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Homeschooling has come a long way in the last century, partially due to innovative teachers like Charlotte Mason who dedicated a life time to developing a new philosophy for teaching children. There are many different ways to homeschool your child, but the Charlotte Mason method remains one of the most popular methods. If you’re considering homeschooling your children, you should research the different methods of homeschooling so that you can make an informed decision when you decide which method best suits your family. This article will present some of the highlights of the Charlotte Method way of homeschooling.
Charlotte Mason was a passionate and innovative homeschooling mother who founded the homeschooling movement in the early 1900’s (1842-1923). She invested her life in the pursuit of improving the quality of children’s education. Her enthusiasm and commitment to homeschooling led her to lay the foundations for an effective, complete and adaptable homeschooling program that provided children with a comprehensive education while keeping it interesting. The Charlotte Mason method focuses on core subjects and places an emphasis on literature, classical music, and fine arts. Many homeschooling parents today are using her approach to teach their kids.
One of the corner stones of the Charlotte Mason method is the use of what she calls “living books.” These types of books are to replace dry factual textbooks that school children often dread. A “living book” must be authored by someone not only knowledgeable but passionate about a subject. The author’s enthusiasm must shine through the language of the text. Mason believes this enthusiasm would then be mirrored by the students. “Living books” must also be written in conversational or narrative style. Mason looks down upon “twaddle” which she defines as books that are dumbed down for children. These types of books, she argues, not only insult a child’s intelligence but put out any passion the child may have felt for the subject.
When it comes to reading, Mason believes that children must not only read a wide variety of literature but also learn to narrate what they have read in their own words. Children may narrate orally, in written form or even express the ideas they have read through art projects or drawings. This type of post reading narration ensures comprehension and digestion of the large amounts of information children are exposed to. Mason states that younger children may begin with drawings and oral narration but by the age of ten children should be able to incorporate some written narration into the program.
Another cornerstone of the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling is nature diaries. Teachers should often conduct quick and catchy lessons outdoors and then ask children to conduct their own observations of nature and draw what they see. Mason believes that the consistent study of nature paves the way for the meaningful instruction of scientific topics. Spending a significant amount of time outdoors helps children create a bond with mother nature and a sincere respect for the environment. If you would like to incorporate the Charlotte Mason method into your homeschooling program, a great first step would be to ask your children to keep a nature diary which can include prose, poetry and pictures.
Mason held strongly to her belief that the development of good character and behavior was essential to the complete development of a child’s personality. Children must learn how to govern and discipline themselves. Mason encouraged parents and teachers to instill good habit such as respect, punctuality, cleanliness and patience in their children. Children should spend four to six weeks working on a new trait or skill until it becomes a habit. These are the cornerstones of the Charlotte Mason method. Homeschooling parents can find many ways to incorporate these practices into their homeschooling routines.
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Interesting article and I like the way it captures the essentials of Charlotte Mason style homeschooling. As a matter of detail, she was not a homeschooling mother, but a trained teacher who never married or had children. She did not found the homeschooling movement either. At the time she lived many upper and middle class children were educated at home as a matter of course. Much of her writing deals with education in general, in schools as well as at home, but many homeschoolers find her methods congenial.