I think Charlotte Mason was right about most things, but using her method to teach my son reading was set him back years and hindered his learning. I think that modern education studies show that kids NEED explicit phonics instruction and a comprehensive phonics curriculum. I think Miss Mason would’ve gladly kept up with the times and would’ve changed her thinking and ideas had she had the information we have now. I share this so that other mother-teachers who may feel like their child is struggling with this “natural” and “gentler” approach that it’s okay to let Miss Mason’s ideas of literacy go, and give your child what they need. I only wish I would’ve done it sooner and from the get-go with my son, and we’d have a lot less struggles. We’re using All About Reading and it is going well. I love Simply Charlotte Mason and Sonya has been a digital mentor to me for years, so I only say this to encourage mothers who may be in a similar situation as I was: desperately trying to trust the CM method of reading but knowing that my child needed something different.
I think she is making persons aware of the fact that not all students learn at the same pace. You have to get to know your child and know what they are ready for.
I agree. The majority of children do need phonics, especially boys. I was taught with sight words only, it took me a long time to read fluently. I will note that Charlotte Mason DID use both phonics and sight words. She also encouraged using physical letter and letting children play with the letter and sounds from infancy. The assumption would be that children would know their letter sounds and have played with phonics before the age of 6. Personally with my boys, I used the "Delightful reading level 1" first to teach letters and sounds and moved on to All About Reading & Spelling. I have no doubt they would have learned to read at grade level with Charlotte Mason approach, but the intense phonics took them beyond grade level once they completed all 4 levels. Even to this day my boys will be able to read uncommon words quicker and more accurately than me! Using physical letter (Charlotte Mason) and letter tiles (All about Reading)--- is a major component especially in the ways boys learn to read. Boys and girls are different, Charlotte Mason has experience with girls and how girls learn best. As a mom of boys, I like to do my own research into the brain development of boys and how they learn differently.
Totally disagree with the above comment.I have 3 boys& two have dyslexia,Autism,etc&WHEN they learn to read has very little to do with WHEN they learn other subjects.BTW,my boys are 23,16,&9,so,I've had a long time Homeschooling under my belt.I read TO them ALOT&my children continued to learn even without reading for themselves.How do you think people learned skills before education was made mandatory &free for all in this country& when most couldn't read or write?No,when children don't learn before they can read,that is a faulty in the teaching of the parent,NOT the child.CM &Ms Sonya are correct.Let children ALWAYS learn at their own pace.They are unique individuals &deserve that.
Honestly the CMs method on reading/spelling is one of the things that turned me off from exploring CM more. Now I realize I can teach phonics more in an AAR/Logic of English style and do CM as well
Love this!I have 3 boys&2 have Dyslexia,but all of them love books!I read TO them&they have continuously learned whether they could read or not.CM&Ms Sonya r correct.Children r unique individuals &DESERVE to learn at their own pace.
My niece is being homeschooled (not Charlotte Mason), and she didn't start reading until age 8. Now she's always seen with a book. She enjoys reading books above her supposed grade level. I couldn't read in kindergarten while several of my classmates could. I became a book nerd the following year and out-read all but one other kid until middle school. It's just timing. Avid readers will always hit the ground running. Those who don't enjoy reading will try to avoid it all of their lives as much as possible. Reading early won't change that.
I have a ten year old that is still struggling to read. My 7 year old can read A Tale of Two Cities. Everyone is different. I just feel bad that no matter how much we try to let 10 YO know his brother isn't better, just different; it bothers him so much. Thats the toughest part. It makes him feel left out. Not sure how to ease his frustration.
Thank you for sharing your experience and contributing to this conversation! This can be a difficult situation for children as they naturally start to compare themselves to peers or siblings and sometimes feel like because they are older than someone they should be more advanced. We would encourage you to emphasize to both of your boys that we all have different strengths and weaknesses as people. Their sense of accomplishment should be derived in thinking about how far they have come as an individual rather than comparing themselves to someone else. This post has some helpful tips on how to approach when a child starts to compare themselves to others or when we as parents feel the comparison creeping in and how to redirect them to feel accomplished with how far they have come. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/encouraging-children-each-step/ This post also touches on our individual strengths and weaknesses as well as the emphasis this method of education places on character. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/possibilities-core-values-of-charlotte-mason/
Thank you for this reminder! My second son is going to start 1st grade and he can read some 3 letter words. I feel like I missed a learning window due to having to spend so much time with my older son who taught himself to read, but has special needs in other areas. He will get it, it just may take more time. He does seem interested in blending letter sounds.
Thank you for sharing your experience! He absolutely still has plenty of time and sounds like he is very interested which is wonderful! Here is a helpful post that gives an overview of the steps of learning to read. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/signposts-for-reading-lessons-in-the-charlotte-mason-method/
I think this applies more to those that struggle to read, such as those with dyslexia. For those that don't learn to read independently by a certain age, there is a strong risk of the child never really learning to read for the love of reading. I taught bilingual children and am one of 6. But yes, for those struggling to read, it is great advice.
My son has DLD (developmental language disorder) and his school has pushed so hard for him to read that now, he is behind and says over and over he hates reading. So, I agree with you: it is a great advice for parents who have kids like mine. Next school year I will homeschool him but I will make reading fun and enjoyable as much as I can. No pressure, no judgements, no expectations. 😉
@@carlasmith7405 we used a combination of the book, Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons and we did only as much as we could complete in 10 minutes a day and she is a great reader now. We would also alternate days and read sight words every other day and review phonics combinations for example, ea sound, ai sound, magic e, etc (you can find these online). So one day we read from the book for ten minutes, one day 10 minutes of reading sight words and phonics combos. Once the lessons in the book became longer (more reading), we dropped the sight words and just did 10 minutes of each lesson. Once we finish the book, we will start reading books recommended in the textbook and alternate with sight words. My daughter is now reading at grade 1 or higher level as a kindergartener even though she knew 0 English on the first day of school.
Disagree with the above comment on kids not liking books because they can't read from the teacher who taught bilingual children.I have 3 boys,2 with DYSLEXIA &they ALL LOVE books&always have.I read TO them.BTW,I speak&read Spanish as well&didn't learn that language until I was a teen.CM &Ms Sonya are correct.
@@KittyeMills-Scott I did not say they hate books, just that they often hate reading independently just for the fun of it. My siblings and I were read to as well. We all love listening to audiobooks, but only some of us like to read because not all of us had the same experience in how quickly we learned to read. What I meant when I said the children I taught were bilingual is that I was teaching them to read/write in their home language. And because many were already older and could read in English, most did not enjoy having to read text in a second language that was below their intellectual level but closer to their reading level. One of my siblings also struggles with dyslexia and he too does not enjoy reading independently just to read for enjoyment, but that is understandable.
As a person with 2 young kids. 7 and 8, I would say reading is essential. And I have found that my first grader. That's going to second knows less words than pre-k and both struggle to complete task. Because the problem is, there's so many kids in a class the teacher does not read information again, so find the a lot of both of their work was not completed because Simply not being able to read themselves. So they both just sit around waiting and watching other children, so that to me is not learning. And because of it, both are behind in spelling, reading and reading comprehension or wanting to read. No, that's not correct and that you should start teaching to read like 3 at least basic phonics.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your experience. One of the beauties of the Charlotte Mason method is that a child is not held back in their education due to any struggle in reading. In this method of education, children are read to from living books and then asked to verbally share (or narrate) what they remember. They also work on their reading, writing, and math skills however these are targeted individually at their level and at another time. Their skills in reading and writing do not hold them back in this method of education, however if a child is in an environment where another method of education is being utilized then they may be required to use these skills in order to succeed in that environment. If you are interested in learning more about the Charlotte Mason method to education, here is a helpful blogpost. simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/
I think Charlotte Mason was right about most things, but using her method to teach my son reading was set him back years and hindered his learning. I think that modern education studies show that kids NEED explicit phonics instruction and a comprehensive phonics curriculum. I think Miss Mason would’ve gladly kept up with the times and would’ve changed her thinking and ideas had she had the information we have now. I share this so that other mother-teachers who may feel like their child is struggling with this “natural” and “gentler” approach that it’s okay to let Miss Mason’s ideas of literacy go, and give your child what they need. I only wish I would’ve done it sooner and from the get-go with my son, and we’d have a lot less struggles. We’re using All About Reading and it is going well. I love Simply Charlotte Mason and Sonya has been a digital mentor to me for years, so I only say this to encourage mothers who may be in a similar situation as I was: desperately trying to trust the CM method of reading but knowing that my child needed something different.
WOW! Thank you very much for sharing your experience! I hope you the best!
I think she is making persons aware of the fact that not all students learn at the same pace. You have to get to know your child and know what they are ready for.
I agree. The majority of children do need phonics, especially boys. I was taught with sight words only, it took me a long time to read fluently. I will note that Charlotte Mason DID use both phonics and sight words. She also encouraged using physical letter and letting children play with the letter and sounds from infancy. The assumption would be that children would know their letter sounds and have played with phonics before the age of 6. Personally with my boys, I used the "Delightful reading level 1" first to teach letters and sounds and moved on to All About Reading & Spelling. I have no doubt they would have learned to read at grade level with Charlotte Mason approach, but the intense phonics took them beyond grade level once they completed all 4 levels. Even to this day my boys will be able to read uncommon words quicker and more accurately than me! Using physical letter (Charlotte Mason) and letter tiles (All about Reading)--- is a major component especially in the ways boys learn to read. Boys and girls are different, Charlotte Mason has experience with girls and how girls learn best. As a mom of boys, I like to do my own research into the brain development of boys and how they learn differently.
Totally disagree with the above comment.I have 3 boys& two have dyslexia,Autism,etc&WHEN they learn to read has very little to do with WHEN they learn other subjects.BTW,my boys are 23,16,&9,so,I've had a long time Homeschooling under my belt.I read TO them ALOT&my children continued to learn even without reading for themselves.How do you think people learned skills before education was made mandatory &free for all in this country& when most couldn't read or write?No,when children don't learn before they can read,that is a faulty in the teaching of the parent,NOT the child.CM &Ms Sonya are correct.Let children ALWAYS learn at their own pace.They are unique individuals &deserve that.
Honestly the CMs method on reading/spelling is one of the things that turned me off from exploring CM more. Now I realize I can teach phonics more in an AAR/Logic of English style and do CM as well
Love this!I have 3 boys&2 have Dyslexia,but all of them love books!I read TO them&they have continuously learned whether they could read or not.CM&Ms Sonya r correct.Children r unique individuals &DESERVE to learn at their own pace.
Thank you for sharing your experience and contributing to this conversation!
My niece is being homeschooled (not Charlotte Mason), and she didn't start reading until age 8. Now she's always seen with a book. She enjoys reading books above her supposed grade level.
I couldn't read in kindergarten while several of my classmates could. I became a book nerd the following year and out-read all but one other kid until middle school.
It's just timing. Avid readers will always hit the ground running. Those who don't enjoy reading will try to avoid it all of their lives as much as possible. Reading early won't change that.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts to continue this conversation!
I have a ten year old that is still struggling to read. My 7 year old can read A Tale of Two Cities. Everyone is different. I just feel bad that no matter how much we try to let 10 YO know his brother isn't better, just different; it bothers him so much. Thats the toughest part. It makes him feel left out. Not sure how to ease his frustration.
Thank you for sharing your experience and contributing to this conversation! This can be a difficult situation for children as they naturally start to compare themselves to peers or siblings and sometimes feel like because they are older than someone they should be more advanced. We would encourage you to emphasize to both of your boys that we all have different strengths and weaknesses as people. Their sense of accomplishment should be derived in thinking about how far they have come as an individual rather than comparing themselves to someone else. This post has some helpful tips on how to approach when a child starts to compare themselves to others or when we as parents feel the comparison creeping in and how to redirect them to feel accomplished with how far they have come.
simplycharlottemason.com/blog/encouraging-children-each-step/
This post also touches on our individual strengths and weaknesses as well as the emphasis this method of education places on character.
simplycharlottemason.com/blog/possibilities-core-values-of-charlotte-mason/
@@SimplyCharlotteMason You are the best at what you do. As always, thanks for the great advice!
Thank you for this reminder! My second son is going to start 1st grade and he can read some 3 letter words. I feel like I missed a learning window due to having to spend so much time with my older son who taught himself to read, but has special needs in other areas. He will get it, it just may take more time. He does seem interested in blending letter sounds.
Thank you for sharing your experience! He absolutely still has plenty of time and sounds like he is very interested which is wonderful! Here is a helpful post that gives an overview of the steps of learning to read.
simplycharlottemason.com/blog/signposts-for-reading-lessons-in-the-charlotte-mason-method/
I think this applies more to those that struggle to read, such as those with dyslexia. For those that don't learn to read independently by a certain age, there is a strong risk of the child never really learning to read for the love of reading. I taught bilingual children and am one of 6. But yes, for those struggling to read, it is great advice.
My son has DLD (developmental language disorder) and his school has pushed so hard for him to read that now, he is behind and says over and over he hates reading. So, I agree with you: it is a great advice for parents who have kids like mine. Next school year I will homeschool him but I will make reading fun and enjoyable as much as I can. No pressure, no judgements, no expectations. 😉
@@carlasmith7405 we used a combination of the book, Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons and we did only as much as we could complete in 10 minutes a day and she is a great reader now. We would also alternate days and read sight words every other day and review phonics combinations for example, ea sound, ai sound, magic e, etc (you can find these online). So one day we read from the book for ten minutes, one day 10 minutes of reading sight words and phonics combos. Once the lessons in the book became longer (more reading), we dropped the sight words and just did 10 minutes of each lesson. Once we finish the book, we will start reading books recommended in the textbook and alternate with sight words. My daughter is now reading at grade 1 or higher level as a kindergartener even though she knew 0 English on the first day of school.
Disagree with the above comment on kids not liking books because they can't read from the teacher who taught bilingual children.I have 3 boys,2 with DYSLEXIA &they ALL LOVE books&always have.I read TO them.BTW,I speak&read Spanish as well&didn't learn that language until I was a teen.CM &Ms Sonya are correct.
Thank you all for joining in this conversation and sharing your personal thoughts and experiences!
@@KittyeMills-Scott I did not say they hate books, just that they often hate reading independently just for the fun of it. My siblings and I were read to as well. We all love listening to audiobooks, but only some of us like to read because not all of us had the same experience in how quickly we learned to read. What I meant when I said the children I taught were bilingual is that I was teaching them to read/write in their home language. And because many were already older and could read in English, most did not enjoy having to read text in a second language that was below their intellectual level but closer to their reading level. One of my siblings also struggles with dyslexia and he too does not enjoy reading independently just to read for enjoyment, but that is understandable.
Very well said. Thank you😊
Thanks for watching!
Priceless .Thank you
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As a person with 2 young kids. 7 and 8, I would say reading is essential. And I have found that my first grader. That's going to second knows less words than pre-k and both struggle to complete task. Because the problem is, there's so many kids in a class the teacher does not read information again, so find the a lot of both of their work was not completed because Simply not being able to read themselves. So they both just sit around waiting and watching other children, so that to me is not learning. And because of it, both are behind in spelling, reading and reading comprehension or wanting to read. No, that's not correct and that you should start teaching to read like 3 at least basic phonics.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your experience. One of the beauties of the Charlotte Mason method is that a child is not held back in their education due to any struggle in reading. In this method of education, children are read to from living books and then asked to verbally share (or narrate) what they remember. They also work on their reading, writing, and math skills however these are targeted individually at their level and at another time. Their skills in reading and writing do not hold them back in this method of education, however if a child is in an environment where another method of education is being utilized then they may be required to use these skills in order to succeed in that environment. If you are interested in learning more about the Charlotte Mason method to education, here is a helpful blogpost. simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/