Overview: Afraid it's not possible to find a Charlotte Mason
“Do I have to? This is SO BORING! When am I ever going to use this stuff?”
You may have heard these exact words from your teen. I know I have.
Homeschool used to be fun! But in high school it has become a drudgery, because there are credits to count, grades to calculate—and taking a nature hike to collect leaves and bugs just isn't good enough any more.
If you've been using Charlotte Mason methods through elementary and middle school, it can seem impossible to continue that during the high school years. How can you keep lessons short? How can you use living
When I first started homeschooling high school, I thought it had to be done one way. The boring way. But over the years I've learned that homeschooling teens doesn't have to be as hard as it sounds, and that there is MUCH latitude in how we go about it.
Related Reading: Homeschooling High School 101 for Non-Traditional Homeschoolers
I'm convinced now that Charlotte Mason homeschoolers can continue to follow their hearts and incorporate CM methods into every aspect of homeschooling high school.
How to incorporate Charlotte Mason methods in high school:
Short Lessons
For the younger set, this can mean 5-15 minute lessons—but that's not gonna work for teens, right? Probably true. But that doesn't mean you have to give up on the idea. Here are some options:
- Try taking frequent breaks. Use the Pomodoro method to break up longer lessons into shorter bites so that your teen can maintain that focused attention the CM method calls for.
- Vary the task. Maybe 15-20 minutes of reading can be followed by 10-15 minutes of writing or doing practice problems in the same topic. In Math, for example, read the first part of the lesson, then do the practice problems associated with that, then read the second part, and then do the practice problems associated with that. Most math problem sets start with simple and move to more complex, so figure out the simple ones when you're reading the first part of the lesson that describes them. Or find a
curriculum that breaks it up this way naturally, with guided practice at regular intervals and then practice sets divided by type of problem, so your teen can go back and forth between learning and doing. Lial's math textbooks do this really well. - Vary the subject, if it works for your teen. Have them do a portion of the math lesson, then move on to history, and maybe then French, and then back to math. I know my brain often works better when it comes back to something rather than when I plod on through ad nauseam. And it's amazing the connections that can be made across subjects this way.
- Shorten the assignment. In history or science or literature, have them read fewer pages at a time. Why do we think we have to cram our teens full of textbook information? Isn't it better to fully explore a short passage's nuances of meaning and to think deeply about it, than to try to absorb pages and pages of content that has no relevance to higher thought or character? With teens this concept might even be more important than ever. Here's a crazy thought: don't make your teen do all the math problems. Let them do enough to show mastery (maybe all the odds? or evens?), and then let them move on. Woot! No more math drudgery! If they stop showing mastery, however, you can always dial back up again. But maybe they'll work harder on that excellent execution you've been training them for all this time when they know the payoff is less work in the long run. I personally like the sound of that!
Narration
It is so fun to talk to the kids about the
Well, yes and no. Guess what? You can still talk to your teen about the
But of course, they can write some or all of their narrations as well. Then your time is freer to help the youngers or do the laundry or escape to the bathroom for a little r & r. It's the same as them standing in front of you, except now they are practicing the craft of writing at the same time. This gives them lots of opportunity to learn good grammar and sentence structure, to choose just the right word, or maybe to craft a compelling argument to convince you that video gaming really should be counted as PE.
You get the idea. Writing in high school doesn't always (or possibly ever) have to be the five-paragraph essay or the dreaded research paper. It can be nothing more intense than your kid writing short narrations several days a week. I bet your angsty teen will feel less intimidated, and you'll still be doing that CM thing you've been lovin' for so long.
Living Books
Of course in literature and history studies it's not a problem to incorporate
And who's to say the teen can't still enjoy read-alouds with the family? Every living book, even those for youngers, is worthy of being read and digested and discussed over and over again. Your teen may discover new meanings which can generate great discussion with everyone.
Dictation
If your kid is used to doing dictation, then why stop? Now the passages can be more complex in structure, more rich in meaning, and more thought-provoking. Ever try using Shakespeare for copywork? Forsooth!
Dictation can be incorporated within any subject, providing a stepping stone for dialogue or memorization or ahem! a little moral instruction, LOL. No need to give it up now!
So this is when you might be thinking, “Yea, Annie, what you're saying is all well and good, but it's not gonna be easy. Using Charlotte Mason methods in high school will entail a lot of planning and prep! Isn't there an easier way? Is there a Charlotte Mason
And this is when I get to tell you, “YES, there is!”
I've found an online provider of live high school courses that uses Charlotte Mason methods in EVERY class, EVERY subject! Have you ever heard of Dreaming Spires Home Learning? If you want a Charlotte Mason
Dreaming Spires Home Learning is THE Charlotte Mason curriculum for high school.
I had the opportunity to explore their high school Chemistry course, and YES, even in Chemistry your kid will learn via Charlotte Mason methods. Remember up above when I said it was possible to use living
Students meet for one live class each week, during which they discuss their reading, review their homework, and are instructed in new material and given practice with the teacher; and then the remainder of the week is spent reading short passages, writing a narration or two, working enough problems to gain mastery but not so many as to create dissatisfaction—in short, doing high school the way you had hoped for but were unable to create yourself.
The teachers at Dreaming Spires are experts in their field who have personally designed the courses they teach, and they are also home educators themselves—which is a rare combination in the world of online classes. After viewing one of their classes, I can honestly say that the teacher was engaging and interesting, and the students were interactive and interested.
Online classes do not utilize the computer camera, so there are no worries about privacy. Students chat via typing, and the instruction is given orally with slides for visual information. Open-ended questions are the order of the day; students are encouraged to explore ideas and learn from one another.
In fact, students make friends with their classmates from all over the world. Many even schedule their next classes based on who will also be taking them! What a unique way to develop cross-cultural relationships that will influence lifelong perspectives.
Throughout the week they follow the provided syllabus of readings and assignments. The Chemistry syllabus was scheduled appropriately without too much or too little to do each week; topics were appropriate for a high school level Chemistry course.
Literally everything is done for you! Woot!
Dreaming Spires offers classes in every high school core subject, including foreign language and all the sciences. You can almost build a complete four-year high school education for your teen using only Dreaming Spires courses (math is the only subject I'm seeing that does not offer enough courses to do that). Or you can select just a class or two to complement whatever else you've decided your teen will do.
Doesn't this sound like more fun than what you were fearing high school would be? Yes, Charlotte Mason is alive and well in high school, and Dreaming Spires provides the Charlotte Mason
I highly recommend checking out what Dreaming Spires has to offer. I know of no other similar offering, and especially if you are a CM homeschooler, I'm guessing you have searched long and hard for a Charlotte Mason
Dreaming Spires Home Learning Website
Ann has written Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: A Step-by-Step Manual for Research and Planning, Save Your Sanity While Homeschooling High School: Practical Principles for a Firm Foundation, and recently Taming the Transcript: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Teen's Homeschool Transcript from Scratch (without overwhelm). She also founded the popular Facebook groups It's Not that Hard to Homeschool High School and It's Not Hard to Homeschool K-8, and in addition she voices the It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Podcast.
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- Our Main Reason for Homeschooling: Character Development - January 18, 2024
Any suggestions on teaching Alg1, Alg 2, Geometry, Pre Calc to HS using the CM method? I am a HS Math teacher in a CM school. Thanks
I’m sorry, no, except maybe you could reach out to the Dreaming Spires people and ask them the same question. I’m sure they would be much more helpful than I am! :-)
I went to public school and so did my son Joshua. Right now I watch my granddaughter two days A week. I just don’t have the time or the money. To take any classes. After seeing your blog and other ones. Homeschooled high school. I was able to design my own Child Development class. At home thank you so much 😀