Reading Leadership Education and taking notes.

1. classics, not textbooks (what Charlotte Mason calls “living books”)
2. mentors, not professors – inspire, don’t preach
3. inspire, don’t require
4. structure time, not content – give autonomy
5. quality, not conformity (Charlotte Mason, better one perfect than many sloppy)
6. simplicity, not complexity – stick to the basics, then expand w/passions
7. you, not them – you are the mentor, work on YOUR educational as well
8. secure, not stressed – confident in the course you have chosen and in your efforts of moving towards the right goals

Notes from Intro:
If my child can learn or do only one thing, what would I want it to be?

The values & lessons of the foundational stage are first in priority and chronology, in terms of attention, emphasis and value.

Parents should be nurturing a healthy relationship with those closest to them and modeling a healthy spiritual & scholarly life.

First expose children to foundational tools for learning, then instruct. Let their natural passion for learning and exploration guide them and stress personal excellence, self discipline, and perseverance. (Goals should focus on developing personal values & efforts, not certain academic subjects. That will come later. Teach them, expose them to great works, but don’t worry if they don’t retain all of it yet!)

Peer involvement at young age should be carefully filtered/supervised.
Home & family life should be kept uncomplicated.

Let children’s passions & interests guide your study but inspire them to explore a variety of areas as well.
Peer involvement is crucial as children grow older so they can learn to articulate their views, share, learn from community.

“The convalescent home is often a mirror image of the conveyor belt elementary school – but without the energy and hope.”

“The key to success in each life transition is to focus on what you are transitioning ‘toward,’ instead of looking backward.”