According to Michael Sacasas, in an article published by the CiRCE Institute, “Dorothy Sayers’ little essay, ‘The Lost Tools of Learning,’ is something of a foundational text for the modern classical education movement.” Sayers (1893-1957) was an English writer, best known for her mystery novels and short stories. However, in 1947 she delivered a lecture at Oxford to which “the …
In 1914, Mason’s close associate Agnes Drury wrote, “[Mason] has herself told us that she has drawn her philosophy from the Gospels, where we may study and note ‘the development of that consummate philosophy which meets every occasion of our lives, all demands of the intellect, every uneasiness of the soul.’” This testimony from a member …
In 1981, David V. Hicks first published his ground-breaking book entitled Norms & Nobility: A Treatise on Education. His (1981/1999) book “is about an ancient ideal expressed as ‘classical education’ against which the modern school is weighed and found wanting” (p. v). Hicks (1981/1999) describes the “modern school” as an institution dominated by “the aimless tyranny …
The CiRCE Institute recently hosted a discussion on the relationship between Charlotte Mason and classical education. It was recorded in the July 22 edition of The Mason Jar Podcast entitled “The Mason Jar Q&A: LIVE from the 2016 CiRCE Conference.” In this episode, David Kern asked: “So you think that when people think that Charlotte Mason …
Charlotte Mason’s second principle is that “[children] are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil” (VI: p. xxix). Since this is a statement by a Christian writer about good and evil, we must assume the author is making a theological statement. In fact, Mason’s exposition of her second …
In Parents and Children chapter 12, Charlotte Mason writes, “we really have existing material in the philosophy of the ages and the science of the day to formulate an educational code whereby we may order the lives of our children and regulate our own” (p. 119). Some have misunderstood this line to mean that Charlotte Mason …
An idyll is defined as “a simple descriptive work in poetry or prose that deals with rustic life or pastoral scenes or suggests a mood of peace and contentment.” In Charlotte Mason’s 1912 article entitled “Three Educational Idylls,” she includes a footnote in which she recommends that educators implementing her method should read her volumes every two years. …
At the 2016 Living Education Retreat, I conducted a workshop entitled “Whose Great Recognition?” The workshop reveals the theological roots of Charlotte Mason’s Great Recognition from Holy Scripture, the Deuterocanonical books, and the history of the church. We then trace Mason’s unfolding articulation of her view of the role of the Holy Spirit in education. Finally, we discuss how the ministry …
When one begins to read Charlotte Mason’s writings, one quickly notices how important the concept of “ideas” is to her theory of education. In 1998, Karen Andreola gave us an early articulation of the centrality of ideas to Mason’s method: “Aren’t life and growth miraculous? A plant grows from within. When the environment is right the …