Awakening a Sense of Wonder in the Mother Teacher

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As a mother-teacher embracing a living education through Charlotte Mason and Classical principles, awakening in wonder and cultivating deeper imagination and contemplation begins with nourishing your own soul.

Just as we offer our children rich ideas and living books, we must also steep ourselves in the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.

And this may happen “by accident” by giving our children this rich education. But for some of us, it may take a little longer or even additional effort to arrive a life in wonder.

Feast on the True, the Good, and the Beautiful

Read Living Books for Yourself – Choose books that inspire wonder and deep thought. Consider works by Charlotte Mason, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and classical literature that speaks to your heart.

And don’t discount children’s literature! The Chronicles of Narnia still inspires me regularly and Aslan still makes me yearn for Christ. Btw, it’s important to read it in the original publishing order to aid in that sense of wonder. 😉

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe > Prince Caspian > The Voyage of the Dawn Treader > The Silver Chair > The Horse and His Boy > The Magician’s Nephew > The Last Battle.

Find books that interest you and kept them in rotation — a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel. I’d also add in a spiritual reading book too.

Engage with Poetry and Prose – Read a poem every day — find what works for your schedule, but a short poem can easily fit in to each morning or before bed. Let the words linger, and perhaps even memorize a few lines to carry in your heart.

Likewise, the daily reading of Psalms and Proverbs is also an excellent habit to attain toward as a mother seeking after wonder.

Explore Philosophy and Theology – Even small portions of great works (like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, or Plato) can ignite contemplation. Personally, I’ve been slowly reading (and contemplating) the Soliloquies of St. Augustine for nearly two years. And I’ll definitely re-read it over again.

Make Time for Silence and Reflection

Cultivate Stillness – Set aside time daily, even if brief, to simply be still—whether through silent prayer, sitting in nature, and just enjoying quiet reflection. I try to find little pockets of silence throughout the day to sit in silence and contemplation.

As mothers, this isn’t always easy. But I try to keep the phone docked or in the other room, I don’t use social media, and try to limit as many outside or unnecessary distractions as possible. These things help me to cultivate simplicity, silence, and contemplation.

Our goal is for a life of union with God, and as moderns it takes a lot of effort to find silence and solitude.

Star gazing is another great way to make time for quiet reflection and open up a sense of wonder.

Socrates compared men like us to cattle who graze through life with heads down to the earth. I can only imagine what he would think if he saw that modern man is nearly always walking around with his face buried in a smartphone or other tech devices.

Related: Why I Quit Social Media

A well-known quote from John Senior is: “smash the television set”, found in The Restoration of Christian Culture. He is criticizing the negative influence of television on culture and encourages people to limit their exposure to it. And maybe even consider eliminating it.

We’ve been without TV for many years, but have occasionally watched a movie together. And I will say that it does impact attitudes, behavior, and ruins imagination/habit of attention for my children — even with just a little exposure.

So, I personally believe that it’s not worth having for our family. This is not a personal judgment on anyone who has a television in the home — we used to. It’s just a reflection and sharing of our experience and something to ponder.

Not all tech use is bad or evil in itself, we just need to learn to use it as a tool and not let it rule our lives.

Another book recommendation for cultivating a life of silence and reflection is Solitude and Silence by Thomas A. Kempis.

“For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded. What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?”

psalm 8: 4-5

See the World with Childlike Wonder

Childlike wonder opens us up to sense of awe and curiosity. This is a much different thing from childishness. We have to learn to humble ourselves and seek to find wonder in the simplicity of every day life.

This child-like sense of wonder sets us towards a life of virtue — towards contemplating what is True, Good, and Beautiful.

Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.

St. Mark 10:15

Practice Nature Study – Not just as a lesson for your children, but as a mother. Go outside alone sometimes, sketch a leaf, notice the movement of birds, or just watch the clouds.

I know that alone time is hard sometimes, especially when we have newborns or little ones around. But if you can, take a short walk outside alone in the mornings or evenings, find quiet time in the garden, or just be in nature.

Mama’s of littles, this does get a little easier as the children get older. But, I’ve been there too! There’s been many years of baby-wearing and taking small children on little nature walks around the ranch.

The point is — just get out in nature as much as possible and work with the life and family God has blessed you with.

Related: Nature Study + Favorite Resources

Observe Beauty in the Ordinary – Whether it’s the way sunlight streams through a window, the fragrance of herbs in the kitchen, the warmth of a cup of tea, the sound of rain, the feeling of sunlight on your skin, or the laughter of your child, savor the small wonders.

Cultivate Imagination through Creativity

When I began to learn more about Charlotte Mason’s principles through educational courses that The CMEC offers, I kept hearing about “taking on the posture” of the student.

And this is exactly how I engage with lessons with my students. I read what they read – whether through pre-reading or during lesson times. I narrate, too. And I engage with their lessons to cultivate imagination and growth. Not only as a mother-teacher, but also a whole person.

Read Fairy Tales and Mythology – The great stories of old, from the Brothers Grimm to Greek myths, awaken something deep in the soul. I believe that fairy tales, myths, and fables aren’t just for the early years of education. We should read them and re-read them throughout our lives.

If you’re new to myths and fairy tales, Grimm Brothers, and Andrew Lang are great places to start.

A couple of other favorites that my children have especially enjoyed and have brought a lot of laughter to our days are this version of English Fairy Tales and this version of American Tall Tales.

Engage in Handicrafts or Artistic Pursuits – Watercolor, sketch, knit, garden, or try calligraphy— not for productivity, but for the joy of creating. The goal is not to become a pro, but to enjoy the process. Calligraphy is something new that I’m pursuing this year and its been a joy for me.

Favorite Resource: Our favorite watercolor school is Lily and Thistle.

Follow the Liturgical Season

Sanctify the Day with Prayer and Church Rituals – The rhythms of the Church, the changing seasons, and small family traditions help to order the soul and give space for contemplation.

Related: Sanctifying Sundays with Preparation

Celebrate Feasts and Fast Days – These cultivate an awareness of time as sacred and full of meaning. Fasting with the church strengthens us in mind, body, and spirit. Likewise, celebrating the liturgical feasts encourages the children (and adults too) to find joy in their Catholic faith.

Create a home environment that leads one to prayer and contemplation.

We also read the Lives of the Saints daily as part of our morning time and these daily readings have really been inspirational.

Related: Celebrating the Liturgical Year in the Home

Slow Down and Delight in Learning

As I’ve mentioned before, I try to take on the posture of the student. And since we are trying to create life-long learners, it’s important for me to do the same with my education.

Readings of Charlotte Mason’s volumes, Parents’ Review articles, or even taking the Mother’s Educational Course (a personal favorite) that The CMEC puts out each year are all helpful for growth as a mother-teacher.

Take Time to Linger in Lessons – A mother-teacher’s education does not end. Continue to study Shakespeare, Plutarch, and the great ideas alongside your children. Create for yourself an education in wonder.

Dante’s Divine Comedy (the Esolen translation is my personal favorite) is another great and favorite read to awaken wonder.

Enjoy Beautiful Art + Music — Make time to listen to inspiring music which leads to wonder. Whether this is through composer study with the children or alone in the car or scattered in little pockets throughout the week — make time for beauty.

We regularly listen to beautify hymns, chants, and composers throughout the day. Sometimes, I’ll just put on a playlist of violin and cello in the afternoons during chore time.

I’ve also created a beautiful playlist for myself to enjoy, which I named as O Magnum Mysterium and it’s filled with Palestrina, Victoria, and Gabrielli. This brings beauty to my days.

Likewise, take time to study and appreciate beautiful works of art. It was through doing this with the children that I discovered my favorite artist is Thomas Cole — which maybe you’ve picked up on by visiting the blog. 😊

Imagination as a Powerful Factor in a Well-balanced Mind

I recently read this lovely Parent’s Review article, “Imagination as a Powerful Factor in a Well-balanced Mind” by E. A. Parish and thought you’d enjoy it too.

“Mrs. Gray has made us all feel the great need of imagination; she has shown us that life cannot go on well without it; that, unless we have that gift from God we cannot hope to be reasonable and considerate, loving and sympathetic; she has encouraged us by making us believe that the power of imagination is, to some extent, latent in every individual, and she has pointed out the duty of parents and teachers to train this power.

“When we hear what great things may be achieved by the proper use of the imagination, how social problems and political differences may be straightened out by it, and family life softened and sweetened, we see that imagination is indeed a powerful factor in a well-balanced mind.” — E. A. Parish

Awakening Wonder for the Mother-Teacher

Seek Kindred Spirits – Whether through a book club, homeschool community, or deep conversations with a friend, discuss big ideas.

And instead of seeking quick answers, ask open-ended questions and ponder them. Let some questions remain unanswered.

Lastly, I want to close with a personal favorite quote:

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

St. augustine

The more you fill your mind and heart with worthy thoughts, the more naturally wonder, imagination, and contemplation will flow into your teaching and daily life.

Wonder and Imagination

I want to quote a bit more from the article which I shared above about Imagination. This is a little lengthy, but so beautiful and worth the read. In fact, you should go back and read the whole article when you get a chance!

“You show the child many things, all strange, all entrancing; it sees, it hears, it touches; it learns to co-ordinate sight and touch and hearing. You tell it tales of the things it cannot see and hear and touch, of men ‘that it may never meet, of lands that it shall never see’; strange, black and brown and yellow people, whose dress is not the dress of mother and nurse–strange glowing yellow lands, where the sun burns like fire, and flowers grow that are not like the flowers in the fields at home. You tell it that the stars, which look like pin-holes in the floor of heaven, are really great lonely worlds, millions of miles away; that the earth, which the child can see for itself to be flat, is really round; that nuts fall from the trees because of the force of gravitation, and not, as reason would suggest, merely because there is nothing to hold them up. And the child believes; it believes all the seeming miracles.

“Then you tell it of other things, no more miraculous, and no less; of fairies, and dragons, and enchantments, of spells and magic, of flying carpets and invisible swords. The child believes in these wonders likewise, why not? If very big men live in Patagonia, why should not very little men live in flower-bells? If electricity can move unseen through the air, why not carpets? The child’s memory becomes a storehouse of beautiful and wonderful things which are, or have been, in the visible universe, or in that greater universe, the mind of man. Life will teach the child soon enough to distinguish between the two.

“But there are those who are not as you and I. These say that all the enchanting fairy romances are lies, that nothing is real that cannot be measured and weighed, seen or heard or handled. Such make their idols of stocks and stones, and are blind and deaf to the things of the spirit. These hard-fingered materialists crush the beautiful butterfly wings of imagination, insisting that pork and pews and public-houses are more real than poetry; that a looking glass is more real than love, a viper than valour.

“These Gradgrinds give to the children the stones, which they call facts, and deny to the little ones the daily bread of dreams.” – E. Nesbit (as quoted from the Parents’ Review Article “Imagination as a Powerful Factor in a Well-balanced Mind” by E. A. Parish)