CMP Review 2025-10-21

October 21, 2025

“The art of questioning is the whole art of teaching … and if you persist with Narration methods your teachers will lose the ability to question. You must question to make the children think.”

This statement by an official school inspector provoked a clear and reasoned response from teacher G. F. Husband. Mr. Husband was a true believer in the Charlotte Mason Method. He read her books “and knew in [his] heart that they were true.” But he understood that not everyone accepted Miss Mason’s ideas with such intuitive readiness. Some needed a more rational defense.

And so Husband set out to assert and defend the notion that narration is a more effective teaching method than question-and-answer. But his spirited defense did more than just enumerate the benefits of narration. It also explained to new teachers how to get started.

Husband’s deep conviction about the benefits of narration combined with his robust classroom experience make his 1924 article especially valuable. And he closes with a rare and helpful discussion on written narration. You don’t want to miss this one. Read or hear it here.

@artmiddlekauff