I always thought I had a pretty good education. That is, until I met Charlotte Mason. It was like a whole new world was suddenly revealed to me. I had always enjoyed history, literature, poetry, and nature, but learning about Mason’s philosophy showed me how much more was out there and how much deeper I …
Horace West Household was the Secretary for Education of Gloucestershire County in 1916 when he first encountered Charlotte Mason’s theory of education. He soon became, in the words of biographer Margaret Coombs, an “ardent disciple” of Charlotte Mason. He was deeply committed to Mason’s ideas and worked tirelessly to promote them within his jurisdiction and across England. He …
I’m an anxious father. Many nature walks with my young boys (ages 2 and 5) have degenerated into tension-filled treks through the woods, devoid of joy, devoid of laughter. Why? Because there’s a gnawing in my gut that compels me to use these walks as teaching moments. When these educational episodes don’t go as I …
Editor’s Note, by Nicole Williams In the Autumn of 1916, the Church of England issued a proclamation in response to the low morale of the nation due to the First World War. It was called the “Mission of Repentance and Hope.” A committee prepared posters, postcards, resolution cards, pamphlets, hymn books, children’s books, and study …
Christian Overman wrote, “Ideas do make a difference! And significant ideas cast much longer shadows than do the men or women who originally think them.” What ideas are casting a shadow on your practice of education? And how do these ideas make a difference? The focus of this presentation is to uncover which ideas correlate …
“… things I had never heard before… a radical change of the way I thought… It was totally different, totally new, totally amazing, and life-changing…” Art Middlekauff catches up with Shannon Whiteside in this exclusive interview in which Shannon describes how she went from being a teacher at a classical education school to an educator …
Editor’s note: In 1923, Dorothy Sayers introduced the fictional character of Lord Wimsey in her very first mystery novel. She went on to write many stories about Wimsey which all became quite popular, and Sayers is best known today as a crime writer. However, in 1947, she presented a composition of an altogether different nature. This was the …
When Charlotte Mason published Home Education in 1886, she began a chain reaction. First came the Parent’s Educational Union in 1887, which rapidly expanded to become the Parents’ National Educational Union (PNEU) in 1889. Then in February of 1890, Charlotte Mason became the editor of the first issue of The Parents’ Review. This amazing journal would continue to be …
Editor’s Note: “Education is a Life, but if we are to train others we must train ourselves.” What a terrifying realization. Everything about the way I live my daily life matters. Every choice I make and every moment I spend will affect the way my children learn to live and my example, for better or worse, …