“The Center of the Page” – Sursum Corda News January 2023
Dear Sursum Corda Mamas–
When I was a graduate student, learning about medieval Irish literature, I was surprised to find that some of my favorite poems–which I had first encountered in edited anthologies–were actually written in the margins of other documents. A tender, personal song to the baby Jesus, for instance, is found in tiny handwriting on the edge of a page about the calendar of the church year! Many of the phrases and sayings we used to study the vernacular language were drawn from “glosses” or notes on pages of scripture texts or commentaries. All over the medieval world, learning and teaching consisted largely in interacting with the text in the middle of the page. And that text–scripture or history or literature handed down–remained there, central and larger, the anchor and the context for all a scholar’s careful and imaginative work.
There is a connection to our work as teachers! We too start with words we have inherited as the center of our “page.” As a Charlotte Mason educator, I have drawn great comfort from the solidity of the texts that I am using. No matter how hard the day, I know that I can open the book and just read the words, and something good will happen.
As we start a new calendar year, some of you may be feeling energized: then your teaching is free to be “careful and imaginative,” bouncing happily off the steady texts you have chosen. And if, on the other hand, you are feeling rusty and distracted, then you are free to simply focus on the center of the page and trust the text. We have an enormous freedom in our learning and teaching, because we do not carry the burden of being the main act.
Every day, we can choose to write our children’s education in the margins of living books. Every day, we can choose to write our own identity in the margins of The Living Word, as we freely trust in our good Author.
With love,
Heather (for the Board)