Ambleside Flourish Podcast

We humans are destined to live in troubled times. As novelist and screenwriter William Goldman puts it in The Princess Bride, “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” Goldman echoes the words of Jesus, who made this clear to His followers, “In this world, you will have tribulation.” Trouble is the norm, not the exception, and troubled hearts always tend toward paralysis and polarization. In troubled states, one wants desperately either to despair and quit, or to do something. But what?

Take a moment to imagine a time when someone was truly interested in you. What would it be like for you to give this same kind of attention to your spouse, to your children, and to others? This Christmas, consider giving the greatest gift of all: your sacred presence.

The Pilgrims defined daily living in relationship with God; He was ever before them, the primary thing for them; their unfailing constancy in need and in provision, lives sustained in Him and through Him. May we gain daily perspective through the uncertainty of our times lived in and through Him and pause for Thanksgiving.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we find three major players, each with a different orientation toward life: The younger brother who seeks to ESCAPE and INDULGE The older brother who seeks to PERFORM and CONTROL The father who seeks TO KNOW and TO LOVE A true education must promote knowing and loving, not performing or indulging.

To believe in Divine Providence is to accept that we do not always know what is best, and the world does not conform to our will but to God's.

Slogans like "Be your way" and "Just do it," slogans that encourage us to follow any and all desires, may be good for sales, but they're horrible for souls.

As the spider is made for building silk webs, so we are made for building relations with persons and things. Our brains are designed for and dependent upon the creation of meaningful relations with persons and things.

Humans are not mere matter or a body directed by some external soul. They are a body-soul unity. In this dense discussion of these primary approaches to understanding humanity, we propose that a proper understanding of human nature will necessarily inform right relationship and education.

The first article of a valid educational creed – “children are born persons” – is of a revolutionary character; for what is a revolution but a complete reversal of attitude? - Charlotte Mason

It is a hard truth that, as a rule, a child will not give greater care and attention to the divine life than do his parents and teachers. read more

Education is the science of relations, relations with saints and sinners, the past and the present, earth and sky, art and craft, work and leisure. Still, there is more. read more.

Last time, we spoke of the Beauty Sense, a formative force rarely considered in its potent ability to shape the character of children. The Beautiful, together with the Good and the True are servants to one another, each drawing to the others, as it draws us to itself. Charlotte Mason speaks of imagination with the trained eye and ear, as central to the perception of beauty. read more

These are harrowing times. A man dies under the knee of a police officer. Such things ought not to be. Crowds erupt in riot, looting, burning and killing. Such things ought not to be. How are we to understand it? What is to be done? read more

The story of the principal and Suzie was primarily about recovery from a distressed brain state, but this is only half of the work that is to be accomplished. It is also the responsibility of parents and teachers to build resilience. Resilience is the capacity to absorb adversity without slipping into a dysfunctional, distressed brain state. The greater the resilience, the less likely a child (or anyone for that matter) is to respond adversely, regardless of what is happening in the environs. Eight practices for building resilience will be the topic of this blog. read more

These last weeks have been taxing. Routines have been radically altered. Freedoms have been constrained. Normal pleasures have been curtailed. For many, income has been disrupted. And perhaps most trying of all, the future is uncertain. The illusion that we are in control is being challenged. Such testing times can be stressful for parent and child alike. read more

That children should be trained to endure hardness, was a principle of the old regime. "I shall never make a sailor if I can't face the wind and rain," said a little fellow of five who was taken out on a bitter night to see a torchlight procession; and, though, shaking with cold, he declined the shelter of a shed. Nowadays, the shed is everything; the children must not be permitted to suffer from fatigue or exposure. That children should do as they are bid, mind their books, and take pleasure as it offers when nothing stands in the way, sums up the old theory; now, the pleasures of children are apt to be made more account than their duties. Formerly, they were brought up in subjection; now, the elders give place, and the world is made for the children.[1] READ MORE [1] Mason, Charlotte. Home Education. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1989. 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-NmpLDZbY&list=PLSyapsJ5Zs5NFrwJLZbT7i-SwQdA6yYpU&index=3 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rirUIuadIBo&list=PLSyapsJ5Zs5NFrwJLZbT7i-SwQdA6yYpU&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-NmpLDZbY&list=PLSyapsJ5Zs5NFrwJLZbT7i-SwQdA6yYpU&index=3 

Last time, we heard from Essex Cholmondeley about opportunities, the opportunities parents have at home “to bring children up to be or to do” to be the kind of persons who have the power to live the life God has given them in exactly the way God intends, complete in mind, heart and soul with “the needs of something to love, something to do and something to think about.” It’s a lofty work indeed, to bring children up in these varied relationships. In truth,  each parent and each teacher are a part of this work already, consciously or unconsciously. more

Modern technologies propagate a value system. Winners win and losers lose but is that a true statement? Is the purpose of life. To make it to the one percent? Or would I or which would I rather have my child be? A neurotic performance-oriented performance driven member of the one percent. Or totally average in lifestyle but knows how to love his spouse and care for his children enjoys that which is good true and beautiful has a rich relationship with ideas and books as many friends and is a blessing to everyone in the neighborhood a quote winner one rich in the relation of life to set different value systems. Which do you want for your child?

What's the most formative influence in that child's life. Is it parents? Is it teachers? I promise you it's the screens that's what's shaping the child's character. Every child is born knowing there are things worth having and things worth avoiding but they're absolutely clueless what those are. Their affections are set first by the parents, then by the tribe. What do you desire? Child What do you want?  Those desire we're not random events. They were cultivated. And they were cultivated by somebody or some thing.And. It's a function of quality time. Whoever has the most quality time with the child gets to do the most shaping of the affections. 

Silicon Valley tech executives and engineers enroll their kids in no tech Waldorf schools. Google founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page went to no tech Montessori schools as did Amazon creator Jeff Bezos and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales many parents intuitively understand that the ubiquitous glowing screens are having a negative effect on kids.

Cholmondeley, Essex, What is Education? An address given to a meeting of the Women’s Institute. 1925.

"The mystery of a person, indeed, is ever divine, to him that has a sense for the godlike.  

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity.

Join Dr. Bill St. Cyr for the multi-part series on The Pursuit of Maturity. 

Charlotte Mason called narration the ground-plan of education. Maryellen St.Cyr instructs in this art of telling back with students of varied ages. See how students exhibit the power of narration as they have read/listened to a single reading with attention and concentration and "have in every case reproduced what they have read in narration" This is a series of Videos demonstrating Narration the videos demonstrations are located here.

"To be a teacher you just manipulate their sense experience in such a way as to write on the blank slate of the students mind. We cannot as Christians believe that's all there is to education. As Christians we believe you can know God. And that is not just the processing of sensory information."​ ~Dr. Bill St. Cyr @ Educating With the Brain in Mind Seminar  Dr. Bill St. Cyr is a gifted educator, counselor, teacher trainer and conference speaker. Since 2001, he has partnered with his wife in giving leadership to Ambleside Schools International. Prior to becoming Executive Director of ASI, Bill taught high school at Ambleside of Fredericksburg and spent ten years in private practice as a pastoral counselor. His professional experience includes serving as a youth minister, providing leadership to a discipleship ministry on Capitol Hill, and serving as assistant to the Chaplain of the United States Senate. Bill's academic degrees include B.A. in political science (Louisiana State University), M.A. in theology with an emphasis in patristics (Catholic University of America), and M.S. and Ph.D. in pastoral counseling (Loyola of Maryland).  NOTE: The use of "animal brain"or the "reptilian brain" makes reference to the oldest of the three that controls the body's vital functions such as heart rate, breathing, body temperature and balance. The reptilian brain includes the main structures also found in a reptile's brain: the brainstem and the cerebellum. Video here

"Charlotte Mason used the analogy as food for the mind as food for the body. What are we eating? What are our children eating? What is their mind food? Not just in the hours of school but in the hours of home. What are they feasting upon? Or what are they starving for?" ~Maryellen Marschke St. Cyr Educating With the Brain in Mind  Maryellen Marschke St. Cyr M.Ed. A professional educator for more than 30 years, Maryellen St. Cyr has spent thousands of hours in the classroom and hundreds of hours observing other educators. Possessing a passion for a congruent, life-giving method of education, she has become one of the foremost experts on the "common sense" educational philosophy of 19th-century British educator, Charlotte Mason. Maryellen is a primary author of When Children Love to Learn and founder of Ambleside School of Fredericksburg and Ambleside Schools International.  Video here

Classical Christian parents and educators are fond of saying “education is more than information – it is formation”… but what does formation really look like in a practical way? 100 years ago British educator Charlotte Mason wrote on how affections and habits are formed, noting what neuroscientists are now claiming as a new discovery! Maryellen St. Cyr went through a dramatic shift in her understanding of education after spending time researching the British educator Charlotte Mason and now runs 21 schools around the world based on this philosophy of education. Mason’s insights on how children learn and how thoughts and affections are formed is a critical element often missing in our homes and classical Christian schools. Join us along with David Goodwin, president of the ACCS on this episode of BaseCamp Live. Maryellen St. Cyr is the Founder of Ambleside School of Fredericksburg, Ambleside Schools International and Ambleside Homeschool. A professional educator for more than 30 years, Maryellen has spent thousands of hours in the classroom and hundreds of hours observing other teachers. Possessing a passion for a congruent, life-giving method of education, she has become one of the foremost experts on the “common sense” education philosophy of 19th-century British educator, Charlotte Mason. Maryellen is a primary author of When Children Love to Learn and shares insights into education here.

Classical Christian parents and educators are fond of saying “education is more than information – it is formation”… but what does formation really look like in a practical way? 100 years ago British educator Charlotte Mason wrote on how affections and habits are formed, noting what neuroscientists are now claiming as a new discovery! Maryellen St. Cyr went through a dramatic shift in her understanding of education after spending time researching the British educator Charlotte Mason and now runs 21 schools around the world based on this philosophy of education. Mason’s insights on how children learn and how thoughts and affections are formed is a critical element often missing in our homes and classical Christian schools. Join us along with David Goodwin, president of the ACCS on this episode of BaseCamp Live. Maryellen St. Cyr is the Founder of Ambleside School of Fredericksburg, Ambleside Schools International and Ambleside Homeschool. A professional educator for more than 30 years, Maryellen has spent thousands of hours in the classroom and hundreds of hours observing other teachers. Possessing a passion for a congruent, life-giving method of education, she has become one of the foremost experts on the “common sense” education philosophy of 19th-century British educator, Charlotte Mason. Maryellen is a primary author of When Children Love to Learn and shares insights into education here.

How do we make education a joyful discovery? Is it knowledge alone or do relationships have something to do with it? What kind of relationship does your child have with history, with their siblings, with math, with their teacher? If relationships are important, how do we shape the affections of what our children love? Perhaps the environment we create, and what we celebrate or criticize can have a huge impact. Learn more about what Charlotte Mason knew about children and how they learn as we welcome Bill St. Cyr, co-founder of Ambleside Schools International.

Part 5 – Questions and Answers Dr. Bill St. Cyr, Executive Director of Ambleside Schools International, answers questions on Bringing up Joyful Children.   Subscribe to Flourish Podcast: Apple Podcasts |  Google Play Music | iHeart Radio |  RSS Feed Watch on Youtube | Vimeo 

Part 4 – Additional Skills of Joy In the final part of his series on “Bringing up Joyful Children,” Dr. Bill St. Cyr, Executive Director of Ambleside Schools International identifies: additional joy skills, the capacity to handle the six painful emotions and the ability to return to joy. Dr. St. Cyr concludes with several practical recommendations on how to build joy in the lives of our children.   Subscribe to Flourish Podcast: Apple Podcasts |  Google Play Music | iHeart Radio |  RSS Feed Watch on Youtube | Vimeo 

Part 3 – The Skills of Joy The third part of a four-part series, Dr. Bill St. Cyr, Executive Director of Ambleside Schools International identifies three skills essential to building a joyful life: the capacity for shared joy; the capacity to delight in the Good, True and Beautiful; and the habit of sweet thoughts.   Subscribe to Flourish Podcast: Apple Podcasts |  Google Play Music | iHeart Radio |  RSS Feed Watch on Youtube | Vimeo 

Part 2 – The Constituents of Joy The second part of a four-part series, Dr. Bill St. Cyr, Executive Director of Ambleside Schools International explores the fundamental constituents of a joyful existence: belonging, security, fruitfulness, and contentment.   Listen to Flourish Podcast for Free: Apple Podcasts |  Google Play Music | iHeart Radio |  RSS Feed Watch on Youtube | Vimeo   

Part 1 – The Definition of Joy The first part of a four-part series, Dr. Bill St. Cyr, Executive Director of Ambleside Schools International gives us the definition of joy: providing examples of what it is and is not, contrasting it with happiness, and establishing it as a foundation of character. Listen to Flourish Podcast for Free: Apple Podcasts |  Google Play Music | iHeart Radio |  RSS Feed Watch on Youtube | Vimeo 

The heart of a child will shape how they live and how they experience life. “Growth means the formation of new habits, habits formed with the right kind of heart, the right kind of intrinsic motivations, which have to be cultivated relationally.” Dr. Bill St. Cyr, of Ambleside Schools International, speaks of the importance of maintaining healthy relationships between teachers, students, and texts. Charlotte Mason wrote, “The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care?

The Method of the Lesson, as described by Charlotte Mason, is marked by five steps. Bill and Maryellen St. Cyr, of Ambleside Schools International, continue discussing the of the Method of the Lesson, describing the reading of an episode, narration, and the second talk. While the teacher points to ideas in the text, the children must do the work of thinking and learning. ”The children themselves must do the mental work. They must engage their minds - they must do the attending; they must do the reflecting; they must make use of the ideas.

A renewing vision and philosophy of education must lead to an applied method. Bill St. Cyr of Ambleside Schools International discusses and gives examples of the first two steps of the 5-part Method of a Lesson used at Ambleside schools. It begins with a well-chosen text; this could be a book, a flower, or a musical composition. The relationship between the student and idea-rich texts is what Charlotte Mason meant by a living education.  “Just as the human body needs nourishment and exercise to flourish, so the human mind needs the nourishment of ideas, but it also needs exercise. In exercising, the mind attends, it reflects, and it uses that which it is learning.