspired family and I would often get discouraged and disappointed because of the book lists I would come across. It is so nice to see that there are, in fact, other BIPOC utilizing Miss Mason’s educational principles in their homeschool. I no longer feel alone in this. Thank you for your contributions to the homeschool community and I am looking forward to hearing you speak this month at the conference. Blessings to you!
Thank you for saying this, Mystiqua. I know that there are many mothers feeling this way because I’ve heard from them over the years. I hope that hearing and seeing us will make other moms more comfortable about joining in.
I couldn’t have said this better…thank you for sharing (Heritage Mom & Heather!) I’m an anglo-American organizing a CM co-op in Indonesia with Indonesian families. There is an Indonesian CM movement here (using some translated Western books as well as local resources, composers, handicrafts, etc.) I chose CM because she transcends culture & economics…bless you on your journey, I applaud you sister!
“She transcends culture & economics” – I totally agree with this and I hope that more people come to see her philosophy this way. It allows ample opportunity to infuse culture and heritage into so many aspects of a living education. Your work sounds fascinating, and I pray that the Lord blesses it mightily.
What an extraordinary post! One of the observations Miss Mason made in one of her books was that this is an education that is twice blessed – blessing the student and teacher/mother. But what a triple blessing that you’ve shared with us – with CM home educators! Thank you!! Locking arms with you and uniting under CM’s beautiful principles that anchor us in the good, true, and beautiful.
Thank you so much, Jen. I’m over here just feeling so excited about the moms who believe in what I’m saying and want to join with me to make what we already love even stronger.
Thank you so much for sharing your heart on this matter! I’m in the midst of trying to decide what curricula will be best for my 6 year old this year, and AO keeps calling to me. One of my main concerns is that all the reading material isn’t inclusive enough. I don’t want my children growing up believing white is “normal.” I want them to learn about and celebrate people who look different from them. Thankfully we live in an area that is racially diverse, but I want their education to be as diverse as our neighborhood. I’m about to do a search through your blog now, but if you haven’t already, I would love to know some of your family’s favorite books!
Hi Kara! You can still use AO. Just commit to switching out a couple of the books and/or adding in diverse picture books. You don’t have to abandon the whole thing. I used AO Year 1 along with other things. Your child is the perfect age for you to use these books: https://heritagemom.com/2020/04/15/african-and-african-american-culture-early-elementary-books/.
Being aware of how to educate an African American child to survive in the world today takes so much more than just adding a few books to the lists. When do White children learn about racism, how is slavery taught, why aren’t multicultural books required for ALL children, how is BLM or the death of George Floyd handled, the Bible teaches about the oppression of people “least of them” how is that reflected in the booklist? So much more than adding a few books….. review the 42 Principles of MA’AT!
Hi Vernessa, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I recognize that it’s much bigger than adding books, but this post wasn’t about all of the things that need to happen for Black children to survive in the world. It’s specifically about whether the principles of a Charlotte Mason education can work for Black homeschooled children. The principles transcend the books. But separately, families have to start somewhere. There are those that are able to lead groups of people through making immediate and sweeping changes in every area of their lives. I spend time learning from those leaders who are gifted in that area, and you may be one of them. If you are writing or sharing other helpful information about raising Black children, please share so moms can learn more. My blog focuses a lot on books. That doesn’t mean that I think books are the full answer to every problem with racism. Some blogs focus on dessert recipes. That doesn’t mean the authors think families everywhere should ignore dinner and live only on cake. It’s an area of interest and focus. A niche. In addition to writing here, I’m a full-time wife and homeschool mom. I also run a local non-profit and a home business. The posts I make here are provided in my free time – usually in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping – as a volunteer service to help the homeschooling community and definitely not intended to give direction for everything families should do with their children to combat racism. I hope that we all continue to grow in this area, and as I do, I’m sure the overflow of that growth will make it’s way to the pages here.
Yes! Came here to say this. White parents should be concerned about CM and not only the lack of diverse materials but the lack of diverse viewpoints. Adding stories about diverse characters is very different than using materials written by BIPOC. It’s the white homeschool community that has the burden of teaching their children to be anti-racist not the duty of the few BIPOC homeschool families to be including more stories in their curriculum of characters that look like them.
This is a breath of fresh air. Thank you so much, Anna.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts. It is so good to have my eyes opened. My booklist first my children has grown with more and more voices. My history curriculum has been added to. I’m so excited, and so glad to have found you. Having a starting point from your book recommendations is so lovely, and I feel ready to dive in more.
That’s really great, Mallory. I think you said it best: “My history curriculum has been added to.” That’s the message I really want to share – not that we need to blow up all the good plans we had. I use wonderful resources that are available and widely used in the CM world AND I add my own flavor. It works perfectly.
Yes!!! I am a white mother of brown children. I have been preparing and researching for homeschooling over the past two years (we start in September-eeek!). We chose CM approach for this exact reason you beautifully described in this quote, “The Charlotte Mason world is a rare space ripe with the opportunity for us to unite as mothers with a common purpose, rooted in Christ and watered with the collective love we have for our children – both yours and mine.” One of the reasons we want to homeschool is to provide a well rounded inclusive Christ centered education. Just like you mentioned CM does come across as white-centric. And also like you said we can make changes to provide a more inclusive education BUT that needs to be done for ALL children despite the color of their skin… because we need to raise ALL children to BE inclusive… I am so happy to have found you, a kindred spirit!
Yes, Rachel! I completely agree with you. I’m really excited to be connecting with other mothers who feel the same way. I think we can work together to make this real and accessible for all children.
Thanks for sharing your heart and vision to make the CM world a more beautiful place for everyone!!!!!! I pray that many join you (us) on the CM journey – journeying with the Holy Spirit to parent and educate our children in His world.
Thank you, Patty. I absolutely am praying that prayer alongside you. We have a beautiful thing going, and I can’t wait to include more families into the fold.
Thank you for this and for your voice! I’m a white mama raising biracial, Hispanic kiddos and we are loving our Charlotte mason life, but I know I approach book lists with a caution now, whereas I could easily have had a blind spot in the past. My experience isn’t yours, but I hear you, I’m grateful for you, and I want so much for more diverse representation on CM book lists online for all kids and families to feel welcomed at the feast!
Yes, Leah! That is so important. I happen to share a lot of black resources because that’s what I know best, but I absolutely strive to include as many diverse voices as possible, along with traditional classics. I’m greedy – I want it all! 🙂
Amber, thank you for every blog post you take the time to write. My heart leaps every time I see you wrote a new one, and I mean it. I value your wisdom and words so much! WE NEED YOUR VOICE! I am so glad you found Charlotte Mason and that you have stuck with her and done the work to make it applicable for your children and then SHARED that goodness with the rest of us!
Thank you, Alisha. Your consistent support and encouragement has gone a long way towards making me feel that my voice is valued. I appreciate and admire your work, your mothering, and your commitment to making the best decisions for your girls’ education. We can just fan girl each other and call it a day!
I’m so glad you are speaking out. I belong to a Facebook group “Living Books of All People’s.” This group is well organized and I’ve been able to get many good book recommendations to add or substitute in our homeschool. For the last 4 years I have roughly followed the Ambleside booklists. This year I joined the Alveary.
I grew up in a home where cultures around the world were appreciated. We celebrated Christmas as many ways and we could and my mom loved to try ethnic recipes. That gave me a beginning of good will. But my own education was the standard whitewashed public school type. As an adult I have begun to seek books to learn about what really happened in history, and to experience new points of view, because my life has not been an experience of much diversity. My children are part Mexican, so adding POC and multiple points of view is important to me for their sake as well as for the sake of knowing the truth. We can’t be good citizens or good neighbors if we can’t empathize with people whose experiences are different from our own. That’s another point of Charlotte Mason education that favors diversity. We are supposed to learn languages and geography to be good neighbors. We learn from her book “Ourselves” that reason is not a guide, but a servant, so we learn not to judge others as “stupid” or “bad” when they reach a different conclusion than we do.
Some of the books I have loved and learned from
The Life of Blackhawk as told by Blackhawk
The Inconvenient Indian
The Poisonwood Bible
Esperanza Rising (Read this one aloud with the kids)
The Other 1492
Thank you for these book recommendations, Rebecca! I’m also a part of that FB group, and I love it. I’m sure you have some great books on your shelves from your years with AO, and I hope that you’ll thoroughly enjoy the Alveary.
Hello! I am new here and am thoroughly enjoying the site and the content. May I ask why you both chose Alveary as your main source for curriculum?
I’m pulling together my own curriculum now, but I was using the Alveary because I appreciated having their recommendations for each subject along with daily/weekly lesson plans. They have proprietary Spanish and science lessons that can’t be found elsewhere, and I liked those too. And although I continued to supplement a lot, I liked that they at least tried to include diversity in various areas. That effort went a long way with me because it’s a lot more than most. I hope this helps!
I am so thankful for these resources! My oldest is starting form 1B this fall, and I’m curious if you have a list of the “early history” resources you used for that age group?
Hi Amanda 🙂 For 1B, I add the books from this list alongside whatever curriculum I’m using. My oldest did AO Year 1, we’ve used ADE recommendations, the Alveary and other resources from SCM and beyond for my other 1B kiddos.
https://heritagemom.com/2020/04/15/african-and-african-american-culture-early-elementary-books/
Thank you for sharing this truth from your heart. I wasn’t even sensitive to the disparity of representation until my eldest son ( then 5) wondered aloud why the kids in the books we read didn’t look like him. As a mom of ethnically mixed kids, I have a lot of learning to do.
Cristina, I’m glad that your son shared his thoughts with you and that you’re aware enough to learn more. It was my child who sparked this path for me as well. They have a lot of wisdom packed into those little bodies.
Beautifully written. Thank you.
Thank you, Vivian. I really appreciate that.
Hello,
I’ve followed your blog for some time and appreciate your posts. Thank you for offering so many reflections that highlight many of the tensions and thoughts that an African American Christian home learning focused mom has to process. I too am trying to raise a child who loves learning and is proud of her culture. I resonate with much of what is brought to light on this blog. It feels good to know I’m not alone.
I want to share a resource I recently stumbled across and appreciate deeply. Ever since I was introduced to the Charlotte Mason philosophy 2 years ago, I have been on a mission to read books that were living in the sense of representing our culture. I love the Brown Bookshelf and other blogs that introduce me to authors and illustrators who create books that represent the African American experience. I still use those resources, but now I go to the Diverse Book Finder more often. It’s hard to define the Diverse Book Finder, so I highly recommend going to their website. However, in short, it’s a comprehensive website with a searchable database that categorizes picture books that depict BIPOC characters. Not every book is good for our kids, they make that clear, but they at least list every book so you can decide. It was founded by an African American mom who is an academic. I’m linking the webinar I participated in, which helped me understand her approach. I definitely think it’s worth looking into and maybe adding to your list of where to find black living books.
https://www.embracerace.org/resources/choosing-good-picture-books-featuring-diverse-bipoc-characters
And I must THANK YOU for writing “African and African-American Culture: Early Elementary Books”! I have made the mistake of grabbing anything that represented us and found my daughter was overwhelmed with the struggle. She used to ask me if the book was about “the civil rights movement or slavery” and request we not read it. We took a break and focused on lighter stories that represented us. I think your philosophy is so helpful and I’m using it as a guide. My daughter is Nigerian and African American, so the African focus is so important to us too. I feel like I know you from the blog, so I want to say, “Girl, thanks for blessing our life over here.” Seriously, I picked up Africa is not a Country and reserved many books about Africa from the library. Thank you, Amber. Thank you for being a mentor via your blog posts.
Finally, I am not in GA or I’d join your group and ask questions. However, I am interested in teaching at home using the Charlotte Mason philosophy with an emphasis on positive cultural identity development (read loving your ethnicity). My daughter is six and for the past 2 years we’ve “practiced” the philosophy in our home. Right now I’m deciding on curriculum and trying to figure out an approach. Your YouTube video was so helpful in guiding me through how to prepare for a term. I made my own version of your weekly schedule and am using the free Alveary curriculum for a practice run this summer. I can’t thank you enough for that. Would you consider a post that goes in further detail on curriculum selection? By that I mean math, reading and language as well as the different guides for terms. I’m also trying to do this in a cost effective way. You mentioned on your video only spending $1000 a year on school. Does that include curriculum and teaching resources? If not, what was your start up cost?
Last question, I promise, does your family do anything special to celebrate Juneteenth?
I know these are a lot of questions and totally understand if you don’t have the capacity to answer them, but I wanted to at least ask. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and practicality.
Thanks for reading my comment and creating this space for other moms to learn. You’re an inspiration!
Hello, Mrs. O! For a minute there, I thought you were my mom (Mrs. O’Neal), and I was rolling my eyes that she was talking to me here, lol. I’m so happy that you follow my blog and are reaching out to me today. To answer your questions:
– I love the Diverse Book Finder, and I’ve used that along with so many other databases, blogs, videos, and bookstore websites. It’s incredible to see how much we really have to choose from. I love it all! I’ll definitely include it in a future blog post.
– You’re welcome for the Early Elementary post. I had such fun writing it because I was finally able to document the process that we’ve used in our home.
– If you’re able, you may want to join in the upcoming Charlotte Mason Inspired conference. I’ll be speaking along with many other awesome women, and it would be such a great opportunity for you to hear about a variety of topics. Attendees will receive lifetime access to the videos, so you can watch everything even if you’re not able to catch it all live. There are links on my website here if you decide to sign up – it’s only $17 which is such a deal.
– Yes, the $1000 includes curriculum, books, teaching resources, field trips, memberships, and any supplies. It does not include piano, ballet, and volleyball since they’re optional, and we would still do those things even if we weren’t homeschooling.
– It’s canceled this year due to coronavirus, but normally we attend the most awesome Juneteenth event at the Atlanta History Center: https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/programs/juneteenth-8. I seriously can’t say enough about it. This year, we’ll be watching a video and re-reading a couple of picture books from that time period. Nice and simple.
I don’t mind the questions at all. I hope this helps, and I’ll try to get some more videos up soon!
Amber,
Thank you for taking time to reply to me. That’s funny you thought I was your mom. No, ma’am. Just someone who is private and thought I’d go by my teacher name. : )
I am planning to attend the conference. It’s good to know that you think it will aid me in preparing for the coming school year and selecting curriculum. I will definitely be in your session. So if someone brings up curriculum, it’ll likely be me.
I appreciate you letting me know what the budget covers. It gives perspective.
We aren’t too far from Atlanta. I actually graduated from Booker T. Washington High School there. Whenever we visit, I drive by and tell my daughter that MLK and Lena Horne graduated from the same school as me. I think my family will plan to take a trip next year to participate. Feel free to share the link to the video you’ll be watching or share book titles. We’ve read Juneteenth Jamboree and Freedom’s Gifts: A Juneteenth Story.
I will be on the look out for more videos from you. I’m grateful and glad that we are having this moment to e-chat. Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs. O
Thank you so much. You too!
Really pleased to have come over from the gram, im exploring Homeschooling and yours is a lovely dace to see in the space. My sister in law mentioned Charlotte Maison, and a quick google search intrigued but disappointed with the overwhelming… Well whiteness and thought this doesn’t look like its for us.
I’m inspired by your blog to look a bit further and reminded that one of the benefits of this journey through Homeschooling is being able to tailor things to suit our needs.
Thank you!
I’m so glad that you found me, and I hope that I can continue to offer encouragement and resources as you research and choose the best path forward. Of course, I’m biased (smile), but I think this is a beautiful way to educate our children.
I just want to say thank you on all the platforms 🙂 because I am so grateful for your work and resources and insight.
Thank you for that support, Carley. I saw you on Facebook, and I think it’s super sweet (and helpful) that you made sure to give me a shout out on multiple platforms.
I just registered for the conference and can not wait to hear your session. Thank you so much for sharing this post in its original form at the very time you chose. I so appreciate your voice and all the research you have done to expand the representation our children see in our home libraries.
So happy to have found your site! Diverse reading lists and how to embrace diversity and not just preach it are topics my CM groups circle back to a lot. I know your posts are going to give us much to discuss. Thanks for the time you put into this! I know that this takes time and energy away from other things and I am truly grateful!
Thank you, Kara. It does take a lot of time, but knowing that it’s helping other moms is enough to keep me going. That and lots of tea.
Thank you so much for posting this. I just found your site and I am so excited to look at your resources. I’m a former middle school English teacher from NYC which provided lots of diversity in our literature…and now homeschool my own littles. While we are white, we seek to have a full complete history and breadth of literature to see the beautiful diversity that God created. Thank you for being bold and honest and real. I want to give you a virtual hug. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
I’m so glad that you found my little space here, and I will TOTALLY take that {{{hug}}}. Welcome!
I so appreciate your thoughts and call to draw everyone to really rich ideas–and, truly, that living books should be living and inspiring and real and thoughtful for our children. We are a white family sorting through all the ideas to spend our time with the best. After three years I finally feel permission to say yes to some works and no to others. My kids are 11 and 14 and we can have conversations about the content we’re reading but the way BIPOC are portrayed is so important and that it is normal to listen to authors of color. All that to say in the book, When Children Love to Learn, (pgs 25-26) the author talks about how CM was shared with other cultures and “the principles now and then remain adaptable.” She goes on to talk about how CM books were sent to India to Amy Carmichael (before Mother Teresa there was Amy) who was caring for Indian orphans/girls rescued from temple prostitution, but did not want to impose British culture on the community. She adapted what she was sent to fit the culture of the children sometime after 1901. Thank you for pointing people outside of the British, Victorian image to the deep truth that works with all cultures and heritages.
Oh, I love this so much! Thank you for sharing this example and spotlighting the idea that CM principles can work outside the realm of how we typically see them being applied.
Everyone’s asleep and I’m bingeing on curriculum and philosophy research for homeschooling. I’m so wide eyed and certain terms are only starting to make sense to me after 6 weeks with my amazing Wild+Free group that The Lord intuitively led me to discover.
I finally get to Charlotte Mason as the second on my list of philosophy research and my heart is soaring because it’s resonating with me. It’s what I thought my journey SHOULD be with my kids.
Then I look at a lot of the lists and pictures on that website and I’m like oh no…
The thing is, I’m used to this – even in my West African country where I was born, we immersed in a lot of Western, Caucasian Influences. And when I schooled and churches here, as I experienced both worlds simultaneously, I was typically one of a couple of black kids, so I’m used to it and relate very well. And even among my own ethnicity I’m typically going against the grain in most of my life choices, right down to me now considering homeschooling 🤣
However, maybe it’s the increased awareness of these very recent times, I just felt like – in a world where you’re literally designing things and in control as it should be, whyyyy in all your creativity do you not include multi culture?
I refuse to speak only in political contexts. There’s just so much that The Lord has created for our wonder in all His people and I’m passionate about us all.
So my heart truly sank. And that’s rare. I can’t really explain it. It was just a random moment of vulnerability. I guess it just felt like rejection. I felt like the child in elementary school in VA who was told by one of the new neighbors as she invited the rest of the kids over to her house “you can’t come because you’re black.”
Don’t get me wrong – that poor girl didn’t impact my life. My parents, family, friends and heritage did and I’m pretty sure I’ve enjoyed more privileges than her.
But it must be the vulnerability of being a mom and going in with the eagerness of my children whom I can see love all people so much.
So before clicking away in disappointment from that site I made a mental note to see if there are other families of color embracing the CM approach. I barely left the search engine when I saw your blog. All in one night.
And your post did a lot for me.
A LOT. I just couldn’t believe someone read my mind and actually wrote about it already!
That in itself was why I had to stop and let the tears flow and just share my thoughts (forgive the lengthiness).
I admire you and all the moms already being and doing all this.
Just thank you.
‘Trusting The Lord for the next step and perhaps there might be curriculum bundles out there that excite and re-energize me.
Clearly He has already gone before me, just as He promised ❤️
I just cannot like this enough! I understand the tears and the feeling of rejection. I have been there so many nights. But I can now say with confidence that on the other side of those feelings is FREEDOM. We have the freedom to choose what we share with our children and what we reject as false, skewed, or just…too much. We can take what we know is righteous and leave the harmful mess behind. We can also just push good things to the side to make room for other good things. The longer I do this the more secure I feel in not just my ability but my right and duty to do this with my children. I hope that you’ll stick around here and that we’ll have the chance to build our children up, and grow ourselves, together.
This post and the comments put so many thoughts into words for me. THANK YOU!
One question, do you have any resources/curriculums that you would recommend for US History? I’ve skimmed through a couple of options, and I get cringy as I read through the samples. In this season, knowing how important an accurate telling of our history is, I’ve just been struggling with what route to go.
Would you recommend using a curriculum even if its “off” in some ways and do the work to add a more complete perspective?
Would you recommend starting with an Indigenous/Native American study before US History?
Or have you found a curriculum that covers it all?
Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! I have not found a curriculum that covers it all. Yes, I do think it’s best to include a study of Indigenous peoples as the first U.S. History lessons (and continuing on throughout the years).For history, I do not have a single spine that I use. Each year, I use selections from a “general” spine alongside a “heritage” history spine (African/African-American history in my case). I include picture books, historical fiction, and biographies with these to round out the history I want my children to learn. You can find an example of how I do this here: https://heritagemom.com/2020/04/02/infusing-black-history-into-a-traditional-charlotte-mason-homeschool/
Black mom here, and I’m so with you! I totally resonate with Dami’s comment as well. I want my two girls to know wonder, beauty, and the magic of nature but…I also need them to understand their rich West African heritage and all the stories, poems, art, and child-loving truth of our own traditions. I am in Atlanta so would love to connect. Thank you for sharing your raw and unfiltered thoughts; they are mirrored in my spirit. <3
Hi Laura! I’m so happy to “meet” you. I get way too excited when I find other moms who understand where I’m coming from and want the same for their children. I look forward to getting to know you more.
This post about made me cry. Thank you for putting your thoughts and experience to words. It’s so refreshing and hope giving to read and to see what we know CM intended – for children of ALL cultures and colors and places to enjoy a full life through a godward, rich and living education. I look forward to reading more and learning from your journey to find more varied resources. May God continue to give you wisdom to speak truth and encouragement in these turbulent times.
Thank you, Anne. I really appreciate that you could see and understand what I wanted to communicate. Thank you for taking the time to encourage me.
This was a really great read. Thank you. I will look through the websites and blogs mentioned. I would love to be a part of your effort to make this philosophy or curricula more inclusive. So i want to share my own pursuit with you, in case you or anyone are interested in helping me build a library of multicultural media: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15AuA_JG3Oj84iQHsvzwmAYxWPq__-zXb4XJaR5RFXiM/edit?usp=drivesdk
Thanks
Oh, wow! This is such a robust and valuable project you are pursuing. So wonderful. I will definitely take the time to help when I’m able to grab some moments to enter in some of my favorites. Thank you for sharing it here!
Hi! I really loved this post. I’m reading For the Children’s Sake because my kids are at a Christian Classical school that is heavily influenced by Charlotte Mason but also fighting HARD for diversity. It’s really pretty beautiful but hard. Can I ask–do you have any suggestions for books that are rich and living that you’ve found that have been great for y’all or your friends of color? Or even just thoughts about what you’ve learned along the way about what makes Charlotte Mason work for the black community? I have really loved learning about how Charlotte Mason longed for her philosophy of education to be available to ALL kids regardless of their place in life. I’d love to be a part of (really–listening to :)) this conversation if it’s ongoing. I’m going to check your instagram after I post this! Thank you!
Well now I feel silly because I’m searching your website and it’s a treasure trove! Thank you for your work! I can’t wait to dig into all of your resources!
I needed to hear this as I start our homeschooling journey!
I’m so glad that you heard it right on time!
This is so incredibly encouraging. We reluctantly came to homeschool after adopting for children, blessing our family with a total of six. Many of our children, struggle with learning differences, and we’re so far behind when we started out years ago. Our adopted children are black when I find myself wondering every once in a while, if we are not giving them as much as we could through homeschooling with Charlotte Mason.
We came to Charlotte Mason because it helped to serve our children with learning differences. One of my children, has also been learning disabilities, and is dyslexic. He, however, is incredible, taking ideas to heart that he hears. I love that we can all come to the table, and, as I read to them, we all have the privilege of taking in the same great ideas.
Thankfully, I came across this post. I look forward to reading more of what you have to say..
It makes me so happy to know that this encouraged you! Your family sounds amazing, and I’m sure that your children are being incredibly riched in your home with the stories and ideas you’re guiding them through. Here’s to many happy years at the kitchen table, even though the days may be tough.