Over the years, I have had the privilege to sit on “question and answer” panels at Charlotte Mason retreats and events. Many of the questions I’ve received were thought-provoking, impactful, and sometimes even moving. It is clear that many parents want a deeper understanding of Mason’s ideas, and want to see more clearly how these …
When Barbara and I made the decision to homeschool, we agreed that we would divide the teaching activities between us. I felt an overall sense of responsibility for the education of my children, so I intuitively chose the subjects that I felt (at the time) were either the most important or the most difficult. The …
Is education scientific or is it sacred? Is it physical or spiritual? Pragmatic or ideal? Listen to Art Middlekauff’s synthesis of Charlotte Mason’s thought. Recorded live at the 2018 Charlotte Mason Living Retreat. The accompanying slides are available for download.
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on the Charlotte Mason Institute blog. Charlotte Mason’s poem “The World to Come” was originally published in her second poetry volume entitled The Saviour of the World. Mason associated the poem with a verse of Scripture from the Gospel of John: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming …
I know of two ways to learn the Charlotte Mason: the way I learned it, and a better way. You don’t have to make the same mistakes I made. Listen in on this talk recorded at the 2018 Living Education Retreat. Special thanks to the music performance by Greg Rolling and Tyson Suemnicht. The accompanying slides …
I didn’t know her name. I only knew her question. She wrote it anonymously on a piece of paper, a question for the “experts.” We were wrapping up two wonderful days of celebrating Charlotte Mason’s life-giving method at the 2018 Charlotte Mason Soirée Summer Mountain Mini. I was feeling a glow as I sat with the …
Just over two years ago, I first read the article “Three Educational Idylls,” by Charlotte Mason. Published in 1912, it reveals many profound thoughts about Charlotte Mason’s vision for education. (To be honest, I had to look up the word idyll; it means, “a simple descriptive work in poetry or prose that deals with rustic …
Charlotte Mason wrote, “Now our objective in this most important part of education is to give the children the knowledge of God.” Mason did not approach this “most important part of education” in a haphazard fashion; rather, she developed a progressive program of study for children from ages 6 to 18 that is breathtaking in …
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Sage Parnassus. Back in March when I wrote “Lections for Life,” I was perhaps embarking on a foolish mission. Who would write about a book he had never seen? In any event, I thought I had enough evidence to make a reasonable conjecture as to the content of the “Lectiones by Spottiswoode” assigned …