7 Characteristics of a Charlotte Mason Education (UPDATED!) ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool
Welcome back to my newest Simple Homeschool series, in which I’m going back in time to share my thoughts as a retired homeschool mom after 15 years of active duty. 😉
This month I decided to revisit this popular post from the very first year of Simple Homeschool; I wrote it in 2010!
Obviously I have a lot more experience and thoughts of my own to share now, so I’ve updated the post below with them. Look for the red headings to easily spot those.
Let’s learn a bit more about Charlotte Mason education together:
Prefer to listen instead?
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If you’ve been homeschooling for long, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Charlotte Mason.
Her educational principles, which she developed in 19th century England, offer much to home educating children and families alike.
But what exactly is a Charlotte Mason education? How can you know if it will work well for your family?
Use this overview to help you decide.
1. Habits
Charlotte believed that the development of good habits within a child provides the foundation for early education. She wrote, “The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days.”
For this reason Charlotte advised delaying formal academics until age six, instead advocating play and work within the gentle boundaries of the family unit.
Charlotte saw good habits as so crucial that she recommended putting all else aside if a bad habit appeared, and working with the child (in a friendly way) to reconcile the issue before it could develop further.
Jamie’s thoughts on habits today:
Keep in mind that Charlotte Mason worked with children in schools, and was not a mother herself. Please have no guilt if you find that instilling good habits in your children is a lifelong endeavor – it is!
I agree with the delay of formal academics (in most cases), and that is what worked well in our family. However, I can remember feeling guilt over the fact that my kids did have bad habits, and this can feel even heavier to those of us who have children with a variety of diagnoses and special needs.
Habits are a big priority, but they are not our ONLY priority. Success in this area can take a decade or more to observe!
2. Style of Lessons
Charlotte Mason style lessons are short, especially for young children. The goal is to train the child to focus fully on their work, but only for the amount of time they are developmentally capable of.
For early elementary-aged children this often means only 5-15 minutes per subject. In older grades the duration extends to 45 minutes or more.
Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt
When a child becomes restless, Charlotte advised changing the lesson to a different type of subject–maybe moving from handwriting to music study, or from math to handicrafts.
Short lessons means that more subjects can be incorporated into a school day. This fits with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of introducing many topics to children and allowing them to delve deeper into the ones that spark their interest.
Jamie’s thoughts on style of lessons today:
Yes! I 100% agree that short lessons are the best lessons, especially for littles, but boy did my Inner Taskmaster find it hard to stop without reaching the “official” end.
I felt like I didn’t get my closure and gold star! Looking back though, I would try to work with a timer/clock and mark where we leave off so we could return and begin the next time.
3. Living Books
Living books are the opposite of textbooks–quality literature (either fiction or non-fiction) written by an author with a passion for the topic. The writer’s passion and expertise breathes life into the book, as opposed to a textbook that gives impersonal overviews of many topics.
Living books present inspiring stories that engage the minds of children and adults alike, providing characters our children can look up to and emulate.
Jamie’s thoughts on living books today:
Yes, especially for younger ages, living books are the way to go! However, for those of us with a proclivity toward insecurity, please remember that this does NOT mean that you must only choose books that are 100 years old or were on Charlotte’s official reading list.
You’re looking for books, new and old, that have that spark of life to them that captures your own imagination and that of your child. You get to create your own list as you go!
4. Narration
A Charlotte Mason-style education uses narration as one of the central methods to evaluate a student. The goal is to teach a child to think and express themselves clearly.
Up until the age of 10 or 11, Charlotte advises teachers to use mainly oral narration with a child. After listening to a short passage of a book, the child will tell back, in his or her own words, important aspects of the story.
Letting a young child do this orally helps them develop analytical thinking skills without getting stuck by the physical mechanics of handwriting.
At around age 11 Charlotte Mason teachers begin having children do written narrations, which lengthen and become more in depth as children get older.
Jamie’s thoughts on narration today:
I experienced a ton of pressure in this area that we weren’t “doing it right.” It’s essential to remember that life with a classroom of students must be organized differently to life at home with a handful.
When I asked my kids to repeat back what they had heard…it often resulted in that deer in headlights look, left me feeling disappointed, and took away from the enjoyment in what we were reading. But there were other times when the kids were so excited about something they had read that they couldn’t wait to come and tell me every. single. detail.
This is narration at home, in the context of real life. The same way that we might summarize a book for our adult friends! So experiment with narration to see how or if it works for you, but feel free to allow it to naturally happen as opposed to forcing it.
5. Dictation
Dictation exercises introduce and reinforce spelling and grammar concepts.
Charlotte recommends using inspiring quotations or Scripture for dictation. The child studies the passage until they are certain of the spelling and punctuation. Then the teacher dictates the passage slowly while the child writes it down.
Formal grammar study is usually delayed until age 10 or 11 in a Charlotte Mason education.
Photo by Wonderlane
Jamie’s thoughts on dictation today:
I definitely agree with the concept of delaying formal grammar study as a general idea. Aside from Mad Libs and chatting casually about grammar mistakes in real life (as an English major and author, grammar is very important to me!), we delayed this formally even longer than Charlotte.
We used Fix It Grammarfor a while; I loved those workbooks! Dictation is a bit like copywork, which I listed as one of the things I’d do differently of if I could go back in time.
But dictation was not a top priority for us until the teen years, and it doesn’t have to be for you to homeschool well. Try it and then decide for yourself!
6. Art & Music Study
Charlotte Mason believed in exposing a child to greatness in many forms, which is why she introduced music and art appreciation at her schools.
In Charlotte’s schools, one composer or artist was studied each term–both through experiencing the music and art, reading living books about the artist, and perhaps reproducing the style through art or music lessons.
Jamie’s thoughts on art and music study today:
Of course it is beautiful to introduce art and music to a child, yes! If this an area of personal passion for you as a homeschooling parent, then please focus on it and share your own inspiration. That always makes for beautiful memories and learning moments!
However, if it feels rote, remember that it doesn’t have to be as formal as it was in Charlotte’s schools to make an impact over your entire homeschooling years. You are spreading a feast for your kids, as Charlotte used to say, but you are NOT force-feeding them. There is a difference!
7. Nature Study
Photo by James Wheare
Charlotte thought children should spend as much time as possible outdoors, especially as young students.
Students kept their own detailed nature journals as part of their nature study and also used nature guides to discover and identify the natural world in their neighborhood.
Jamie’s thoughts on nature study today:
You do not have to spend several hours outside daily to have your kids appreciate and benefit from nature. Some of CM’s quotes suggest otherwise, and if that fills you with guilt, remember to look at the heart behind it.
Nature inspires us and is and worth getting into whenever possible, but your kids aren’t doomed to failure if they miss a day or don’t spend six hours outside in the rain LOL! We never did nature journals, but I know other families who have and have loved them.
Good and terrifying news: You get to be your own expert, on this and every other decision!
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Charlotte Mason’s ideas created an educational revolution when she developed them. She hoped education would open the doors of equality and opportunity to all.
She believed that, regardless of what social class they belonged to, children deserved dignity and respect. <— THIS is my biggest Charlotte Mason takeaway. Use her ideas out of dignity and respect for your individual children; don’t use them out of fear of failing your kids or getting it wrong.
Never put any homeschool philosophy or method above a precious child of God!
Charlotte expressed the hope in many a homeschooling parent’s heart when she wrote the following:
“The question is not,—how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education—but how much does he care?
And about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? And, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
Further Links to Learn More (UPDATED):
- Modern Miss Mason
- Heritage Mom
- Ambleside Online
- Living Books Curriculum
- What is the Charlotte Mason Method? (a good overview)
- When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy for Today
- A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning
- For the Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School
Has your family incorporated any of Charlotte Mason’s ideas? Please share what has worked for you.
What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz nowand receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!
