Some thoughts on education from a Carmelite Priest.

 

Pere Jacques was a Carmelite Priest and "Martyr of Love" 1900 - 1946

I'm sharing some wonderful notes from my Carmelite group on this fascinating priest, who was headmaster of Le Petit College de Sainte Therese and who died at Mauthausen concentration camp on 2nd June 1945.

At a time when discipline was paramount and teaching was heavily didactic, that is, a matter of the teacher giving information and the pupil receiving it, Fr. Jacques approach to education was quite revolutionary. The teacher was not "to block the child's horizon by always walking in front of him." Instead he must " let the child go ahead, following him and only intervening discreetly when it is necessary, always with tact and discretion."

Such an approach issued from a belief that the child isn't an empty, passive vessel into which teachers pour knowledge; it rests on confidence that the children have an innate desire for, and a capacity to, learn an grow, that they are made to engage with the world in order to become what they are made to be.

Fr. Jacques did not derive his confidence from psychology so much as from his Christian understanding of the human person. 

He agreed with St. Thomas Aquinas that freedom is the great attribute of the human being made in the image of God. Education involved, therefore, enabling children to realise their true freedom, so they would not remain slaves to their own heredity or unexamined ideology. Fr. Jacque emphasized the importance of education in the formation of character.

Catholic thinking define education as "integral human development with a view to man's final end." That is man's final end is sanctity and union with God. It also emphasizes the role if education in producing citizens who will build a world in accordance with the highest human values, that is, values consistent with the Gospel.

In his "Mission statement for the college at Avon he states: " A Teacher is to awaken the child so that the child can realise fully all that God has in view for him, through the complete blossoming of his personality."

Some quotes from Fr. Jacque:

"The human soul, a flower more delicate and subtle than the most beautiful of flowers, needs calm, recollection, serenity if it is to bloom harmoniously."

" The true end of all human education must be: holiness."

"Make no mistake about it: holiness is even better than art or genius in bringing about the blossoming of our personality. Only the saints are truly free. Holiness and liberty go together."

"The most decisive victory will be won on the day that the educator makes his pupil see and enjoy the difference between joy and pleasure."

To succeed in this education of the children of God there is one essential condition: there must be an atmosphere of joy."

"Gentleness is the characteristic of all pedagogic activity, its the fundamental disposition, the permanent state of soul of the educator."

"Gentleness, true gentleness, strong and calm gentleness, can only dwell in a heart that is totally self-forgetful so that it thinks only of others, who has no greater happiness than to let all his time, all his strength, all his devotion be absorbed by those who need a word, some advice, some service, in short, a heart which keeps nothing for itself, but gives all it has and is, without reflecting on the importance of this gift."

Our Advent Devotions

 

Morning of Advent by Tancau Emmanuel

Happy first day of Advent.

Here is a link to our advent devotions.We read one every Sunday throughout Advent.

And here is a link to a beautiful version of O Come Emmanuel.

Why I don’t subscribe to the waldorf philosophy anymore

 

Hi guys,

I just wanted to share something that has changed for us over this past year. 

As you know, we have often loosely followed waldorf curriculum over the years.

Around a year ago I became slowly more and more aware that the actual philosophy and spirituality of waldorf is actually in conflict to my christian/ catholic faith.

Our homeschool still includes a focus on nature, art, handwork, catholic feast days, home and natural, eco friendly toys but a deeper look at the waldorf philosophy reveals things that I can’t reconcile and do I won’t be using or promoting any waldorf anymore and will also not be selling or promoting waldorf in my shop. 

I’ve seen and heard a lot of Christian Mama’s coming to a similar conclusion recently. I don’t want to share anything that could lead others to something that has occult undertones. I personally know how damaging that can be. I prayerfully encourage you to watch  Sister Emmanuelle Maillard's testimony on YouTube for some insight. This is why I’m writing this post.

I thought about simply shutting down the blog but wanted to explain things honestly first. 

Here are some thoughts. 

There are so many things that can look inviting and beautiful, so many different ideas vying for our attention. 

One thing that always appealed to me with waldorf was the beautiful scenes of playrooms and seasonal tables. The ‘simplicity’ of the curriculum also appealed. But the curriculum in terms of planning and implementation was often far from ‘simple’ or inexpensive. 

Something  that looks beautiful on the outside isn’t always good and something that is good doesn’t always look beautiful in the way the world defines beauty. Sometimes true beauty is hidden and secret, not something that can be displayed or look impressive.

I realise how little I really know and how much I need God’s wisdom and Grace for guidance and discernment. I really do get lost on my own. It’s humbling to realise how much I need my faith to keep my steps from wandering. 

False ideas, however ‘beautiful’ they look on the outside will only cause harm in the end.

That is why I want to keep things simple. I pray that our homeschool is founded on simple faith. 

Something that requires no bells and whistles, no outward show and may make no perfect pictures.

 I pray that I with all my failings and errors are not at the centre of the picture but that Jesus is.

I pray that our homeschool will be fashioned by Truth and the Love that flows forth from all that is true. 

Sending love to any and all who read this. I hope and pray any who might have been influenced by any false philosophy from my blog accept my sincere apologies. 

The Point of Education

The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? - Charlotte Mason

Education should be so much more than memorising facts, spellings, grammar and formulas. 

Education is about growing as a whole person. It’s about learning empathy, compassion, creativity, problem solving, interpersonal skills, time management, self discipline, health, nutrition, how to run a household, self regulation and many, many more things.

If you’re homeschooling for the first time, please don’t worry your child is getting behind. The deepest and most enduring lessons don’t  come from text books but from experiences and relationships.

Homeschool Hauls - What do we need to homeschool

I've been watching quite a few home-school hauls recently. At first I was inspired. All the books, the wealth of wonderful materials and resources! 

Then slowly but surely, the nagging feeling of want began to creep in. The feeling of not being enough without all the bells and whistles. The feeling that others had it more together than I did. 

I began to load item after item into various online carts. 

If I only had this resource, our days would flow so much better. If I only had that book the children would be happy to sit for hours listening to read-alouds. If I only had that curriculum, the issues one of my children has with maths would just disappear.

Now I'm not saying that having access to lots of resources doesn't make life easier or help homeschool to run more smoothly it's just that these aren't the things on which our homeschool should succeed or fail. 

I don't want our homeschool to be built on resources more than relationship: relationship with God and relationship with each other and our community.

So  though I began making purchases and felt the initial rush of excitement that comes with buying and consuming I won't be making anymore. I'm not saying all the purchases I made were wrong but that niggling feeling that there is already too much stuff in our lives and that we and our world is over stuffed in general makes me want to build our homeschool and our lives on a different kind of sustenance altogether.

I want our homeschool and our lives to be built on manna. Just enough bread for our daily needs so that we always have to trust in providence to provide. 

There were many years when financial restrictions meant our curriculum was made up of library books, free print outs, homemade worksheets and lots of conversation and kitchen science. Though those times were often hard, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Those times taught me how to trust God with every provision. There were many times when just the right resources or opportunities would fall into our hands at just the right time or I would find the exact books I'd wanted in a charity shop. I would never have known His faithfulness unless I'd experienced it so fully.

There is an element of the spiritual battle in every area of life or (internal arm wrestling) as my 13 year old calls it. As humans, we find it so easy to fall into idolatry and seek to fulfil our own plans by our own strength. 

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. Psalm 144:1

One pitfall with buying too much is the need to justify it by making our schedules a slave to it. If I've spent X,Y or Z on a book or resource I will want to get my money's worth and make the most of it so I end up forcing it to fit into our days whether it works well or not. 

The same goes for schedules. If my schedule is inflexible where is the room for  the spirit to move within it? 

However good my goals might seem, my advance toward them may only be meant for a season rather than a whole year. My goals mustn't become my God. I must be prepared to give them up. Quitting  hurts the ego a little bit. It makes us feel like we're failing but quitting something because it gets in the way of the most important thing, our openness to the spirit's leading is an act of faith. 

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Psalm 127:1

My prayer is that whatever we build this year it’s built with God’s provision and sustained by His hand. 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:23