Have you ever wondered about Charlotte Mason? Who she was? What was her methods and philosophy of education all about? Well whether you are new to homeschooling or have been at it a long while I think you’ll enjoy this series.
It’s not always easy jumping into a Charlotte Mason education. I’ve spent years reading her volumes and books related to her Methods and Philosophies. Yet I’m still learning so much about this style of education. I do that by continually reading one of her 6 volumes of her Home Education series. There is just a wealth of knowledge in them! I also think to get a really good grasp on her methods, you need to experience it first hand! Whether leading your children through it or even yourself in your own form of a Mother’s Education there is always room to grow.
You might mix things up or get them completely wrong. I know I have, and that’s where true learning comes from. The ability to handle failure, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. So don’t be overwhelmed by the learning curve to CM because once you begin, it just gets better and better!
Now who was Charlotte Mason? She was a British educator born in 1842. Orphaned at the age of 16 she dedicated most of her life to teaching. Miss Mason spent time educating teachers and governesses as well as children. While she wasn’t a mother herself she oversaw and taught thousands of students (as well as their mothers I’m sure) she was very clever and observant and so naturally astute she gained a lot of first hand knowledge of Children and Mothers in this way!
She gave a series of lectures to parents which she recorded onto paper and eventually turned it into her book Home Education, the first of 6 volumes. (we’ll discuss these in more depth in another post).
Shortly after she helped start a teacher training collage, founded in Ambleside, England. Where she was head of the collage.
Miss Mason is known for many things including her 20 principals which is the bedrock to understanding this form of education she taught and wrote about.
In her own words she describes wanting “A liberal education for all” meaning Miss Mason saw the value in children and was passionate that all children no matter their classes and backgrounds, be given the opportunity to be educated on rich living ideas, the feast of knowledge became her vision.
She also wrote a series of Geography Readers called The Ambleside Geography Books. As well as a series called The Savior of The World, a meditation on the Gospels and the life of Christ written in verse form.
She would later go on to co found The Parents Educational Union which later became the PNEU Parent’s National Education Union that we know it as today. The PNEU released program guides (like syllabus) to their members for each Form or grades we might say. They wrote articles in a magazine which were called The Parent’s Review (you can find those to read for free on AO). I find them so fascinating to read and glean a lot of knowledge from them so much so I’ve added reading them to my own Mother’s Education studies.
Mason placed a great emphasis on rich high quality literature being at the helm of her education method and the riches of the arts! It’s often misunderstood but a CM education is a Classical Education, just not in how we define Classical Style of Homeschooling in modern times.
By the time Miss Mason Passed away in 1923 her Ambleside school was doing well and was renamed The Charlotte Mason College. And while if you were to travel to Ambleside today the CM college is no longer around (or the same really), but there are Museums that still hold onto her original works.
Now every CM Homeschool family has their How did I discover the Charlotte Mason story.
Mine is I didn’t, Miss Mason’s Methods actually found me!
I knew I had always wanted to homeschool but was naively unaware that there was more than one way to educate a child. Yet I had visions for things I lacked in my own education to be taught to my children, and when I described my visions of studying Nature and wanting knowledge of Artistic things like Composers, Shakespeare and Paintings to my friend she said “oh you’re going the Charlotte Mason route”. I looked into this method, got the books For The Children’s Sake & The Charlotte Mason Companion and never looked back!
I’d love to hear how you found CM or how her methods found you in the comments below! I hope this series is invaluable to as you implement Miss Mason’s methods into your homeschool days and life!