No school, however wonderful, is a good fit for every child or every family.
This page is designed to bring you quickly to the heart of the matter: Is
Plumfield right for your family? First, a few questions to consider:
- Do you enjoy spending time with your child?
- Do you wish you had more family time just to be together?
- Do you think children today are pressured into a pre-mature adolescence and
do you wish you could offer your child a simpler path?
- On the other hand, do you wish your child could be supported on the path to
wisdom and maturity?
- Do you want your child to be in contact with great books, great art and
music, and the great outdoors every day?
- Is your child's experience of God a matter of first importance to you?
- Is love of God and neighbor a matter of first importance to you?
Plumfield Academy seeks to work hand in hand with families who share a certain
vision of education. Beginning with the end in mind, what is the goal of
education? Charlotte Mason, whose ideas we practice, would answer that the goal
of education is the magnanimous person, that is, a person who is large-hearted,
forgiving, non-pretentious, able to contribute to the good of others, and a
pleasure to be with.
Karen Andreola in her book, A Charlotte Mason
Companion, describes magnanimity as "generosity or nobility of mind or
greatness of spirit. This quality of mind and greatness of spirit comes
about through a combination of 'high thinking' and 'lowly living.' A
magnanimous person thinks great thoughts but also is generous in over looking
injury or insult - for example, he or she arises above pettiness or animosity.
His intellectual pursuits do not make him 'too good' to do lowly chores.
'Do you wish to be great,' asks St. Augustine, 'then begin by being little.
Do you desire to construct a vast lofty fabric, think first about the
foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper
must be its foundation.'" (Andreola, A Charlotte Mason Companion, 277)
Charlotte Mason believed that "each child had the markings in him [in her] of a
noble character, of a fine mind, but where was the lever to lift each of these
little worlds?" (Mason,
Home Education, 98) How do we work towards this inspiring
ideal? The short answer is: through the cultivation of sound habits,
under the inspiration of living ideas,
and this, in the context of the bracing atmosphere of sincerity and
truth.
The development of spiritual, intellectual, moral, and relational
habits lie at the core of education. As Charlotte Mason once
observed:
"We have lost sight of the fact that habit is to life what rails are to
transport cars. It follows that lines of habit must be laid down towards given
ends and after careful survey, or the joltings and delays of life become
unsupportable. More, habit is inevitable. If we fail to ease life by
laying down habits of right thinking and right acting, habits of wrong thinking
and wrong acting fix themselves of their own accord." (Charlotte Mason, A
Philosophy of Education, 101)
With Ambleside School in Fredericksburg, Texas, we believe, "school is not
just an institution to get through, but rather a place to develop habits that
will serve children for the rest of their lives.” (Ambleside International
website)
At Plumfield, we seek to cultivate:
the spiritual habits of daily prayer, Scripture reading, love of nature,
and reverence for life.
the intellectual habits of attention, curiosity, initiative, order,
thoroughness, clear thinking, and self expression.
the moral habits of truthfulness, courage, fortitude, integrity and
service.
the relational habits of justice, compassion, generosity, forgiveness,
helpfulness, and courtesy.
Plumfield Academy exists to support families who are striving (and struggling)
to live this way of life in their homes on a daily basis. We truly believe that
parents are the first educators of their own children. Certainly this is true if
the goal of education is the magnanimous person, in which case, it is abundantly
clear that the school supports the home in the work of education, not the other
way around.
Plumfield Academy exists "for the children's sake." Plumfield stands
for a simple, unhurried childhood where children are not pushed into a premature
adolescence, but are free to be who they truly are in order to develop their
academic and relational gifts to the full. Therefore, Plumfield is a good
learning place for children who are happy to be children.
Children who:
- love to learn,
- are positive and creative,
- enjoy hearing and telling good stories,
- love playing outdoors, and
- enjoy imaginative games of their own making.
If the educational vision outlined on this page speaks to the deepest desires of
your family, you may want to continue to explore this web site. The site
is designed to provide as clear a picture as possible of the spirit, atmosphere,
practices, and goals of Plumfield Academy in order to aid you in your
decision-making process. We invite you now to hear
What Parents Say About Plumfield to discover how Plumfield Academy is
working to serve the needs of these families.
