Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff W. H. D. Rouse (1863–1950) was a classical scholar and educational reformer whose fascinating story is told in The Living Word by Christopher Stray. Rouse is best-known today as a pioneer of the “direct method” of teaching Latin and Greek. His approach emphasized oral and conversational use of classical languages …
G. K. Chesterton said: Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In 2024, a leading educationist posited an ideological link between Charlotte Mason and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. “Her ideas about children,” he said, “are … from Émile, by Rousseau, but she probably never read it.”[1] Now, Mason’s 1910 article “Two Educational Ideals” proves beyond doubt that Mason not only read but carefully …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Laura Faunce was a House of Education graduate who spoke on the topic of citizenship at the 17th annual PNEU Conference in 1913. Eight years later, at the 9th annual Conference of Educational Associations in London, she was called on to revisit the topic, this time to an audience that …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In the Western tradition, August 24 is the feast day of St. Bartholomew. In 1924, that date fell on a Sunday. The Rev. Francis Lewis evidently chose this as the theme for his sermon that day, presumably preached at St. Mary’s Church in Ambleside. At that time Elsie Kitching had …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The 23rd annual conference of the PNEU was held in London in June of 1921. The report from the conference stated: Although Miss Mason was so far away at the moment, she was ever with them in spirit, her activities unceasing, and her interest as keen as ever, and thousands …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff This article by Elsie Kitching first appeared in the December 1921 issue of The Parents’ Review. By E.K. The Parents’ Review, 1921, pp. 876-888 “To see a child in itself implies benediction.” —Wordsworth. “What is the P.N.E.U.? Oh, it’s a society for parents and teachers. Yes, but what does it …
Keeping Faith with Natural Law in Changing Times “Like religion, education is nothing or it is everything—a consuming fire in the bones.” — Charlotte Mason, Formation of Character, p. 145 There are moments when a teaching parent senses that something essential has slipped away—learning hasn’t failed; the inner fire has dimmed. The only antidote is …
Walking from Worry to Wonder Sometimes, our earnest efforts to educate our children according to Charlotte Mason’s philosophy seem to lead only to detours or dead ends—whether because we struggle to grasp her approach fully or because life disrupts our carefully laid plans. Instead of following a sure path, we feel like we are meandering …