 "The Child," Mary Cassatt 1905 (see also Bird's-eye view)
“…we do not take children seriously enough; brought face to face with a child, we find he is a very real person, but in our educational theories we take him as 'something between a wax doll and an angel.'” * “A child is a person in whom all possibilities are present––present now at this very moment––not to be educed after years and efforts manifold on the part of the educator; .... It cannot be too strongly urged that our education of children will depend, nolens volens, (like it or not) upon the conception we form of them.” * “It is only persons that matter;” * “A person is not built up from without but within, that is, he is living, and all external educational appliances and activities which are intended to mould his character are decorative and not vital.” * “That children are born persons,––is the first article of the educational credo which I am concerned to advance; this implies that they come to us with power of attention, avidity for knowledge, clearness of thought, nice discrimination in books even before they can read, and the power of dealing with many subjects.” * “…we speak of ourselves as "finite beings," but is there any limit to the generosity and nobility of almost any person?” * “Children are born persons; that all the elements of peculiar personality are latent in the child in arms; that the little person is a spiritual being in a fleshly vesture; the body must be sustained and comforted, and so must the spirit or mind or soul, whatever we may call that which is non-material.” * “A person’s a person no matter how small.” ~ Dr. Seuss Examen: When have I been particularly struck by a child’s personhood? Do I have a “hearsay acquaintance” with personhood? What would it take to have personhood as my rule of thumb in all my affairs like Mason does? ~~~~~~~ ...we do not: Charlotte M. Mason, Parents and Children, 2:49. A child is: 2:260. It is only: Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:114 Bk.I. A person is not: Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:24. That children are: 6:247. ...we speak of ourselves: 6:334. Children are born: “AO Parents’ Review Archives AmblesideOnline.Org,” accessed June 6, 2024, Mason’s response to Maria Montessori, her contemporary.https://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR27p202ImaginationinChildhood.shtml. A person's a person: Dr Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!, Reissue edition (New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1954). Day 21 Born Person meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025
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 "Nogeeshik," Andrew Wyeth, 1972 “…for our faith in the divine and the human keeps pace with our knowledge. For this reason it behooves us teachers to get a bird's eye view of the human nature which is present in every child.” * “…because ever since the Greek youth hung about their masters in the walks of the Academy there have been teachers who have undermined the stability of the boys to whom they devoted themselves. Were his countrymen entirely wrong about Socrates? A tendency to this manner of betrayal (having too much influence upon one’s students?) is the infirmity of noble minds, of those who have the most to give; and for this reason, again, it is important that we should have before us a bird's eye view, let us call it, of human nature.” * “Wisdom isn’t knowing about physics or geography. Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life. That’s the great gift Illuminators share with those around them.” ~ David Brooks Examen: Teaching that will not harm a child requires my specialization in human nature. How am I to gain this knowledge according to Mason? Am I committed to the intentional study of Mansoul and “the way of the will?” What is one step I can take? ~~~~~~~ ...for our faith: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:47. ...because ever since: 6:49. Wisdom isn’t knowing: David Brooks, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (New York: Random House, 2023), 248. Day 18 Bird's-eye-view meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025 |
"Thus, I propose that the middle of February remind CM admirers
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