The 20 Principles of a Charlotte Mason Education

Many educational approaches exist today and this is nowhere more true than in homeschooling circles.  One of the most enduring is an approach advocated by Charlotte Mason.   Because she addresses the whole child and not just academics, I favor her methods and ideas.  This summer I will explore one of Miss Mason's twenty basic principles to help infuse your parenting and homeschooling with power and purpose.

Charlotte Mason was an educator in the 19th century who understood children and held a high regard for them as intelligent persons that needed guidance, training, and an education that used the best educational "food."  

She wrote a six-volume series of books called the Home Education Series.  In these books, she explores these principles in depth.  However, because she lived in the 19th century, her Victorian language can be difficult for some, and although the books are worth the time to read, frankly, many parents just cannot spare it.  With that in mind, Leslie Noelani Laurio wrote an excellent sentence-by-sentence translation in modern English.   She also has a paragraph- by-paragraph condensed version.  Mason's ideas and principles are not a curriculum but a way of approaching the instruction of children.

Some other books that distill her ideas can be found here:
A Charlotte Mason Companaion:  Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola
A Charlotte Mason Education:  A Homeschooling How-To Manual and More A Charlotte Mason Education, both by Catherine Levison

Now, let's take the fast track to learning her foundational principles here this summer by reading this synopsis.  What an inspirational summer study for homeschool parents to reflect on and gear up for a new school year!