Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series of new essays by Dr. Benjamin E. Bernier which demonstrate that Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy can be characterized as a Christ-centered philosophy of education for Christian discipleship, a unique contribution in the history of Christian and educational thought. Dr. Bernier is the rector of Providence Reformed Episcopal …
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Charlotte Mason Living. Friendship is not something that has ever come easily to me. Don’t get me wrong, I have always had friends, but, except for my husband, my best friend since I was eighteen, I have always held back something of myself. For eleven years I worked …
In 2002, ISI Books published the landmark Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons. However, it was not until 2005 that the CiRCE Institute awarded Simmons the prestigious Paideia Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Classical Education. This award places Simmons comfortably alongside other classical education heavyweights such as David Hicks and James Taylor, winners of the Paideia Prize in 2002 and 2007, respectively. The CiRCE …
In the summer of 2010, I had the privilege of meeting Jason Fletcher, who is the director of a Charlotte Mason school in Cambridge, England. Jason is personally connected to the Charlotte Mason story in that his wife Fiona is the daughter of Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, author of For the Children’s Sake. I remember very …
Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Charlotte Mason Living. Susan Schaeffer Macaulay wrote: Try a simple experiment. Take a small child on your knee. Respect him. Do not see him as something to prune, form, or mold. This is an individual who thinks, acts, and feels. He is a separate human being whose strength …
It was with great interest that I began one week ago to read Karen Glass’s response to my review of her book. I had waited many months for just such a response. After reading it carefully, I felt gratitude for several things: She took the time to write a piece that is careful and thorough. …
If there is a single phrase most commonly associated with Charlotte Mason, it is probably “Children are born persons.” It is the concise first article of the Short Synopsis authored by Mason and approved by the PNEU Executive Committee in 1904. In the years that have followed, it has inspired countless parents and teachers. For …
When Dr. Stephanie Spencer of University of Winchester submitted her scholarly essay for publication in Women, Education, and Agency 1600-2000, she chose the subtitle, “Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy of Education.” For the main title, however, she chose a phrase that for her (apparently) captures the essence of Mason’s philosophy of education: “Knowledge as the Necessary Food …
In 1998, James Taylor unveiled his book entitled Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education. In his book, Taylor explicitly identifies his vision of education as classical; one reason his book has aroused interest is because it claims that a substantial portion of classical education should taught in the “poetic mode.” Since the time of the book’s …