About the Guest
Charlene Thompson is a first grade teacher in her fourth year at Founders Classical Academy in Rogers, Arkansas. She holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Harding University and is a passionate learner of classical education. She believes in cultivating wisdom and virtue through rich literature, narration, and the development of lifelong habits of attention and expression. Her goal is to help young students grow into thoughtful, articulate, and joyful learners.

Show Notes
I met Charlene when I led a full-day workshop on narration at Founders Classical Academy in Rogers, Arkansas a few years ago. During a recent classical education conference, Charlene approached me to share how narration was working with her students. The stories she shared were so beautiful that I had to get her on the show to help encourage other teachers and parents about how narration works in the classroom.

Some questions that were covered include:

What was the process you took to get started in narration--or did you just jump right in?
Tell us what happened from the teacher's perspective.
What did you notice happening with students' art of attending?
How many times a day do you ask the students to narrate?
Is it your experience that narration covers critical thinking skills, analysis, and all the standards?
Let's talk about the art of narration in math, and some questions to ask.
Tell our listeners how you play with narration and some fun things you've done.
Would you say something encouraging to other teachers?
Do you see a difference in new inexperienced students? How do you help them feel comfortable?

Resources, Books, and People Mentioned

Jason Barney
Karen Glass
Charlotte Mason
The Thanksgiving Day by Alice Dalgliesh
The Ugly Duckling
Hansel and Gretel
Cinderella
Narration: The Voice of the Trivium by Adrienne Freas
Mathematician, Paul Lockhart math books
The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf, scripted drama
Aesop's Fables

Favorite quotation: " Read the best books first"--Henry David Thoreau

Book she wishes she had read sooner: The Bible

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Beautiful Teaching NARRATION CONFERENCE:

2025 Online Conference with the Beautiful Teaching Team- Narration: The Art of Learning with Keynote Guest, Jason Barney, October 24-25, 2025 https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/

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Narration in The Classroom with Classical Educator, Charlene Thompson