A Modern-Day Olive Norton

In January we ran a series of vintage articles by Olive Norton, a homeschool mother of the 1950s and ’60s who became the headmistress of a PNEU School. She had a special connection with history because it was her school that the daughters of Susan Schaeffer Macaulay attended, and thus it was through Mrs. Norton that Susan Schaeffer Macaulay first learned about Charlotte Mason. This historic connection ultimately prompted the 1984 book For the Children’s Sake, which effectively launched the modern Charlotte Mason movement.

After that series of episodes, one of our listeners reached out to me and said that she knows modern-day Olive Norton and suggested that I interview her. This 21^st-century Mrs. Norton is Melanie Walker-Malone, the founder of Red Mountain Community School in Birmingham, Alabama. So I reached out to Melanie, and she kindly offered her time for an in-depth interview about Charlotte Mason, homeschooling, and her school. Listen in as we discuss the fruitfulness of Miss Mason’s ideas and how we can share those riches with our families, our communities, and the world. Perhaps Melanie’s story may inspire you to become a next-generation Olive Norton too:

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Charlotte Mason Method Elevator Pitch

Red Mountain Community School (RMCS) is informed by the distinctive educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a British educator who created a community of schools in England in the early 1900s.  Her proven methodology is based on the human need for respectful relationships, productive habits, and inspiring ideas. Mason’s pedagogy emphasized whole books chosen for their literary quality, the formation of character through personal habits, and an atmosphere of discovery, focused attention, self-effort and personal reflection.

RMCS cultivates a respectful learning atmosphere based upon the recognition that children are first and foremost persons. Smaller class sizes allow teachers a greater opportunity to interact with students in a more personal way. Relationships play an important part in education and RMCS students have more opportunities for questions, interaction with peers, leadership opportunities pairing younger and older students, and hands-on participation in classroom activities.  Classes include short, focused lessons with built in time for inquiry, discussion, and exploration. The classroom is not the only place in which students learn. Since RMCS reserves Fridays for excursions, students spend one-fifth of their experiential education outside of the classroom engaged in studying the natural environment, local culture, health and nutrition, and the arts, as well as engaging in community service.

Links

Red Mountain Community School

prov.en.der (RMCS sister work and teacher training arm)

The National Microschooling Center