Charlotte Mason

An Introduction to Charlotte Mason

The Charlotte Mason method is also known as the “living books” method, which incorporates whole books and literature rather then dry text books.  For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay reintroduced parents to Charlotte Mason’s methods and philosophy, and it started to gain a foothold with a new generation of homeschoolers.

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who believed that education was more then getting into the right college, training for a job, or passing an exam. She said education was an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life; it was about finding out who we were and how we fit into the world of human beings and into the universe God created.  Charlotte Mason believed that children are able to deal with ideas and knowledge, that they are not blank slates or empty sacks to be filled with needless information.

 Charlotte Mason believed in short lessons in core subjects like reading, writing and math and also exploring the arts and nature in depth.  By the use of narration, which is the telling back of what was learned, the child and parent has many opportunities for dialogue wherein further teaching about a family’s beliefs can be shared.

The Charlotte Mason method is the middle ground between child-centered teaching and a solid educational track turning many families to the writings of Ms. Mason.  A Charlotte Mason education includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject.  She also  incorporated nature walks, which encourages the use of nature journaling.  Nature journaling provides an opportunity for observation, drawing, science and language arts. 

Many CM followers also incorporate small doses of poetry, artist and composer studies each week.  By keeping lessons short, they are able to complete many subjects in one day and leaving the afternoon open for nature walks and individual studies.

She thought children should do the work of dealing with ideas and knowledge, rather than the teacher acting as a middle man, dispensing filtered knowledge. A Charlotte Mason education includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, and through art, music and poetry.

The CM school motto is “I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will.”

To read Charlotte Mason’s 6 book series, with helpful summaries, you can view them online – just click here.

Written by Brenda Sain

What Is CM?

by members of the CMSeries email list

Charlotte Mason defined education as a series of relationships formed by the learner as he developed intimacy with a wide range of subjects – something she called, “The Science of Relations.” Her philosophy directed her use of the methods outlined here. She believed that children are able to deal with ideas and knowledge, that they are not blank slates or sacks to be filled. She thought children should do the work of dealing with ideas and knowledge rather than the teacher acting as a middle man, dispensing filtered knowledge. Children should be taught the fallibility of reason, and that the responsibility of each individual is not in reasoning out the proofs, but in making sure the initial idea or assumption is sound. She saw no separation between intellectual and spiritual life of children and adults, but believed that all truth is of God, regardless of the vessel it comes from. Today, parents and educators will differ widely in how they apply Charlotte Mason’s philosophy; however, those adaptations may be more successful if one has a thorough knowledge of Miss Mason’s methods. Based on Miss Mason’s writings, a CM education would include:

1. Narration, which consists of the child telling back a story.This takes the place of composition in the early years.

2. Copywork, or the transcribing of a well-written piece of literature as handwriting practice.

3. Nature study with an emphasis on close, focused observation of creation as a means to knowledge of God.

4. Outdoor life is necessary to teach nature first-hand, which means plenty of time spent out of doors each day in all weather and in different environments for students of all ages. “School” for children younger than six consisted almost entirely of time spent outdoors.

5. Habit training as a discipline of the child’s will and behavior. Children are trained to develop the will, which is manifested in a strong resolve to act in a right manner.

6. Living Books rather than textbooks to convey ideas. Living books, whether fiction or non-fiction, are more than just interesting books that make a topic come alive. A true Living Book has the best material, from the best minds, or at least the real story from someone who was there or has a real interest in their subject.There is a high standard in literary excellence and, while she advocated the use of many books, quality is to be preferred over quantity.

7. First-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, rather than rote memorization of dry facts. Besides books, children are exposed to great minds through art, music and poetry, which was read to the child daily.

8. Memorization was used, not to assimilate facts, but as a means to have material to meditate on, so her students memorized scripture and poetry.

9. History is taught with primary sources and well-written history books.

10. Literature is taught along with history. For example, if one is studing the Civil War, one would at the same time read works of American literature written at that time.

11. Once children are able to read fluently, they read the lessons themselves, except for books that need editing like Plutarch’s Lives.

12. Reading instruction was primarily based on sight vocabulary, but did include use and teaching of phonics. Even beginning readers, she thought, ought to have something interesting to read, like nursery rhymes, rather than dull first readers, so she taught the sight words necessary to allow them to read real books.

13. Schooling is teacher-directed, not child-led, though the child can pursue any number of personal interests during their free time (and her students had all afternoon free.

14. Short lessons with an emphasis on excellent execution and focused attention and variation in the day’s scheduled activities so as not to over-stress the brain on one task.

15. In the teaching of mathematics, the ability to reason is emphasized over “working sums”, so emphasis is placed on story problems and working with numbers that are within the child’s comprehension, therefore, a manipulative-based instruction is desirable.

16. CM encouraged proficiency in at least one other language, specifically French, as well as study in Latin.

17. Charlotte Mason set aside time each day for some form of physical fitness routine which included daily walks and a “drill” which included stretching, breathing exercises, calisthenics, dancing, singing, and games.

18. The knowledge of God, as found in the Bible, is the primary knowledge and the most important.