Exams in a Charlotte Mason Education
Adapted from a Conference Talk by Kerri Forney
Take a moment to think about how you were assessed: multiple choice tests, speed reading, true/false, short answers, essays, finals, grades, class rank, GPA?
Charlotte Mason had much to say about the educational situation of her day and the effects of grades on students:
But so besotted [muddled] is our educational thought that we believe children regard knowledge rather as repulsive medicine than as inviting food. Hence our dependence on marks [grades] and prizes, athletics, alluring presentation, any jam we can devise to disguise the powder.
The man who willfully goes on crutches has incompetent legs; he who chooses to go blindfold has eyes that cannot bear the sun; he who lives on pap-meat has weak digestive powers, and he whose mind is sustained by the crutches of emulation and avarice loses that one stimulating power which is sufficient for his intellectual needs.
This atrophy of the desire of knowledge is the penalty our scholars pay because we have chosen to make them work for inferior ends. Our young men and maidens do not read unless with the stimulus of a forthcoming examination. (Volume 6, Page 89)
We often speak of the paradigm shift required to embrace Mason education in terms of methods and books, but what about assessment? It’s easy to fall back into old patterns: teach as you were taught… assess as you were assessed. When we do, we risk slipping back into systems that devalue the personhood of the child.
As you head into Term 1 Exams:
- Review Section 4 (Exams) of the Foundations Course: Relational Methods
- Revisit Weeks 11 & 12 in your Reflective Practice Plan Book for Guidance for Evaluating a Term and Scoring an Exam
- Discuss these ideas with your spouse or co-teachers, reminding one another of the goal of a relational education.
- And, as always, reach out in the Hive with your questions!
Membership Spotlight
Life happens, and schedules change. The Dynamic Planning Tool helps you create custom book lists and weekly, term, or loop schedules, so you can focus on progress over perfection.
Notes
- Member Survey: Our annual fall member survey is live. Tell us about your experience with Alveary – what you’re loving and what we can improve. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts. We rely on your feedback to plan for the future and assess our current offerings. You can submit your responses here.
- In the Company of Ideas: This month, we are reading Charlotte Mason's Great Recognition. Enjoy this book discussion with one of the authors.
- Office Hours: Replay of this week’s Office Hours on Principle 2 can be seen here.
- Conference: The Guiding with Grace Virtual Conference Ticket is still available! Gain access to all keynote sessions plus 23 professionally recorded workshops. Want a preview? Enjoy these short snippets for a taste of what’s waiting for you. Seeing With New Eyes and Citizenship in the Curriculum
Queries
Question: Are you supposed to do a new dictation text at every lesson? Or just keep working on the same one all week until it's done without errors?
Answer: Students can work on the same passage for the week, although it is not necessary that they finish the entire passage in the Dictation booklet before moving on. Since they’re only learning 4–5 new words at a time and writing the passage in the same 15-minute lesson, there’s less to retain, making it manageable. Be sure to read the beginning pages in the lesson plan. For more guidance, you can watch this old Office Hours video.
