Charlotte Mason & Classical Education

Losing my dad is by far the most excruciating and confusing experience I've ever walked through. A personal reflection on grief, faith, and continuing to parent through loss.

Charlotte Mason's students did study Latin, but she believed learning common languages first was more important. Here's her approach to foreign language learning.

A common misconception about Charlotte Mason is that her philosophy lacks academic rigor. Yet if we look closely at what students were actually doing, the caliber of work exceeds most modern classrooms.

Teaching children how to write can feel intimidating. Charlotte Mason's method is both simple and effective—and you don't need a boxed curriculum.

Grammar is abstract and difficult for young children. Charlotte Mason's students didn't start studying grammar formally until Form II. Here's why—and what to do instead.

Establishing a habit of reading aloud is an important aspect of a Charlotte Mason education. Here are practical ideas for weaving it into the fabric of family culture.

By God's grace, I was freed from legalism—and He used Charlotte Mason as part of that work. Her ideas painted a beautiful picture of parenting that honored a child's personhood.

Geography is more than learning definitions of physical features—it should be focused on allowing students to make meaningful, lasting relationships with various people and places.

Charlotte Mason challenges us not to lean too confidently on our own understanding, because human reasoning—while valuable—is imperfect and can confirm wrong ideas.

The concept of handicrafts is intended to be much deeper than what we see during a typical arts and crafts time. The end result should be useful, and the purpose is to learn a valuable skill.

Not all versions of a particular book are guaranteed to be living. An abridged book might change a living book into something considerably different than its original form.

Charlotte Mason suggests that children possess a natural desire for knowledge. When we use grades as the proverbial carrot, we communicate that the joy of learning itself is insufficient.

Excellent poetry touches the soul and feeds the mind with living ideas. It allows us to feel deeply and can even enable us to experience historical events or glimpse faraway cultures.

Nature study simply means learning about and forming relationships with creation. Learning about creation allows us to know more about our Creator.

Charlotte Mason believed that history is an entrancing subject of study—an opportunity to cultivate deep thinking, empathy, and moral reasoning.

Charlotte Mason's approach to teaching handwriting emphasizes quality over quantity. Five perfectly formed letters are far more valuable than an entire worksheet filled with careless work.

The function of the will is to choose, to decide—and to fortify the will is one of the great purposes of education.

Scripture offers a code of education: Take heed that ye OFFEND not—DESPISE not—HINDER not—one of these little ones.

Mother Culture is about nurturing your own intellectual and spiritual life so you have more to pour into your family. A stream cannot rise higher than its source.

Charlotte Mason held a firm conviction that one of a mother's most important duties—perhaps the most important—is the discipling of her children.

The question of whether Charlotte Mason is classical varies depending on how you define classical education. Understanding this history helps us refine our own educational philosophy.

Charlotte Mason makes a clear distinction between a system of education and a method of education. A method is grounded in principles; a system offers the false promise of predictable outcomes.

Charlotte Mason made a clear distinction between acquiring information and assimilating knowledge. Simply put, information consists of facts, whereas knowledge makes a lasting impression on the mind.

The science of relations is where students form deep, meaningful relationships with knowledge—not simply acquiring information but encountering knowledge and allowing it to change us.

One of the hardest aspects of adopting Charlotte Mason's philosophy is learning how to apply her ideas practically in everyday life. Here are three habits that have proven especially helpful.

Narration is the heartbeat of a Charlotte Mason education. Through consistent practice, students build mental habits of attention, ordered knowledge, and clear articulation.

Charlotte Mason was remarkably ahead of her time in recognizing the formative power of habits in a child's life. She believed that character is largely shaped by habit.

Intentionally cultivating the habit of attention is something we should take seriously. Charlotte Mason believed we could begin training this habit from infancy.

The very first of Charlotte Mason's twenty principles—'Children are born persons'—is the foundation upon which all of her subsequent ideas rest.

It is time to stop focusing on the wrong metrics and instead focus on the quality of ideas presented and on how we view children and education as a whole.

We're a homeschooling family who believes education is too important to be left to chance—and too personal to be reduced to a one-size-fits-all system.