Charlotte Mason’s second principle is that “[children] are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil” (VI: p. xxix). Since this is a statement by a Christian writer about good and evil, we must assume the author is making a theological statement. In fact, Mason’s exposition of her second …
In Parents and Children chapter 12, Charlotte Mason writes, “we really have existing material in the philosophy of the ages and the science of the day to formulate an educational code whereby we may order the lives of our children and regulate our own” (p. 119). Some have misunderstood this line to mean that Charlotte Mason …
An idyll is defined as “a simple descriptive work in poetry or prose that deals with rustic life or pastoral scenes or suggests a mood of peace and contentment.” In Charlotte Mason’s 1912 article entitled “Three Educational Idylls,” she includes a footnote in which she recommends that educators implementing her method should read her volumes every two years. …
At the 2016 Living Education Retreat, I conducted a workshop entitled “Whose Great Recognition?” The workshop reveals the theological roots of Charlotte Mason’s Great Recognition from Holy Scripture, the Deuterocanonical books, and the history of the church. We then trace Mason’s unfolding articulation of her view of the role of the Holy Spirit in education. Finally, we discuss how the ministry …
When one begins to read Charlotte Mason’s writings, one quickly notices how important the concept of “ideas” is to her theory of education. In 1998, Karen Andreola gave us an early articulation of the centrality of ideas to Mason’s method: “Aren’t life and growth miraculous? A plant grows from within. When the environment is right the …
It is not difficult to find a consensus as to what is meant by the phrase “classical tradition.” The first known use of the word “classical” in the English language dates back to 1546, and its meaning in that first instance was, “of or relating to the ancient Greek and Roman world, especially to its literature, art, …
Horace West Household (1870-1954) was the Secretary for Education of Gloucestershire County in 1916 when he first encountered Charlotte Mason’s theory of education. He wrote of that encounter and what followed: It was in November 1916 that in common with all my fellow directors in education I received from Miss Mason a pamphlet that told the story of …