Isn't Charlotte Mason a Home Schooling Method?

A reader pointed out to me today (HT: Mrs. Curtis) that some people might think Charlotte Mason's method is a homeschooling method and that using her method in a school might be a counter productive application. This misconception arises, I think, because the renaissance in Miss Mason's thinking has grown fastest among the networks of home schooling parents who have found the method to be just what they were looking for. Check out AmblsideOnline for a taste of how the method can be used in the home. In my experience home schoolers are some of the most innovative educators going and it is almost definitional that home schoolers are responding to an unmet demand. It is not too surprising, then, that it was home schooling parents at the forefront of the revival of this most humane of methods. It is also not surprising that much of the recent literature about Charlotte Mason's method is aimed at home schooling parents.

Nevertheless, it is good to remember that it was through the PNEU schools in England that the method was developed and originally popularized, and it was in the laboratory school attached to the House of Education at Ambleside that the method was even further refined. The Charlotte Mason method, while an excellent approach to home education, was originally conceived to transform the schools of England. So, what we will be doing at RiverTree is entirely consistent with Miss Mason's original intentions.

It also should be noted that there are already several schools in the United States which are successfully implementing the Charlotte Mason method. Three of note are Ambleside School of Virginia, Ambleside School of Fredricksburg, TX, and Perimeter Christian School near Atlanta. My wife and I intend to visit at least one of these schools next fall so that we can learn from their experience and apply it to RiverTree.

Most important, however, to understanding why this method can be successfully implemented in a school environment is that it is true to the nature of the child. If a method of education is founded upon philosophical principles that are true, then the application of those principles will naturally be effective no matter the setting. More than any educational philosophy I have found, the Charlotte Mason method is consistent with Christian truth about our human nature, our relationship with God and our role in the world. I am very confident that our application of this philosophy to a school will be successful.

A School is Born

I am pleased to announce that at 3:30 central time I received word that RiverTree School is now officially incorporated in the State of Minnesota. Hooray!

Map of Location Preferences

Below is a rough map of where we are thinking about locating RiverTree School. This map is most definitely a work in progress and will likely change as time goes by and people start to express interest in the school. The darker red shape in the center indicates the most desirable locations. The outer areas represent decreasing levels of desirability. You will probably need to zoom in to see the map clearly. Right now, the most salient factor is commuting distance from my home, but that could change as we start to get an idea of where interested families are located. So, if you are interested in RiverTree, don't be shy; send an email to:



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Reading Lists

I just added two reading lists to the right sidebar: "Required" and Recommended Reading. These are books and articles which have been influential to my thinking about education and my planning for RiverTree School.

Science in the Early Grades

Charlotte Mason firmly believed that children, especially young children, should spend a great amount of time outdoors. She thought that direct observation of the handiwork of creation did wonders for the developing mind and soul and that fresh air and exercise were vital to physical and mental health. The study of nature (i.e. science) should form an important part of a child's early education. It teaches attention to detail and encourages a sense of wonder that is so important to the growing mind. Mason would have balked, however, at the approach often taken by schools today in which a child learns about nature from within the confines of a classroom. We should not steal from our children the opportunity to be amazed at the marvelous wonders of creation, which we do when we have them learn "science" solely from the pages of a book. Instead, let them get outside and make friends of the plants, trees, and animals, and discover the world, which, though ancient, is new to them.

All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him; for every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton (CM Home Education Vol 1 p. 54).

The Importance of Community

One of the things that parents often look for in a school is a community in which they and their children can engage. A community in which parents know each other, know each other's children and are known by those children can be of enormous benefit. Too often we deny our children the freedom that older generations took for granted because we are unsure about their safety or supervision. How many of us remember summer days in which we had what seemed to be a whole world available to us. I remember my sister and I had a whole block of our street and we could romp through any of the yards. My parents were comfortable with this because they knew the other parents in the neighborhood and they shared many of the same values. Even if our parents could not see us, they were pretty sure that somebody else could. The gang of neighborhood kids was never far from watchful, loving eyes.

Nowadays that type of neighborhood is sadly unavailable to many children because the cohesion of neighborhood communities has steadily broken down. Fortunately, the Christian school community can provide a helpful replacement that is in some ways even better. By bringing together a group of parents who share values about faith, family and childrearing we can again open up to our children the rich blessing of a group of childhood friends. This community will form an important boundary within which a child can play, learn and grow.

Therefore, one of the things that we will emphasize at RiverTree School will be the community we form together. Because many childhood friendships will likely grow out of this community, it is important that the parents share a few, important common values. Thus, we can be reassured that even when our children are out of our sight loving eyes are still watching over them.

I'll post later about what we mean by common values.

Method vs. System

In order to understand what RiverTree School is about, it is important to first understand the difference between an educational method and an educational system. A method implies the gradual accomplishment of a certain goal and steady progress toward that end. Thus, a method of education is the means by which over the course of years an education is brought about. A method always has the goal in mind but the particular steps toward that goal can vary widely as the situation warrants. In education this is vitally important because, of course, God has made each child unique. The particular steps that are right for one child may be counterproductive for another. The proper application of an educational method requires thought, sensitivity, judgement and a sense of empathy. The method driven teacher is continually evaluating her progress toward the goal and seeking feedback from her students about the effectiveness of her technique, but the technique is not the method itself. A method is an applied philosophy: a mode of action derived from a belief system about the nature of children, people, learning and education.

An educational system, on the other hand, is a series of steps and procedures that can teach a certain skill or impart some knowledge. Systems, properly employed are part of the toolkit of the accomplished teacher. The best teachers have a variety of systematic tools that they can pull out in the proper situation to help students grow and learn.

Where we run into trouble is when we elevate systems and use them in place of an educational method. The lure of relying on educational systems is strong because we want to believe that there is "one best system" that will work for everybody. We want to believe that if we can perfect our systems we can demystify education and change it from an art to a science. This approach always ends in disappointment , however, because children are not machines nor are they blank slates. As Charlotte Mason reminds us, "Children are born persons" with their attendant strengths and weaknesses, each one different.

The educator has to deal with a self-acting, self-developing being, and his business is to guide, and assist in, the production of the latent good in that being, the dissipation of the latent evil, the preparation of the child to take his place in the world at his best, with every capacity for good that is in him developed into a power. (Home Education, p. 9)

A system, or a series of systems, can never have the necessary flexibility or adaptability required to accomplish the task of proper education.

Too many of our schools neglect method in favor of a mere system. The result for students is a frustrating, mechanical, cold school experience. What they really crave and need is the attentive care of a teacher empowered to use a variety of systematic tools in service of a humane and gentle educational method. RiverTree School is committed to providing just such an environment and employ just such an educational method.

Welcome to RiverTree School

If you are reading this post it is, I hope, because you are interested in RiverTree School. Perhaps you have come here after viewing our website and want to know more about what is happening. As it stands right now we are still in the very early stages of stating this school. And by "we", I mean my wife and me. So far we have an idea, a name, a domain name, a lot of energy and a goal. Our plan is to start a Charlotte Mason school in the northwest quadrant of the Twin Cities metro area. We plan to open our doors to students in grades K-3 on Sept 8, 2009. We will then add a grade every year until we have filled grades K-8. Please check back here often for updates on our progress, thoughts about education, opportunities for you to get involved, and other items. Once the website is up and running (very soon, I hope) this will be the best place to come for up to date information.

Thanks for visiting.