The profound influence of Charlotte Mason, a dedicated educator of young women in Victorian England, continues to shape the classical home education philosophy of many contemporary parents. During the mid to late 1800s, Miss Charlotte Mason served as headmistress to an “infant” school, founded a teacher’s college for young women, and wrote numerous books and letters on her philosophy of education. Many parents find the reading of the six volume set entitled The Original Home Schooling Series to be a slow but extremely valuable endeavor. If you have less available reading time, you might prefer to read A Charlotte Mason Companion, written by Karen Andreola, pioneer in the modern Charlotte Mason movement. Mrs. Andreola has called her interpretation of the Charlotte Mason method “the gentle art of learning” which involvesnarration, copywork, nature notebooks, music and art appreciation, and the use of “living books.” In defining living books, Mason explains that entire works of good, classic literature and original source documents are preferable to textbooks which excise portions of whole books in order to shape agendas. Like the home education philosophy of John Holt, Mason’s philosophy of education centered around a love of learning:“nourish a child daily with loving, right, and noble ideas…which may bear fruit in his life.” Practical advice on cultivatingsuch love is extensive in her six volume series as well as in Mrs. Andreola’s companion book.
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If you are interested in sharing ideas with other home education parents who embrace Charlotte Mason’s “living books” philosophy, consider joining one of the following free Yahoo Discussion Groups. The descriptions of each group come directly from Yahoo.
Cmason (1877 members)
“This list is for persons who are using or are interested in using the Charlotte Mason Philosophy for education (including homeschooling), or to enrich their own lives. We will research and discuss the original Home Education Series by Charlotte Mason but also other materials. While we use a lesson format for topical parent discussions, any CM question is welcome at any time and ‘newbies’ are encouraged to ask questions. For the Summer we will be using quotations directly from the Original Home Schooling Series (found online in our File section) for our weekly topical discussions.”
CM4earlyyears (972 members)
“To discuss the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling for children, ages birth through 6 years. Please realize that Charlotte Mason was NOT an advocate of “formal” schooling for these years, instead, she stressed the formation of habits, exploring, and playing.”
CMSeries (851 members)
“This is a focused list for those wishing to learn more about the Charlotte Mason method of education by reading her books and Parents Review articles, and engaging in discussions of a philosophical nature. We welcome anyone who would like to dig deeper with us into the writings of CM, and who enjoys lively discussions.”
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What variations of classical home education do other parents embrace? Those who prefer unschooling like the home education philosophy of John Holt. Some parents prefer to develop a well-trained mind with the systematic instructions for a reinterpretation of classical home education proposed by Bauer and Wise. Other homeschool parents yearn to raise leaders, so DeMille’s home education philosophy satisfies. Regardless of how these home education methods differ, each author agrees that love of learning is a priority. Are you still wrestling with describing your own family’s home education philosophy? Read 10 Questions: What Is Your Home Education Philosophy?
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After reading this article several times, I wanted to comment. I am a Charlotte Mason educator. I am currently reading through Charlotte Mason 6 volumes. It is slow reading, but is anything but unschooling (as the article compared it to the John Holt method of education.
I have also read all of Karen Andreola’s book, A Charlotte Mason Companion. Though I appreciate and respect her involvement in the CM movement, the book is her interpretation of how she implemented the CM method in her home. Frankly, I find the book to be very fluffy. She often states that the methods she is using at times are not Charlotte Mason’s ideas.
Many of those who have been studying the methods by Charlotte Mason are finding that her ideas are very close to a traditional classical education. You did make a brief note when you stated that it was shaping classical education today.
Living books are only one, though very important, aspect of a Charlotte Mason education. I would encourage you to look for booklists that are used by CM educators and you will that they are outstanding literary works that are very challenging. Narration, habit training, and short lessons, copywork, dictation, art study, composer study, and nature study play just as an important a role in a CM education (none of these seem to be methods that would point to a comparison to unschooling). Additionally, all of these methods give a child a mind full of beautiful ideas to feed upon. Please also note that the parent/teacher plans a child’s education and books and other lessons are put together for that child. This is very much unlike a delight-directed education where the child’s choices play the primary role in their education. In fact, just reading about Miss Mason’s expectations in habit training will inform you of how a CM education is nothing like unschooling. Please be careful when comparing a Charlotte Mason education to what you have read in A Charlotte Mason Companion. They may have similarities, but your missing the mark if your belief about the CM method stops there. I think a better definition of a CM education is a generous education, though it is gentle in that it allows children to learn when they are ready.
Kim,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply…I had to abbreviate the list for lack of space. I believe that you misinterpreted my comment. My comparison with Holt’s ideas was only meant to point to the shared idea of “love of learning.” In no way does the Charlotte Mason method resemble unschooling. Best wishes in your teaching endeavors!
[...] Charlotte Mason believed living books were important to education [...]