Living Without School: St Anselm and Child Discipline...and Our Unschooling...

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

St Anselm and Child Discipline...and Our Unschooling...

The saint for April 21. Yesterday.

St Anselm was treated harshly by his father. He resolved to leave his home when a young man...As a monk and abbot, he pondered on how we treat children and wrote about the discipline of children, of the boys in the schools.

An abbot told Anselm, then Archbishop of Canterbury, of the difficulties he was having in bringing up boys in his care.

The abbot was a disciplinarian, beating the boys for each and every misdemeanour.

Anselm could not contain his disagreement:

"In God’s name", he burst out, "I would have you tell me why you are so incensed against them. Are they not human? Are they not flesh and blood like you?"

The boys, he said, need "the encouragement and help of fatherly sympathy and gentleness", not blows.

Don't you love that line about encouragement and sympathy..about remembering that children are people ( very Charlotte Mason-ish)?

So, Tuesday, I thought about St Anselm's words. While we worked through a French Reader together and I did Kumon work.

We read about Julie and her friend Marc, at school in Paris. How tout le monde parle francais ...Everyone, literally, all the world, speaks French!

We went to a birthday party..we went to Borders and I bought the book Inkheart for us to read, as French Class is going to the cinema next week to catch that movie - after our French lesson, of course! I admit to having a bit of a crush on Brendan Fraser ( he's so cute).

St Anselm...discipline of children..French..Inkheart..Brendan Fraser..we have such full and illogical unschooling days!

6 comments:

Hopewell said...: Very interesting and YES very "CM" Good words for me to remember in dealing with my own son, too. I'm anxious to hear what you think of Inkheart. My d has read 2 wildly popular books lately and been totally underwhelmed. Inkheart is another she's been wanting to read.; 3:42 am
Leonie said...: It is good to have reminbders, isn't it - and there is often always one chld who "test" us..I haven't started Inkheart yet but Anthony (13) has - he's read about five chapters so far...; 8:37 am
Chris said...: Thank you for the information about St Anselm. I like him and I do love that line about encouragement and sympathy. I'm looking forward to seeing Inkheart. We bought the book at Borders after Kumon. Hopefully will finish before the movie.; 7:43 am
Leonie said...: He is an inspiration, a reminder...Anny is reading Inkheart now...; 9:13 am
Amy R said...: What a great post. I'd heard of St. Anselm - and that's as far as it went. Thank you for telling us about his "fatherly encouragement and sympathy".; 10:13 am
Leonie said...: Fits in so well with St John Bosco!; 1:27 pm

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Prayer of Consecration of St. Maximilian Kolbe

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to thee. I, N___, a repentant sinner, cast myself at thy feet humbly imploring thee to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to thyself as thy possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases thee. If it pleases thee, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of thee: "She will crush your head," and, "Thou alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world."

Let me be a fit instrument in thine Immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever thou enters, one obtains the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through thy hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V. Allow me to praise thee O Sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.

Prayer of St Bonaventure

Pierce, O most Sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee, that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, upon whom the angels desire to look, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God.May it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end.May Thou alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be fixed and firmly rooted immovably henceforth and for ever. Amen.