Charlotte Mason

- Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was an  innovative educator who developed an unique approach to education
She believed that children should be educated through a wide curriculum  using a variety of real or “living” books.  Living books refer to books that are well written and engaging, that absorb the reader.  The narrative and characters of these books “come alive”.  Living books are opposite of dry, cold textbooks.  Children must not be exposed to what Charlotte Mason termed "Twaddle". This term refers to the literature that has been “dumbed-down”  or literature that has the absence of meaning.

Charlotte Mason was concerned that the student develop a life long love of learning. 

She based her philosophy on the Latin word “educare”, which means “to feed and nourish”.

This method focuses on the formation of good habits, reading a variety of books, narration, copy work, dictation, and keeping a nature diary.

      - According to Charlotte Mason, education is a way of life based on ideas. It is a living education whose goal is to develop life long learners that love books, and  who become independent thinkers and learners. 

Our responsibility is to present a variety of information to the student.  In turn the student is responsible to take it in. 

     - She believed that 1/3 of education is atmosphere.

            “We must lay down tracks for good life. Education is more than Curricula, it is our rising up, and our sitting down, and in our wayside moments.  Children pick up knowledge from our lips, our attitudes, and our example.  Education is beyond our scheduled hours.”

                        - Karen Andreola (A Charlotte Mason Companion)

     - She believed that 1/3 of Education is the discipline of habit

            “The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; on the other hand she who lets habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction.”

                                                                      - Charlotte Mason

            Good habits are the best magistrates.  Repeated action becomes either bad habits or good habits. Lay down habits of right thinking and right doing.

-            work on one habit at a time

-            replace a bad habit with a good one

be faithfully consistent 

it may take months for a habit to stick

don’t take a day off from good habits or Monday morning may come in like a lion.

Habits require little conscious effort

“Sow an act, reap a habit,

Sow a habit, reap a character,

Sow a character, reap a destiny”

 

Charlotte believed that ideas are the motivating power of life.  Ideas come from thought drawn out from deep within.  Children cannot draw out these thoughts if the teacher always tells them what to think or what something means.  Let the children draw some conclusions themselves.

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