Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast. I'm Sonia Schaefer. Today I want to address a question

that we hear a lot. In fact, I'm sure most of us have probably asked this question at some point

in our homeschool journeys. Here's how one mama put it. How do I know how much is enough?

If I do short lessons and do, for example, science four days per week, how do I know if I'm

covering enough material?

If I purchased a textbook, I would need to have longer lessons five days a week to cover

all the topics or pages in the book.

I couldn't possibly cover this much in a CM short, varied

lesson plan. Or can I? I really want short lessons. I just don't know if I'll be able to get

enough done. I don't even know how much is enough. Help from Sophie. Some of the answer to your questions, Sophie, depends on how old

your child is, and whether you're working at an elementary, a middle school, or a high school

level. At any of those levels, keep in mind that a longer lesson does not necessarily mean that the child is learning more.

The total minutes spent on a lesson is not the key to learning.

The key to learning is how the material is presented and how well the child is paying attention.

Short lessons are a means to an end.

They help the student develop the habit of full attention, but they are also the result of

a habit of full attention.

In other words, the reason the lessons can be kept short is because full attention is required on the part

of the student and because living books and narration are powerful methods that can help a student

learn something well, even in a short amount of time. So don't get hung up on short lessons just for time's sake. A lot of learning can be

done in a short lesson if the child pays full attention and uses Charlotte's methods. And keep in

mind, too, that the lesson time lengthens as the child grows older.

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