Sunday School Teaching

by Transcription Team

April 2, 2024

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff

As Charlotte Mason’s ideas become more and more popular in homeschools and other kinds of schools, an increasingly common question is whether her philosophy can be applied within the church context, such as in Sunday school. At Charlotte Mason Poetry, we have shared two accounts from people who have introduced elements of the Charlotte Mason method to their churches, one in 2017 and one in 2022.

Interestingly, this is not just a recent question. As far back as 1926, Elsie Kitching explained that she had “received an interesting letter enquiring how it is possible to carry out Miss Mason’s methods in Sunday Schools.” Miss Kitching responded by sharing two accounts from her own time, published in two separate Parents’ Review issues of the same year. Both accounts were said to be written by PNEU members.

The second account was written by two contributors who identified themselves simply as “P.U.S.A. members.” When I first saw this acronym years ago, I wondered if perhaps the “U.S.A.” referred to my own country and that somehow there had been a PNEU organization in the United States. But my hopes were dashed when I learned that the acronym actually stands for Parents’ Union School Association, an alumni organization formed in 1920 for “Old P.N.E.U. Pupils.” ^[1]

It is fascinating to read these two accounts of Sunday schools in 1926 and compare them to the modern stories. They are remarkably similar, suggesting that the path for bringing Charlotte Mason’s ideas to church ministry is tried, tested, and true.

Notes and Queries
The Parents’ Review, 1926
pp. 623–624 and 766–767

[We have received an interesting letter enquiring how it is possible to carry out Miss Mason’s methods in Sunday Schools, and are glad to be able to publish two statements from members of the P.N.E.U. who are making use of the methods in their own Sunday Schools.—Editor]

Part I.

As the question of using Miss Mason’s methods in Sunday Schools has been asked from time to time, you may be interested to hear about our little Sunday School.

Some fifteen months ago I revived a Sunday class for little children which had been discontinued a few weeks previously. There were six children between the ages of four and eleven, and, as each week one or other of them brought a friend, we found that in a very short time our room was not large enough, so were obliged to move into a more spacious room where there is a piano. This enabled us to open and close school with a hymn, or, as some of the children were very young, a song from Child Songs, by Carey Bonner; we also use the “Musical Signals” from the same book, thus intimating quietly and reverently to the children when to prepare for prayer, when to take seats (on the floor!) preparatory to learning a new hymn or song, or when to march to their own special corner of the room for the lesson.

Thanks to the willing offers of help which I received, we were able to divide the children into classes according to their ages, limiting the number of children to about six in each class. This I find a large enough class for inexperienced teachers who are feeling their way and learning as they go along. Narration was something quite new to the children; they found it difficult, and I am afraid we did not persevere sufficiently at first; however after some months it seemed as if the time had come to try and work the P.U.S. Scripture programmes in the school. We had then about thirty children between the ages of four and fifteen.

I discussed Miss Mason’s methods with the teachers, they read portions of Home Education and the three pamphlets entitled A Liberal Education for All, and were keen to make a start. This we were able to do without the children being conscious of any change of method; we simply emphasized the narration after a single reading as something the children would enjoy and they are gradually becoming able to tell what they have heard read.

The time given to the lesson, while suitable for the older children, is too long for the younger ones, so a “picture talk” follows the scripture lesson; the pictures chosen are not necessarily religious as the central idea is to inculcate into the children a love of the beautiful.

The babies under five years of age are kept happy with bricks, paper and pencil or scripture puzzles. As one or two leave their play the teacher draws them to her and tells a Bible story, very shortly and simply, illustrated by a picture; as these children slip back to their play others take their places and so each child in turn has his Sunday lesson.

We have only made a beginning but all feel confident that Miss Mason’s methods, if introduced into Sunday Schools would produce as satisfactory results as they have done in the home and in secondary and elementary schools.—Yours, etc.,

M. Irene Walker.

Part II.

Dear Editor,—You have asked us to describe our attempts at a P.N.E.U. Sunday School. We are very glad the subject is being opened, and hope that this letter will lead to more light being thrown on a rather difficult matter.

May we first say that our village school is a Church school, and P.N.E.U. The children come to us for thirty-five minutes (after preliminary Roll Call and Prayers), and we have more or less a free hand.

Unfortunately we are not able to use the whole P.N.E.U. Sunday School programme, partly owing to lack of time, and partly because some of the books recommended come in the term’s work. Also, we feel that a Sunday School should be different from the daily Bible lesson. It is an opportunity to make clear the reality of God, prayer and personal religion. Surely a little personal experience helps here. So we have simple extempore prayers and intercessions on subjects likely to appeal to the children, and get them to bring their own. Parts of the Bible story can often be turned into prayers, thus helping to show the oneness of religion and everyday life. One has to go very carefully as this side can easily be overdone.

With a small class of girls, ten to fourteen, we did Paterson Smyth’s Genesis and Exodus with great success, the children reading the Bible parts given and narrating orally or in writing. Each drew a map to which places were added as we came to them.

With little girls of nine to twelve we are now doing a consecutive Life of Our Lord from the Gospels with Amy Steedman’s book, A Child’s Life of Christ (Jack, 7/6). It has very good descriptions of the Holy Land. For a change we read stories of the Saints.

With younger children my sister tries to teach the first simple truths by Bible stories which they narrate or write about, and by poetry and hymns which they learn by heart. Very small children will learn more by pictures than anything, but of course they should be good pictures.

With girls of fourteen and over one might have a “Study Circle” (it sounds more grown-up for those who have left school) one of Carey’s books, a Church History, The Clash of Colour, by Basil Matthews, or something of the kind. I must confess to not having tried this yet. Has anybody else?

The children here learn the Catechism in school, and are taught about the Church Festivals at Children’s Services. Otherwise I suppose this would come into the Sunday classes.

We use Picture Study pictures, other reproductions of Old Masters, and pictures of the Holy Land when possible.—Yours, etc.,

Two P.U.S.A. Members.

(Further discussion is invited.—Editor.)

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Endnotes for the Editor’s Note

^[1] The Parents’ Review, vol. 32, p. 139.