"say" your lessons; release the "twaddle"

Mark Twain once said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."  It is a thought that every homeschooling mom should ponder seriously and ask, "What requirement am I placing importance on in my homeschool that is interfering with my child's education and love of learning?"  Even as so-called "modern" homeschoolers, we often times overlook applied wisdom from the past that we can incorporate into our daily teaching techniques that will bring both joy and sanity to our program. 

If you have ever read the "Little House on the Prairie" series with your kids, you probably paid special attention to the sections where Laura Ingalls went to school and then later became a teacher herself.  One of the things that struck me several years ago when I was reading these books to Evan, our oldest son, was how the children went to school to "say their lessons" rather than to "do school".  School didn't so much follow them around begging for constant attention as it does today.  Rather it was a place to demonstrate mastery for a period of time before the child moved on to the next teaching point and then, later, moved on with their day.

Today, homeschoolers who appreciate this idea of "saying" lessons rather than requiring the child to engage in busy work is representative of the "Charlotte Mason" method.  It may surprise to you realize that, even though we primarily follow a classical model, Charlotte Mason is alive and well in our program.  When I was in the hospital last fall with Evan for days upon end, it suddenly hit me one day during an English lesson with him that we really just needed to start "saying" his lessons.  So, with the exception of diagramming and writing-related assignments, we started "saying" his lessons by talking through them.  I found that he mastered concepts just as well or better and we didn't bog ourselves down with any unnecessary requirements to write it down.  I also apply this with our younger boys as well, when it is appropriate.  That way, any time they spend actually writing is a valuable exercise and not just "twaddle".  
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So in addition to "saying" as many lessons as you can, here are a few other "twaddle reduction" ideas:

• Narration, dictation, and copy work are also additional Charlotte Mason methods we use to teach writing, observation, and listening skills. Just use good books you are already reading to them for these tasks rather than adding new materials to their plate.
• Instead of doing full written assignments, have your child use note cards to jot down important learning points for math, science, English, history, etc.  This is especially useful for our "Structured" learners.
• Make pre-made, lined assignment sheets on your computer rather than using blank paper that the child needs to "set up" every time they write their work down. 
• If your child is overwhelmed by long math, spelling, or vocabulary tests or drills, don't require them to do it all in one sitting.  Break it up throughout the day or over a few days.
• Use audio tools like tapes, CDs, recorded messages, etc. to aid your child at home when you are not available or when you are out and about in the van.  Audio tools are particularly good for "Moving" and "Community" learners.
• Find more information about streamlining your teaching techniques or about learning styles by reading chapter four of The Balanced Homeschooler. 

As we are back in the hospital again with Evan for his next phase of cancer treatments that will eventually prepare him for a bone marrow transplant, I am reminded of the benefit of "saying" our lessons and avoiding "twaddle".  So look for opportunities to eliminate unnecessary elements that may be cluttering your child's assignments so you too can make sure that the "schooling" you require does not interfere with their "education".