Should my son memorize the Godly character qualities?
I’m new to Heart of Dakota (HOD) this month. I’m using Bigger Hearts for His Glory (BHFHG) for my 2nd grader. Let me first say thank you, Carrie, for putting together such a wonderful curriculum. Thank you also to all the wonderful question and answer sessions on the Message Board. Now to my question. My son has many strengths, but communicating is not one of them. He has some speech problems. Furthermore, auditory is his weakest learning style. I think what would really help him is memorizing the Godly character qualities that we discuss.
Right now, I’m having to reteach the character quality at Bible time every day. He gives me a deer-in-the-headlight stare and doesn’t remember what it means. It is very important to me that he grasps this.
The idea of memorizing doesn’t seem very Charlotte Mason to me though. I’ve included a lot of memorizing in my curriculum over the years. Am I correct in my perception that memorizing and Charlotte Mason don’t go together? I thought having my son memorize the Godly character traits would be good, but maybe not. Is there other memorization in HOD? Thanks so much for your input!
Sincerely,
Ms. Help Me Know If My Son Should Memorize the Godly Character Qualities
Dear “Ms. Help Me Know If My Son Should Memorize the Godly Character Qualities,”
As you journey through the guides, you will see that we do have children memorize Scripture every day in each guide. The passages get longer as the children get older. We do have kiddos memorize poetry as well. Rod and Staff English promotes much memorization through its repetition, which actually veers away somewhat from Charlotte Mason-style memorization in its intensity. However, Rod and Staff English has so many benefits that we are thrilled to include it in our guides.
The Godly character qualities are meant to be discussed in a heartfelt way.
As far as memorizing the Godly character traits in Bigger goes, I would tend to steer away from making the character trait discussions into a memorization activity. The reason for this is that once you shift the purpose of the discussion to memorization, you will shift away from the heartfelt discussion that we desire from this particular activity. Honestly, if your child has a deer in the headlights look each day as the trait comes up, that is alright. He will get exposure to the trait again the next day and the next day.
The focus is for the child to notice the Godly character quality in the the lives of people he reads about and apply it to himself.
The important focus of the Godly character trait is to get the child to begin to notice the trait in the lives of those he reads about so that eventually he can recognize how he can better exhibit this trait in his own life. Looking inward at one’s self to promote steps toward an outward change is the goal. There is much character building that takes place all throughout our guides in so many ways that this is not a one-shot deal. Be assured that over time your child will have multiple exposures to Godly character traits.
Blessings,
Carrie
