• Art: History / Criticism / Theory
• Family: Large Families
• Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason
• Homeschooling: Co-ops
• Homeschooling: Getting Started
• Homeschooling: Level – 2 Kindergarten
• Homeschooling: Level – 3 Elementary
• Homeschooling: Level – 5 High School
• Homeschooling: Level – 6 Multi-level Teaching
• Homeschooling: Motivation / Inspiration
• Personal Development: Mentoring
• Personal Development: Relationships / Social Skills
• Social Studies: Civics, Government, or Political Science

 PRESENTATION TOPICS

CHARLOTTE MASON FOUNDATIONS:  A PARADIGM SHIFT

An Introduction to Charlotte Mason, including her belief in the child as a Person, Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life, and the Science of Relations. This session will not only help you begin to make the paradigm shift in the way you look at education, but will also cover practical aspects of how this looks day to day. Who was Charlotte Mason? What was her educational philosophy? Can her methods be used in high school as well as elementary and mid-school? Drawing from her 16 years of experience using Charlotte Mason's methods, Nancy will talk about the basics of a Charlotte Mason education and how it can transform your homeschool in this 101 talk.

QUALIFIED FOR LIFE – HIGH SCHOOLERS AS PERSONS

Interested in a rich, rigorous, character-building education for your high schooler?  Charlotte Mason had a successful plan for the high school years.  Her offering was in response to the utilitarian system that was in place 100 years ago and unfortunately still reigns.  This session will discuss Mason’s blueprint and offer principles and practices to begin planning  what could  be your student’s best years!

 THE WELL-BALANCED MIND: THE IMAGINATION FACTOR

Do you value your imagination?  Your child's?  This talk is an exploration of the importance of imagination in education, faith and life.  Mason said that "imagination is, like faith, the evidence of things not seen" and is an integral part of everyone's personhood.  How can we nurture this in our materialistic society where testing reigns supreme?

THE BANQUET WHICH IS SHAKESPEARE

Using methods espoused by Charlotte Mason, Nancy will guide you through how to teach Shakespeare to your elementary and high school students. Personal anecdotes, recommended resources, tried-and-true techniques, and some audience participation will motivate and prepare you to tackle the Bard in your homeschool!

 CITIZENSHIP - Inspiring Heroism and Claiming Magnanimity

What exactly is Citizenship? Charlotte Mason felt it was a very important subject that children should study throughout their school days. This talk will explore the methods and materials Mason used and that still work amazingly well today. Nancy will explain what was used in each grade and share her own family's experience in this area. "In unlikely ways and from unlikely sources do children gather that little code of principles which shall guide their lives." -Mason on Citizenship

 TRUTH, BEAUTY, GOODNESS - The Story of a Co-op Community

Have you always wanted to start a co-op with a group of home educators? Something that enhanced your homeschool yet didn't detract from it or become a burden? A healthy event that mom could look forward to as much as the children? Let Nancy share about her experiences with the Truth, Beauty, Goodness Co-op. This is a bimonthly, fine arts, Charlotte Mason-inspired co-op that she started and has helped other moms establish in their homeschool communities. She will give attendees the tools to organize a group from the planning stages to starting the meetings. Come and learn how you can revitalize your teaching, students and homeschool with picture study, composer study, Shakespeare, poetry, hymns, folk songs and nature study!

IMMERSION GROUPS

Multi-age Homeschool Immersion Group -

In this session, Nancy will demonstrate a morning in a multi-age homeschool (K-8 with some high school) using Mason’s methods. Despite the large age range in many homeschools, adherence to the principles and practices in every area can make this rich education possible. The focus will be on subjects that can successfully be combined with multiple ages. Subject areas presented will include Bible, dictation, citizenship, Shakespeare, and geography.  This session is 3 hours long and an 1.5 hour discussion/debriefing should be scheduled to follow.

 Relational Co-op Immersion Group - 

In this session, Nancy will demonstrate an entire morning from her relational co-op, Truth, Beauty, Goodness.

Participants will be immersed as students in order to understand and experience the Mason method in the subjects of Shakespeare, Hymn, Folksong, Picture Study, Composer Study, Nature Study, Handicrafts and Poetry. This session is 3.5 hours long and a 1.5 hour discussion/ debriefing session should be scheduled for later in the day in order for participants to ask questions.

 ADHERING TO THE PRINCIPLES

In this talk, Nancy explains why consistently applying Charlotte Mason's methods produces wonderful results. Using examples from Charlotte Mason's own school as well as her personal experience with children of all ages, she will inspire listeners to try these methods in their homeschools.

 BOOKS AS FRIGATES - Finding and Collecting Living Books

After establishing a definition of a living book, Nancy will recommend books about living books, helpful websites about living books, places to find and buy living books and many other helpful tips. A highlight of this talk includes what she states are the three most important sets of books in her homeschool.

CHARLOTTE'S WEB - Exploring Resources for Implementing the Charlotte Mason Method

Are you just beginning to implement a Mason education? Perhaps you have a few years experience but would like some guidance in how to break it down and share it with others. What about CM resources for high school? This workshop will be a resource bonanza of all things CM. While only 10 years ago you might have been on your own navigating this path, there is now an abundance of helps - and not all of them are true to Mason's philosophy. We will look at the plethora of offerings from books, social groups, the internet and more. Join the discussion and meet others on the same journey.

WHEREBY TEACHERS SHALL TEACH LESS AND SCHOLARS SHALL LEARN MORE - My Homeschool Journey with Charlotte Mason and Six Kids

A practical, autobiographical talk interspersed with storytelling and poetry. In this talk, Nancy explains how she got from here to there with funny things everywhere. She gives some tips on how to use Charlotte Mason methods with a large family and how to avoid burnout. Practical benefits of using this method in your homeschool journey are expounded upon.

• Homeschooling mother of six.
• Organizer for educational and homeschool events for 18+ years.
• Specializes in the Charlotte Mason method of learning.

• CM Consulting Service
• Founder, Living Education Retreat
• Runs the PMEU, a CM support group
• Teaches using solely the CM method in the TBG Community(K-8) and The Hive (High School)
• Created "Charlotte Mason on the Prairie", a ning social network
• Writer for the CLUSA  CM Curriculum Project - Citizenship, Literature, +

Publications

Sixteen years ago, Nancy first read For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley and her family's homeschool journey began to blossom. Since then she has delighted in educating her six children using the Charlotte Mason method. Married to Kent for twenty-three years, she lives in Windom, MN with her family in a three-story Victorian. Nancy has enjoyed inspiring other educators to consider and apply Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methods. Two of her children have graduated with National Merit honors, and she is presently educating the younger four.

Mentoring other moms, coordinating the Living Education Retreat and homeschooling her children keep her busy when she isn't tending her perennials or organizing her out-of-print books. She is currently contributing to the literature guidelines for the Childlight USA curriculum project. Her speaking engagements have included MACHE (Duluth, MN); A Day Away (Mt. Pleasant, MI); The Living Education Retreat (Windom, MN); Childlight Conference (Boiling Springs, NC) and homeschool support groups. Her topics include teaching Shakespeare, using living books to encourage a love of learning, teaching multiple ages and using the Charlotte Mason method with high school students.

The following is a favorite quote by Charlotte Mason and the cornerstone of her educational philosophy:

"...we hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind, and that the culmination of all education (which may, at the same time, be reached by a little child) is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection." Vol. 3 p. 95.