Homeschool Using the Charlotte Mason Method
Homeschooling used to consist of four or five children sitting around a table scribbling away in a pile of workbooks, while a stern parent stood over them and lectured. With the help of innovative teachers like Charlotte Mason, homeschooling has come a long way. Today, there are many different methods of homeschooling. The Charlotte Mason method has become quite popular with homeschooling parents today. If you’re thinking about homeschooling, you should definitely consider the different practices out there and see which will suit your children and family best. In this article, I will introduce you to Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling.
Charlotte Mason began to develop her ideas as a passionate mother dedicated to the effective education of her children. She founded the homeschooling movement in the early 1900’s and invested a lifetime in improving the quality of education for children. Her vision was to create a comprehensive and adaptable educational program that focused on core subjects with an emphasis on literature, classical music and fine arts. Charlotte Mason kept her audience in mind and worked hard to keep the program interesting for children.
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.
An important part of Mason’s program includes reading literature and narrating. Children must become proficient at narrating in their own words what they have read. The narration can be oral, written or even expressed in drawings. Narrating after reading helps to ensure comprehension. Younger children can narrate orally or through drawings but by ten years old, the child should be able to narrate a story by writing. Narration ensures that the child has synthesized the reading, organized the information in their mind and determined how best to communicate this information.
Charlotte Mason believes that children should spend a large amount of time outdoors to help them develop a relationship with nature and a love for the environement. After observing nature, children should write in nature diaries everything they perceive about nature. Nature dairies can also be used to draw pictures of or write poetry about nature. One of the objectives of this nature study is to lead the way for meaningful instruction of scientific subjects. Homeschooling parents who want to implement some of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, should get their children started on nature dairies and ensure that their children get plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors and develop a love and appreciation for nature.
Children educated the Charlotte Mason way must not only develop literary, scientific and mathematical skills, but also excel in building good character and discipline. Mason was a firm believer that children must learn to govern themselves and develop a sense of inner discipline. Parents and teachers play an important role here, for they must guide children towards the development of good habits. Some of habits Mason encourages parents and teachers to nurture in children are: respect, patience, cleanliness and timeliness. Mason stated that it often takes four to six weeks for one of these skills to solidify as a habit. Parents who want to incorporate The Charlotte Mason method into their homeschooling program should try to implement as many of these practices as they can.
