Why We No Longer Use the CMEC 2023-2024
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Hi, my name is America and I'm a homeschooling mom to 3. As of this video, my children are in second grade and kindergarten. I'm discussing why we no longer use the Charlotte Mason Education Center (the CMEC) as our homeschool curriculum. We love the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education, but this curriculum was not a good fit for us. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarifications. My aim is to offer another perspective on the CMEC, as all of the UA-cam content I've watched has been in favor of the CMEC. They are a committed and talented group of mothers, and I commend their excellent work in the Charlotte Mason community. I am only sharing my experience to offer another perspective as we look into curriculum for 2024-2025.
#CMEC #SimplyCharlotteMason #LivingBooks #CharlotteMasonHomeschool #Homeschooling #HomeschoolMom
These membership fees scare me, it’s a lot of money without being really sure what’s really included and if it’s actually stuff that’s freely available elsewhere. thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your video! We use the CMEC as a family, and I definitely agree that it can be overwhelming. It sometimes feels like information overload. At least that is how I felt the first year until I got the hang of everything. They do have a Summer Planning Course that completely walks you through how to plan for your year. That might have been missed since you had a late sign-up. But just to let anyone know who is interested- it is super helpful for putting together a plan. The thing I found so amazing about the CMEC is that I have seven children and with such a large family it is much easier than doing standard AO, as all of the children are in the same history stream as well as broken into forms. Much easier to have more than one child in a form and combine work. I know AO has Groups, but the CMEC just has it all together much easier. So I suppose it would be a very good fit for a large family like ours. I’ve never had a problem with any of the books as many of them are honestly used amongst all the Charlotte Mason curriculums. Also they have some really amazing resources for how to do every kind of lesson like geography, etc. and I haven’t come across anything so thorough yet. It really made me understand the Charlotte Mason method- video examples, etc.
I agree. I avoid using curriculum as a crutch. The CMEC gives me all the info I need and lets me be the teacher that my students need.
Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective! I'm sure it will help other mother-teachers as they explore the option of the CMEC!
Thanks for sharing! The Alveary may fit what you are looking for, if you want to try another program rather than deaign your own. Its a nice mix of classic and new books, and the lesson plans are extensive & all laid out as far as how much to read per day, narration prompts, map work, etc. You still map out what day of the week you do each lesson, though. The subjects will say "week 1, lesson 1" and you decide where that works best in your schedule. So there is some upfront time required. The support in the community is great, and there are foundational courses for furthering self education. They also offer science kits to purchase pre-assembled from a science supplies provider, etc. There are a pretty amazing amount of resources!
I’m very interested in the Alveary! Is science just nature lore (and nature studies) for form 1?
@AHeartForHomeEducation for grades 1-3 there is nature study and activities to do with the study. Some use picture books and others, longer volumes. It's less devoted to the typical nature study books (Buckley, Burgess, etc) than the other programs I have seen. There are modern book selections which are mainly nature study in focus. The grade 1 focuses on specifics, like animals, seeds, insects, habitats, grade 2 moves out a bit to biomes, keystone species, etc and grade 3 a little broader to ecosystems.
We’re part of the Alveary too. We also were part of the CMEC a few years ago. I felt the exact same way as you. The Alveary is a God sent and it offers so much support. They have Spanish and French video to teach your kids French. The CMEC didn’t offer a foreign language curriculum. They also have a great network not on faceboook or instagram. It was very frustrating waiting for a reply from the program form directors in the CMEC. It took them sometimes a few weeks to respond back. The Alveary responds within one day of my questions.
Wow, I had the opposite issue with the lesson plans. I found it so freeing to not have daily lesson plans. I hated AO because I constantly felt behind. I loved that they focus on the time table being the plan. Reading as much as you can in the time allotted and just moving the book mark.
I do agree about the books and community.
When I recommend the CMEC - I always make sure I’m clear that it takes a lot of work from the mom in the beginning. I’m on year 2 with the CMEC and my first year I felt so overwhelmed. But I did use the summer to plan and had a successful year. This year felt much better as far as planning goes because I didn’t have to learn how to put it together since I’ve done it before. I have a big in person community of moms who do the CMEC and we do a co op. So I haven’t felt a need for an online community.
Seems like Alveary would be a great fit for you! It’s another really great CM curriculum. It’s not perfect. But I don’t think any curriculum will be :)
Thank you for sharing. I've heard similar concerns from other Moms that have used it. I hear so much about the Mother's Education courses, I wished they'd offer those as stand alone purchases.
I totally agree about offering the Mother's Education courses separately! That would be a huge benefit to the CM community. Thanks for watching! 💛
I agree as well about offering the Mother’s Education!
I know little wanderers has a mothers education and even seasonal ones ☺️
I've always been curious about the CMEC but the book list hidden behind a paywall has been a big deterrent. I was super surprised to hear you say that they don't provide lesson plans. 😮 I could never use anything like that with at least a guide to help me through. I'll always tweak my curriculum but at least I have something to go on. Thank you for posting and allowing me to squash the curiosity I had for the CMEC. It would not work for us.
I'm glad my review helped you make an informed decision!
This is spot on... same reasons we switched to the Alveary this past year and it's been such a blessing! CM definitely recommended using modern living books. We used the CMEC for several years and don't regret a thing as it worked well for our older child. Not so much for our younger child. So grateful we have multiple resources available to us including AO to pull from. These curriculum providers work so hard to provide parents guidance at a nominal price but it's okay to change our mind and do what's best for our children!
Thank you for making this video. You put into words what I’ve been feeling. I’ve joined The CMEC for the last 3 or 4 years and have not had a successful year yet. I keep hearing people praise the curriculum, which made me feel like I needed to try harder but could never succeed. I appreciate the mother teacher encouragement that they provide. But the curriculum itself just overwhelmed me and made me feel inadequate and a failure. I joined the Alveary for many of the reasons that The CMEC didn’t work. I can get overwhelmed with the amount of lesson plans with the Alveary but the advances that they keep making is helping. Looking forward to next year and the digital tools that are going to be available. I believe that they have book preview videos for each form level here on UA-cam.
Thank you so much for this video! I find your take on the CMEC (and all the CM options out there) so very helpful as I begin my own homeschool journey with my kids! On a side note-- can you share a link for the wall calendar & world map that you have?! Thank you! :)
Thanks for sharing. The hidden content behind the paywall with the CMEC was always a no for me. But I’m so surprised to hear they don’t have plans for that price point. AO is free and even they have a weekly schedule. I’m using SCM for history, Bible, and geography this fall. I love how there’s a $25 guide with daily lessons and a fully visible booklist booklist on their website. I’ve already started collecting the books 2nd hand. I want all my kids in the same time period for history which is the biggest reason I’m not using AO. And I’ve also heard they use old books unnecessarily as well. I had been sure I was going to use AGF, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t see the booklist prior to paying the $100 and again then that’s just access to online resources and booklist. I want a tangible daily lesson plan. I also saw in some review videos for AGF that they use history textbooks and I wasn’t impressed with that. If you ever end up going with the Alveary I’d love to see a video on that. I’ve never seen anyone do a review about it. ❤
Yes, multiple streams of history seems confusing and difficult to manage. Those are great points about AO. SCM has always been on my radar and that’s so awesome you’ve been able to thrift books!
I tried to use AGF this year and I had to switch to some AO books in Term 1 because the AGF books were so hard to get through, especially the science. I did enjoy being able to combine my children in one time period. That made it so much easier on me.
I have been researching CMEC and I had not seen anything that spoke about the possible negatives to the program. I was almost going to pay the $300 just so I could see what it is all about. I am so glad I found this review first! I was really interested in the mother's education course and the "community" aspect so I really appreciate your experience with that. With 4 kids, 2 in Form 1A, a Kindergartner and a preschooler next year, I just can't see myself having enough time to pre-read everything, pour over all of the guides and then break down all the lessons. We did AGF this year and they had so much available for lesson planning. We may just stick with that for next year. Also, I agree with you about Charlotte Mason wanting mothers to use modern sources for educating their children. Thank you so much for this review.
Thanks for your comment and for watching! Yes, I was definitely disappointed in the community and with how much prep it required. I have heard that Alveary is strong where CMEC is weak (in some users' opinions), so maybe check into that? I am definitely considering it for next year. But I've also heard good things about AGF! My most recent video on things to consider before joining the CMEC might help in your decision-making as well.
Thanks for engaging in the conversation and I hope you find a good fit for next year!
Thank you for taking the time to share all these details...ps, I love your set-up 😊
So glad you made this video! Very helpful to hear pros & cons! Thank you
Looking forward to seeing how you will implement the CM feast. Good perspective.
Well done! I joined for 24-25 because I had so many of the classics already, and was hoping to jump in on the handicrafts and the arts as a member.
Thanks, America, for taking the time to make this video! There are a lot of videos out there that talk about how wonderful the CMEC is, and I was almost sold, but after hearing of your experience, I am 100% sure I would not be able to keep up. I'm a very open and go type of homeschooler, and I've had to tame myself just to make weekly schedules. I'd never make it. 😂
This was super helpful. I've been debating joining the CMEC but I'm about to have my fourth child and will have a 7 yo, 4 yo, 2 yo and newborn in the fall. I think I need something that takes less planning time.
This is so helpful! Because I am particular about our materials, and ones who don't give you a clear sample make it hard for me to decide. That's why this is my third year crafting our own feast!
We are doing the same but this is my first year!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I have always been drawn to Charlotte Mason and heard great things about the CMEC, but have never felt like it really fits my ADHD brain (too many books going at the same time!). I need a more structure and lessons plans like you said.
It is A LOT going on! Don't be afraid to take a more minimal approach to Charlotte Mason's methods. We can still embody her philosophies and principles without having to do ALL of the Charlotte Mason things.
All of this! I abandoned it only a couple weeks into it and went back to A Gentle Feast. It was overcomplicated-the scheduling was especially awful, perhaps more so with me and my four kids who are close in age (upper and lower ages of forms 1 and 2). My grid was so terribly complicated and ultimately impossible for my children and me. Explanations/instructional videos were lengthy and not to the point. I initially felt like a failure, but I realize it didn’t fit our situation. It may have worked had I started it from jump and with only one or two kids.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm so glad I wasn't the only one! Yes, it's tempting to feel like a failure, but I've grown so much in my philosophy and I've realized what's important to me in implementing the CM method in a realistic and sustainable way. I completely agree about the schedule being overwhelming - I can't even imagine adding more students into the mix! I'm glad you've found what works for you while still carrying on in the Charlotte Mason way!
We are in our second year with the CMEC, and I think that the first year panic is real. Some moms pre read all of the titles and write out notes for what they’ll cover. That’s not me! In the second year, however, I was able to find more info in the form specific guides. Like read these 3 chapters in term 1. I don’t remember finding that the first year because there were like 8,000 files to review. I wholeheartedly agree with you on some of the history books (particularly in form 1). I nearly quit after trying to read the form 1 history titles last year, and I am definitely an old book lover! The saving grace for us was getting books from the supplemental history book lists- but again that requires more experience and time looking through all of the things. It often feels like a steep learning curve. Also, the books for the higher forms, 3-5, are much more diverse and historically or scientifically accurate. I think the point of using particular books in the lower forms is to inspire wonder (particularly when it comes to science). But there are definitely science books published within the last decade for high school students! (Along with a bajillion science experiments and labs that I again do not have the wherewithal to execute or set up 😂) Thanks for sharing! I am trying to decide whether we use enough CMEC “stuff” to justify the expense, since we are so eclectic in our homeschool!
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I really think history and science (and some of the geography) are the main issues. It's nice to hear from someone with students in older forms and with more experience, and hopefully your comment will help others watching this video! 😄
Thank you so much for all the information. ❤
Thanks for watching! 💞
Thank you for sharing your experience! I’ve always been dazzled by the idea of the CMEC, but didn’t realize how the structure was. That’s definitely too much planning on something you are already paying quite a high price for in my opinion. I don’t think I’d be able to keep up. I also appreciate your opinion on the history/science education. I completely agree. Definitely would not work for our family. Looking forward to seeing more videos from you on what you are doing for homeschool after these changes! ❤
Thank you for this video! I've been curious about the cmec. We have used A Gentle Feast because for me that curriculum made the planning easy for a Charlotte Mason education.
Considering the sustainability of a curriculum when choosing for the upcoming year is SO important! AGF looks like they have a rich feast of ideas and materials. How are you liking it?
@@AHeartForHomeEducation It's not for everyone but I love it.
Thanks! I’ve been wondering about some of the topics you brought up and also have only heard the positives of CMEC. I’d love to hear more about what ideas caused you to change your philosophy as a mother an educator. That sounds very interesting. Some of your commenters mentioned a curriculum you may like called Alveary. That’s the first time I’ve heard of that curriculum. On one hand I’m so grateful for options, but on the other hand the options are overwhelming! Thanks again!
Thank you for this!
Thanks for watching!
Ditto. With 4 boys, including 3 NOT being formally educated, and our first girl due in June, I wasn’t able to keep up and plan. I did like the idea of the mother culture, but I’ve since found I can get that outside of CMEC. We are doing Ambleside Online and like that it gives me the weekly schedule. This coming year I’ll have a Yr 1 and Yr 2, with 2 informally being in Yr0 for however long and a newborn. So having the schedule available has been good as I try to get ahead of next years planning.
Thank you for this video, I’m researching what curriculum to use when we start our formal education, and cmec was my top contender…
My next video will be on things to consider before joining the CMEC - I hope it helps mothers decide if it might work for them! Because it really might work for you! 😊
@@AHeartForHomeEducationI’m curious if you tried ambleside online and how that may compare? I find the task of organizing all of it daunting but now I wonder if cmec is any different in that respect
I really appreciate the careful criticism you offered. I absolutely agree that we need to look for science, history and geography texts that reflect current findings. I started with SCM as my history spine and have built off from there. I've always used it as the foundation because it is so well planned.
SCM has always looked like a great option to me! I will be pulling from their booklist for next year!
I also used the Cmec last year and although loved some of the resources was also kind of underwhelmed by it. I am switching this year for all of the reasons you mentioned as well! The outdated books and planning were huge ones for me. Good point about Charlotte Mason speaking to teachers or moms with nanny’s….I often wonder what Charlotte mason would really advise for us as modern homeschool moms and feel like as I dig into her work and try to get the spirit behind her method I’ve ended up changing a lot of things around! I might use the cmec again in the future when my kids are older to access some of there resources again but as far as a curriculum it didn’t work for us. I don’t regret using it as I learned a lot and the kinderleben guide was really nice
Hi America ! Lovely to see you and your new channel! It is so encouraging and refreshing to know I’m not alone in a lot of these feelings too. I payed for CMEC last year and am still on membership now, however this is my first year ever of formal lessons with our eldest, who will be starting form 1B this year. It’s probably also important to mention that we are in Australia 😅 so I have sourced my own Australian geography resources and books etc. but I do see your point. I feel a lot of what you felt though, I haven’t even started yet and feel behind in so many ways. 😅 however I’m not sure about alternatives so I think I will be sticking with CMEC for now as I do really like them everything they do for the most part. I will admit though, I was equally disappointed with the lack of community communication etc. I was like “oh, this is it!?”😅 I do think they would benefit greatly from a really good online platform.
Anyway, I’d love to hear more about what you are doing instead this and next year now, going forward 😊
God bless you and your beautiful family abundantly! ❤ Ps. You are so well spoken and seem so knowledgeable about all things Charlotte Mason etc, I’m sure I’ll glean much from you indeed!
The community aspect also surprised me I wanted the same thing!
Thank you. I’m just listening to this now and happy to hear your perspective. I’m fairly eclectic (was homeschooled eclectic myself) but do love Charlotte.
Made it through. This was helpful. Thank you 🙏
Thanks for watching! 💐
I’m interested in what you’re going to use going forward💓
I think you would have really loved the old version of All About Spelling. That's what we use. It is basically what you described of how you did it. There is no activity book, just a teachers manual and flashcards that present the phonics concept, gives you segmenting or application examples, and then gives a variety of word lists and phrases for the kids to practice with. They can do it with the tiles or spell on paper. So if you see the old version for sale second hand, that might be a good fit.
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for sharing - I’ve heard people refer to “form meetings” which I always interpreted as a virtual platform for community but maybe I misunderstood. Did you ever participate in those and can you elaborate on what they were like?
I did participate in some! From my experience, they were zoom meetings and leader-directed, with specific topics covered. Kind of like a mini-seminar with opportunities to ask questions. You can also email questions ahead of time to your form leader. So, while still a helpful opportunity, it didn't fit the bill for community for me. It felt a little forced and formal for my liking. I was hoping for a place to chat informally with other mothers in the same form as myself so I could ask more specific questions in a less-formal setting.
Thank you for your reply! That’s a good insight into the sort of resource that would be.
The Alveary is my dream curriculum but I haven’t paid yet. I ended up doing AO this year because I just didn’t have it in my budget!!! Hopefully down the road. That said, I’m happy so far
AO has incredible recommendations! And the fact that it is all free 🤯 If you watch my common subjects video, I use quite a few of their recommendations now. I'm strongly considering using the Alveary next year, but it's also been fun to create my own CM program for the year...
@@AHeartForHomeEducation this sounds like The Alveary as far as having to plan out your schedule. The planning alone had me completely overwhelmed!! On top of paying $250 for membership you have to buy all the books & print out all of the free offerings. It was just overwhelming & felt like I was drowning with five kids.
I came across Godschooling, which the author discusses her unschooling all of her children. Started doing more child-led & unit studies. I guess all that to say I'm not a CM purest any longer. She didn't even have children. I would rather follow & be led by the Holy Spirit than a person or philosophy/method. Her being Anglican, which is too close to Catholicism for my comfort & started to bother me. I still do use narration & living books because we did it for so long & I think it's extremely beneficial.
Oh, wow, those things would surprise me as well. It seems like primarily what you are paying for is an expensive booklist for the year, along with a few perks added. I would have expected more planned out structure for the year and a more robust community experience through their website. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for sharing. Very well thought out. I also appreciate that you included the pros of the program.
I’m so sorry you struggled and I hope you find just the right fit for your family! 💕
Thank you for watching and for the well wishes! 💛
I agree, it’s not diverse enough for me and not rich enough in my opinion!!
Thank you for sharing this! I feel the same! The CMEC is just not for me either. I agree that the geography is outdated. What also was a disappointment was the pre-recorded videos that were difficult to see and hear. It’s just not what I expected…
I agree about the poor quality videos! I was very surprised by this because it made the videos not as enjoyable to watch, so I found that I watched less than I anticipated. I even recently went back to their site to watch some training on a specific topic, and it was a video of a previous conference shot at an odd angle with very poor audio, and if any audience member added thoughts or asked a question, you couldn't hear it!
Thats why we use AO instead (not everything just their literature/free read, history, bible). I know with CM style of learning, you gotta buy TONS of books. Some too old to be at the library and plus the book will be overdue before you're done with it. So i knew off the bat i didnt wanna pay for someone to "collate" a book list. In a nutshell you read the book and narrate. As well as dictation for older kids. So to me paying $300 up front and not even able to view the list of books was a no go. I know too its about a feast so theres many books and whatnot. Gotta find what works for the modern SAHM/housewife who has to do other things at home other than homeschooling. Therefore we dont do everything. I love the living books and narration aspect. I also like not having busy work.
This is exactly why I said no to CMEC.
This was such a helpful video! I was leaning towards AO but knew I’d need a little more ‘hand-holding’ as far as implementing everything, so then looked into the CMEC but also felt the same way you do about using outdated books. Yes we LOVE the old classics and things but it doesn’t make sense to use outdated science and history- how will that help our children if we are teaching them incorrect geography etc? 🤪 I am going to jump into the Alveary- I had actually never heard of it in all my years of research but God put it in my path as I was searching for CM curriculum! 😃
Alveary sounds like a great answer to all of those concerns! Yes, I completely agree about teaching outdated science, history, and geography! Why sacrifice truth just for the sake of using older literature? I'm really thinking about using the Alveary nect year!
I agree also on the native history and slavery history too… I’m also Chickasaw descent and my kids are also of Cherokee descent… teaching history through another lens other the the colonization view is important to me. Which was not the case…
I had some concerns about the cmec on exactly the lines you mentioned and wanted some more information before purchasing. Would be curious what curriculum you switch to given ease of planning and more diverse resources...considering the Alveary but worried it may not be as rigorous. Decisions, decisions😅 Best of luck to you!
Hi! I used the Alveary this school year and have already signed up for next year. It’s amazing! Let me assure you that the rigor is there. Additionally, the lessons are planned out for you each day. They give composition/narration suggestions. The history is well balanced and I feel like they do a good job mixing older books and newer books. I’ve also really liked the diversity. I’ve got a 6th and 3rd grader this year and they have enjoyed almost all the readings. Just my two cents 😊
Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing @@wifemotherme8296 ! I'm heavily leaning towards the Alveary next year, though I feel a little timid after my experience this year with the CMEC. But Alveary sounds like it has the missing pieces that I struggled with in the CMEC.
@@AHeartForHomeEducation I wish you all the luck in your decision making. I know how hard it can be. The Alveary has a YT page where they give a very nice preview of the some of the books that are included in the upcoming school year. They do the videos by forum. Also, this school year and next school year (24-25) they have/are using Michael Clay Thompson for LA and Right Start for math so the lesson plans will be for that. We already have an LA and Math program we love so I don’t use their components for that piece. But I do love the literature selections in both areas and use those. So it’s very flexible and customizable 💖
Good to know all of this, thanks for sharing! @@wifemotherme8296 I don't love CM's math approach or literacy approach, so I usually do my own thing for those anyways. I will look into MCT LA! I've never heard of it!
Thank you for sharing! I started the year using AGF, and quickly realized it wasn’t a good fit for my family. I was debating between AO, the Alveary and the CMEC. I know the Alveary uses some more modern books, has a funded science program, and very detailed lesson plans. I see the CMEC more as a teacher training course, and the booklist as “extra”. I have a friend who uses it and loves it because she doesn’t like to have the pressure of sticking to a schedule or prescribed plan. I’m a bit more type A and need a box to check every day 😅. I found a happy medium with AO; the structure is there, yet it has flexibility for life and substitutions, etc. And the community is amazing 🩷
Thanks for sharing your experience with AGF and AO! I wish I had approached the CMEC in more of a "teacher education" way. I'm still technically currently a member, so I do plan to use some more teacher resources before my membership expires. The CMEC has a lot of structure, but YOU are the one that makes the structure. AO has it all planned out for you already. I would much prefer to have it all laid out for me haha. I'm leaning towards Alveary or combining an AO/Classical curriculum on my own.
Thank you so much for sharing this information! I was curious about the CMEC because I wanted to try a CM “curriculum” for my girls but was unhappy with the outdated book lists for AO. It’s helpful to know that the CMEC book choices also would not be a good fit for our family. Next year we’ll stick with what we did this year - following CM principles with modern book/curriculum choices.