Homeschool Treasure

One of my favorite subjects to teach my girls has been poetry. I am not talking about an English unit study of poetry where we learn the different types of poems and how to write them, but learning to read and memorize poetry. I absolutely love to use the book "Poems For Children, A Delightful Collection for Boys and Girls" complied by Kate James. I love the poems. I love the Art work. I have loved this book so much that it is literally falling apart at the seams.  It is not an expensive book- I have found it on Amazon for around $10 used, sometimes more, but I have put off ordering it for one reason or another for years. Today I was spending the day with my Mom and Sister in NJ and we decided to go Antique Store Hopping. In the first store I found a creamer and sugar bowl set that goes with a set of Liberty Blue transfer wear that I collect at a steal for only $7.50 for the pair. In the next shop I was delighted to see a perfect copy of "Poems For Children..." sitting on the shelf. It doesn't even look like it has ever been opened. I was even more delighted when it was only marked $5.00! I can't wait to bring it home so Abi can pick out a poem to work on this coming week. Years ago, we were in a wonderful co-op that was very Charlotte Mason style in  structure. Both the children and the moms chose poems to memorize and share with the group. My little Abi, only two, memorized this poem from the book:

Little Things

 Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land

Thus the little minutes,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages,

of eternity

Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

I wonder what she will choose at almost eleven? I can't wait to find out. 

"I wonder does the mind need food, too, and regular meals, and what is its proper diet?" Charlotte Mason Vol 6 Ch.

Garden Spider on our back door

Jellyfish at Assateague

When I first began learning about Charlotte's philosophies, I didn't understand her term "self-education". I had wondered if she meant that the children just wandered aimlessly and "studied" only what they wanted. I began reading Vol. 6 and writing a "narration" for myself as I worked through the book. Many things impressed me about this chapter but the one thing that stood out to me was that the mind needed food and a regular diet of it. That spoke to me because I wasn't comfortable with the idea of just letting my children pick and choose what they felt like learning. I was so inspired that I could become their "guide". I love offering ideas from great works of literature or poetry and watch as my kids take in and digest the material. We have always homeschooled our family and before I found Charlotte Mason, I used unit studies with a brief diversion to textbooks. I must say that by presenting living ideas, my children have remembered so much more than any other method I have used. There is so much less pressure on me or my children when we are learning for the shear joy of learning rather than to earn a physical reward or just to spit out answers for a test. One of the ways I guide "self-education" in my children is through nature study. We all have nature journals. Sometimes I pick a specific theme for that weeks drawing but mostly I have just let each child choose what they want to draw. They spend time looking up all sorts of information on their specimen, which has led to some really fascinating conversations.Thanks for stopping by my blog- Have fun with the rest of the CM Blog Carnival.  I've included my "narration" on "self-education" below.     

One of our Nature Journals

Philosophy of Education vol. 6 Chapter 1 ‘Self Education’

From what I can gather there was a movement in the educational community in Charlotte’s day that started professing success in “self-education” for children. This probably included things like dance or other types of self expression. Charlotte doesn’t disagree with using some of these types of things, and even goes so far as to say that she looks forward to seeing the manner of citizen it produces, but in reality these “external educational appliances” “which are intended to mould his character are decorative and not vital”. The point being, that people are not ‘built up’ from without but from within. To accomplish this, Charlotte reminds us that the function of the mind is like the body and needs a quantity of nourishing food each day. That knowledge is not and should not be attained through sensation, but rather, by being “fed” the great thoughts from great minds is what makes one thoughtful. There are examples given of children who love learning and with a single reading of a passage can recall, point by point, in their own words, what was read. They can recall the details months later because the mind has been properly fed, material digested, and the thoughts have now become the child’s in the form of knowledge. She challenges us to look at a method of “self education” that is practical and pleasant and has produced capable men and women, with great character, over the past 30 years. In the final paragraph she likens the student’s education to a horse. A horse that is “light” rides over the ground using his own joyful will as opposed to the horse that is heavy in hand, which becomes a burden to the driver. Like the driver of the horse, the teacher then becomes one who is a guide to the student rather than someone who is forcibly feeding information.

The Philosophy of Education Vo. 6 Book II Ch. 4 Pt. 3

Knowledge, Reason, and Rebellion

After all the changing, planning, and revamping the educational system in her day did, Charlotte felt that there was still something wrong with the “tree of Knowledge” that existed. To look at “individual fruit” from the tree would take forever but she says “let me take one at a venture: is it not true that a conviction of irresponsibility characterizes our generation?” We like to blame faulty education when someone is destructive of private property or when someone sways public opinion in a negative way but the sober fact is many of these people are educated. They can all think somewhat logically and write and speak and demonstrate some practical ability. In her day, WWI had brought a sense of national success “but” she says “education must secure to us our gains or the last state of the nation may be worse than the first.”

It is detrimental for us to think that Reason can take the place of knowledge or that Reason is infallible or that a reasonable conclusion is a right conclusion. “Reason” is a man’s servant not his master. It should be sort of like a butler but the “Will” is the man. The Will chooses and if it is to choose wisely it must “know”. Charlotte says “without knowledge, Reason, carries a man into the wilderness and Rebellion joins the company.” It is a great thing when we can see the reasoning power of our minds acting on its own to produce arguments in support of any beginning notion and we are then persuaded that our conclusions are not necessarily right.

It is a good idea to examine the kinds of knowledge that shape the ways and futures of man. They are Divinity (knowledge of God) Humanity (knowledge of man) and Science (knowledge of the natural world).

But Charlotte says that “Letters” or words should thought of as the containers in which knowledge is held. The ancient Greeks believed that training in the use of words was the chief part of education. With words came great thoughts that were expressed in wise laws, battles, temples, sculptures, and drama. Great thoughts spur great works and they only come to a people that are familiar with previously written great thoughts.

We should examine the three areas of knowledge to find out which one is the most in error of not educating. Some are content with the knowledge of God that is picked up in a weekly sermon at church but are the words being spoken inspiring us to thoughts of peace and Godly purpose? Even if the words do not “burn within us” our sermons do not leave us underfed. We are also hearing literature, poetry and history from the Bible as it is read.

Science says of literature “I’ll have none of it” and unfortunately science is dominating in educational society. Science tends to strip away the “flesh” of knowledge; history expires in this process, poetry is not birthed, religion faints, then we are left with dry bones and say “this is knowledge”. At one time science was alive and expressed with passionate words of discovery but the way science is taught now is more utilitarian. But the fault is not found in science, just the way it is taught. The methods used tend to leave people with crude thinking and hard narrow judgment.

When we look at our national problems we can see that we are losing our sense of values- except the value of money. Young people are attracted to a career in proportion to how much money they can make. Charlotte says “Nothing can come out of nothing and if we bring up the children of the nation on sordid hopes and low ambitions, need we be surprised that every man plays for his own hand?”

When men unite together for a cause justified by Reason they may gain what they are seeking but will not be able to sustain the gain if the Spiritual things are lost. We must be convinced that knowledge is the basis of a nation’s strength.

The Philosophy of Education Vo. 6 Book II Ch. 4 Pt. 2

Letters, Knowledge and Virtue

Our educational “systems” feel that a literary education takes up too much time. That they can cut out the classic works and turn out students that are capable. However capable they are, they are ignorant. They don’t know the history or literature of their own countries let alone the world. Charlotte says “He has not realized that knowledge is not a store, but rather a stare that a person remains in of or drops out of.”

There was a time in English society where all classes were very learned in the Bible. Their speech, mannerism and character displayed this. Eventually they did away with the “principle knowledge” – The “Knowledge of God” and then we wonder why society behaves the way they do.

The question is how can we educate the students while keeping focused on the classics. The private schools during that time all wanted to turn out “scholars”. The problem is not all students are meant to be “Rhodes Scholars”. Those who are born geniuses will learn on his own, from anything he finds from a flower to great works of poetry. The focus of education should be on the average child. These children are capable of learning Greek and Latin just as well as anyone else. They should know more after 10-12 years of schooling than just basic facts. They should learn about the “humanities”- men, their motives, historical events, etc. You can’t do this by taking shortcuts but only by sowing seeds of great works written by great minds.



The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Book II Ch 4

Pt. 1 Knowledge

There seemed to be no lack of zeal in the teaching profession during Charlotte’s day but she felt that the tendency of the profession was to depreciate true knowledge and in doing so, depreciate the student. She says “knowledge is the material of education as flour is to bread.” She gives an example of a little girl who was given a small amount of money to purchase lunch for her and her sister before school. She purchased candy instead of a bun. She told her teacher that candy, which cost less, would fill her stomach more than a small roll. That is what we have done with knowledge- we have substituted marks, grades, and facts and figures. Our tendency, as in Charlotte’s day, is to educated the child to what he will become in life not expose him to all subjects. The person who, by using knowledge he has gained to entertain himself rather than depend on “forms of entertainment” is to be envied. Knowledge is not: instruction, information, or a well-stored memory. It is passed like a torch from mind to mind. One thought breeds another. As one “vital” thought touches our minds our ideas become vital and out of these ideas come our conduct of life. If we want to know if what we are teaching provides enough “intellectual Sustenance” look at the book list we are using. For example: if the list is short there will not be enough mind-stuff, if they are not various- the student will not be well rounded. If they are compiled 2nd hand and not original works not enough material will be given. If they are too easy and direct and tell him everything he should think- they will read them but not appropriate. Great examples of how to teach are the parables of Jesus. Everything wasn’t all spelled out- you have to think about them. Napoleon is sited as not being a great scholar, however he read diligently from great historical works which attributed to his success as a conqueror. While on the other hand Queen Louisa of Prussia said the down fall of her country “was not due to Napoleon alone, but also to national ignorance and that if Prussia were to rise it must be through the study of history.” As a result, the Prussians turned their education system around to focus on great minds of history and Queen Louisa’s son rose to power establish the German Empire.

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Book II Ch. 3

The Scope of Continuation Schools

This chapter begins with Charlotte’s description of how the current educational systems came to be. In 1900 a man by the name of Dr. Kirschensteiner entered a contest that offered a prize for the best essay written on the best way of training youth. He won the contest and his essay went on to influence all of Western Europe, England, and the United States affecting the changes made to the methods of education that were in place. The essay supported the thought that “a utilitarian education should be universal and compulsory; child and adolescent should be saturated with the spirit of service and provided with the instruments of effective self-direction.” Those educators were not thinking that they were “sacrificing the individual youth to society” but they would “raise” them, give them opportunity and power to “climb the rungs of the ladder.” There was the belief that knowledge was gleaned by what we see with our eyes and from what we have handled. The mind does some work when it is used in a tactile way, which may give the thought that food and work for the mind is the same thing. With regards to the body this may be true, work brings pay and pay buys food but this is not true of the mind.

Education should make our children “rich” towards God, society, and themselves. Charlotte describes the difference between the continuation schools in Germany which were utilitarian in nature and “had no good effect upon morals or manners and no conspicuously good effect upon manufacturers” to the “People’s High Schools of Denmark” which began using works of great literature and studying history of their country as well as the world and produced people who not only enjoyed reading great works on their own, but had a “character and conduct, intelligence and initiative” which came from an “education in which the knowledge of God” was put first. These schools were called “winter schools” where young people between the ages of 18-25 attended and were residential schools. These countries were also largely agricultural countries and these students could spend five winter months for five years there, unlike England, which was a largely manufacturing nation.

Charlotte wanted to focus her efforts on the young adolescent, those from 14-18 years of age. She asks “how shall we spend those 7or 8 hours a day in which “education” is to do her part for the young citizen?” She believed that this time should not be dedicated to learning a technical skill for employment because those skills can be taught in a very short amount of time and they are learned through practice. The time set aside for education should be “dedicated to things of the mind”. Most educators take these 8 hours a day and realize there is too much to learn so a compromise is made. We want to make the students into “good citizens” and “good citizens” should have “sound opinions about law, duty, work, and wages” and so the teachers pour their opinions into the young students. The teachers and administrations decide on what material should be taught and what should be left out and this material is “poured “into the student “like a bucket”. Ground is covered each year and teachers are satisfied but students leave school discontented and their work bores them, as does every other area of their lives, because the schools have “failed to find them.” The solution they have come up with to the huge amount of things to know about is that if you know one thing well you have the power to learn more. Charlotte says this solution hasn’t totally failed but it didn’t fit what was wanting to be accomplished academically in the nation- “Enlightenment of the masses”.

What educators have failed to recognize is the “hunger for knowledge” also called curiosity that exists in everyone along with the great “power of attention” that everyone also has within; that all of us like to learn things in a literary way; what we learn should be wide and various giving the mind lots to reflect on. This type of learning only occurs by the “act of knowing” which grows through and tested by narration and later tested by the recorded exams. Charlotte gives and alphabetical list from an examination paper written by a 13 year old girl. There were 213 names of things, people, and places that used them all “accurately and with interest.” Charlotte concludes that when we give the students “the thoughts of the best minds we can secure on their part the conscious intellectual effort, the act of knowing, which bears fruit in capability, character, and conduct.”

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Book II Ch. 2

A liberal Education in Secondary Schools

“The real drawback to a teacher’s work and education is the monotonous drudgery of teaching continually what no one wants to learn.” Charlotte Mason.



The first and most important thing to teach the child is the knowledge of God and this should come through the Bible. Second is the knowledge of man, in which the child should learn through “History, Literature, Art, Civics, Ethics, Biography, Drama, and Languages.” Lastly, the knowledge of the universe should be taught. This should be learned from the natural world or nature and the sciences and mathematics. Charlotte Mason then asks “What is Knowledge” and defines it this way: “knowledge is that which we know and the learner knows only by a definite act of knowing which he performs for himself.” But unfortunately in Charlotte’s day, as in our own, she says “an appalling carelessness or neglect blocks the way (to knowledge). Boys and Girls do not want to know; therefore they do not know.”

Her schools discovered with the right materials there was “great avidity for knowledge” in all children no matter aged or social class. They all displayed remarkable attention, retention, and intellectual reaction to the material offered. Charlotte discovered that the mind doesn’t really “know” anything unless it comes in literary forms. She says anyone can get information out of the driest of textbooks for an exam but these kinds of facts don’t appear to touch the mind. She likens the mind to having an outer court, where matter can be “taken in and expelled without ever having entered the inner place where personality dwells.” This is what rote learning is.

Literary learning touches the mind and we know this by hearing the student tell all he has heard in a single reading in the form of narration. Charlotte stresses a single reading because she said we “can’t give full attention to something we have already heard.”

Academic success and knowledge are not the same thing. Many “schools” fail to give the students love for knowledge. A good school should impart knowledge or “high ideals” in a slow and “sinking-in” way. Let the material saturate the mind.

Children educated with this method are a delight to be around. They have many interests and can talk about them freely. Education that truly imparts knowledge produces magnanimous citizens. The teacher has a choice to make; whether education will be just a way to get on in life or the way to higher thinking and plain living that will ultimately benefit society.

Charlotte felt the end of term exams were of great importance because they were not just a test of knowledge but records that could be permanently kept.

The knowledge of God is the “principle knowledge” and the Bible is used to further that knowledge. The children read or are read a passage. If there is a geographical or cultural reference, the teacher points this out before the reading. Then a narration follows.

After knowledge of God- history is the “pivot” on which the curriculum turns. History is so rich- it increases the knowledge of man through lives and events and turns the students mind towards patriotism. The study of one’s own country’s history was always present in each grade but it was studied alone only in the earlier grades.

Literature was not studied separately but alongside history bringing out the current thought of the time period. Poetry from the time period was always included. Civics was taught as a separate subject but is closely tied to history and ethics, which we would call every-day morals, that there is not a big separation.

Science is taught in the same manner using good books putting the children in touch with great inventors or discoverers. Art, Music, and Foreign Languages are also part of the curriculum for all students. The children are not taught drawing put often draw scenes from something that have read about or seen. They learn to read and narrate in French, German, Italian, Latin, & Greek.

This last thought from Charlotte shows good reason to not just “teach for the test”. “Education must be in touch with life. We must learn what we desire to know. If we work for public examinations, the questions in which must be of a narrow academic cast, we get a narrow, accurate, somewhat sterile type of mind. We reap as we have sown.”

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Book II Ch. 1

Theory Applied

A liberal education is the “birth-right” of every child. Charlotte felt all children could and should learn from “intellectual strong meat.” First we need to understand what she calls “the relativity of knowledge and the mind”. She points out: “The mind receives knowledge, not in order that it may know, but in order that it may grow, in breadth and depth, in sound judgment and magnanimity. But in order to grow, it must know.”

The mistake teachers make is to depreciate themselves and the office of teaching. Some are teaching as if it were a tiresome task of spoon-feeding watered down facts. Teachers should see themselves as part guide, philosopher, and friend to the students.

We depreciate the children when we view them as products of education and environment and not as persons. Adults either reverence or despise children. When we regard them as incomplete and undeveloped people, who one day will become complete we reverence them, unlike viewing them as weak and ignorant and that we need to “inform” that ignorance and whose weakness we must support, we actually commit the offence of despising them.

We begin to lose the child’s mind the day he starts school because we embrace the belief that a child only knows what they see and handle rather than what they conceive in their mind and figures in their thoughts.

In England education systems, common thought in the years before WWI was that it didn’t matter what a child learned only how they learned it. “Knowledge” was not taken seriously. Then some, like Charlotte, started to see that ignorance was the stumbling block not only with the difficulties England faced at home but also abroad. Charlotte said that the only cure for ignorance is knowledge. But what is “knowledge”? She said that one thing is certain: nothing becomes knowledge to us until our minds “act upon it, translate it, transform it and absorbed it.” Basically until we ourselves process the information into ourselves it is not knowledge just facts. We may “teach” or “tell” the information to the student but until the act of self-education occurs, our efforts are like “putting veneer on the surface of a child’s nature.”

The results Charlotte was consistently getting in her school:

- Children, not teachers, are responsible for learning

- Teachers may sum up or enlarge the material but actual work is done by the students

- Students read in each term anywhere from 1,000 -3,000 pages, according to age, in a large number of books

- Only a single reading of material is presented

- Readings are tested by narration or by writing on a test passage.

- No revision is attempted for the final exam because too much ground has been covered and students “know” what they have learned.

- What has been read the children know and are able to write it with ease and fluency. They usually spell well too.

- Exams last one week and the children write between 20-60 sheets of paper according to age and class.

- It is rare that children are not able to answer all the questions on exams in history, literature, citizenship, geography and science. Some do better in one subject than another by writing more in one than another but all children know the answers to the set questions.

Teaching begins this way when the children are six years old. Charlotte not only educated the clever child using these methods also but the average children and even, what she called, “backward” children. The time spent learning during the day was the same or less than other schools with more learning accomplished. The students didn’t need to “take notes” or “cram” or do hours of homework because the “knew” the material presented.

The desire for knowledge, also known as, curiosity, is the “chief agent in education.” The natural desire for knowledge is lost when we use other vices such as, prizes, marks, or praise.

When we grasp the concept of children being born persons then the understanding that they are born with the “power of attention, avidity of knowledge, clearness of thought, discrimination in books even before they can read and the power of dealing with many subjects” enables us to confidently educate our children using these methods.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Chapter 10 Sect. III Knowledge of the Universe

(b) Mathematics & (c) Physical developments, Handicrafts

Mathematics reveals truth to inevitable law. The fact that two plus two makes four and can never make five is a truth that cannot be changed. Charlotte says”it is a great thing to be brought into the presence of a law-of a whole system of laws, that exist without our concurrence.”

“Math is something we can perceive state and act upon but cannot alter.” This gives children a “sense of limitation which is wholesome for all of us.”

That being said, Charlotte felt that all subjects should be taught in proportion, one to another. In her day, if a child did not have natural aptitude for math, Higher education was not open to them. Charlotte felt, strongly, that math was necessary but should not have more importance placed on it than any other subject. She felt that math should be taught more from the teacher and less from a textbook. Math should be made a living subject. For ecample: studying Geometry by learning Euclid’s discoveries as he made them.

Charlotte didn’t include examples of teaching math in this section because she said the P.U.S. taught along the same lines and had the same standards as did any school.

(c) Physical development, Handicrafts

In this section Charlotte basically said there is no point in “detailing the teaching of games, dancing, physical exercise, needlework or other handicrafts”. If details were wanted she had a footnote to see the Parents’ Union School programs.

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 10 Sect. 3

Science

Charlotte Mason Felt that books dealing with science, just like those of history, should be living books of “literary character”. She recommended for 6 year olds, a book called “Life and Her Children”. From this the children would learn all about “earlier and lower” forms of life. The next school year they did more outdoor work using a book called “The Changing Year”. They would begin keeping Nature Note books and draw the differences of their surroundings through the changing seasons. The next year, or “Form III”, during one term, she would have the children make a sketch of a ditch, hedgerow, or the sea shore and put all the names of plants you would expect to find there and all the details about each plant. They would also make notes and drawings of what they studied through the year i.e.: What do you know about the parts of a flower? How would you find the “pole star”? etc. This takes several good book selections and the children should learn information from these sources and not just depend on their own “unassisted observations”. This continues, more in depth, as each year of school progresses. Science should be brought to the “common thought and experience” and not made a “utilitarian subject”.

Geography

In Charlotte’s day the schools approached Geography in what she called “utilitarian way” by focusing mostly on how the earth’s surface was profitable for the habitation of man.

Map work takes an important part in teaching Geography. Before any reading in any subject was done, the students located on a map the places, bodies of water, or mountain ranges etc. and discuss their location in relationship to other places they know of.

Children in the second year of school begin studying their own country, county by county or state by state, learning the differences between each. The next year the children begin to study the region of the world in which they live. (Example: in England they would study Europe). They would learn the diversities of people and the country’s history as well as land forms, rivers etc in that country. Study continues in each year moving through the different regions of the earth. Teachers should continue using “vivid descriptions, geographical principles, historical associations and industrial details” to bring the region to life. The older students also use current events from the newspaper to learn about those regions and countries reported on.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Sect. 2 The knowledge of Man pt. f Art

Charlotte begins this section with a statement that is so true. “There are few subjects regarded with more respect and less confidence in our schools than this of ‘Art’. Of course, we say, children should have their artistic powers cultivated especially those who have such powers, but how is the question.

One way art was taught in Charlotte’s day was to put models of cones and cubes and such before the student so they could copy what they saw. Charlotte states that art should not be approached with such a pre-paved way. Art is an extension of a person’s spirit and should be approached that way.

Children should learn art by “reading” the pictures, not through a book. The teacher chooses about six paintings from one artist to study each term. After a short story of the artists life, she may say a few words about the way he painted his sky’s or trees etc. Let the children not just see the work of art but really look at it. Then, the teacher would turn the picture over and ask the students to tell what they remember or to “narrate” the picture. As they get older, they should do written narrations of the artwork. Charlotte felt that the students should not copy or draw the picture because in attempting to copy a picture the reverence the child has for a great work would lessen. The children would practice drawing or painting in their nature notebooks. CM schools also introduce Architecture to the students by using modeling clay or handicrafts.

Music Appreciation was approached the same way. This did not mean learning an instrument but being exposed to great composers and their music. Appreciating music “has no more to do with playing an instrument than acting has to do with appreciating Shakespeare or painting has to do with the enjoyment of pictures.” Music Appreciation should be taught following the same manner as art appreciation. Choose one composer each term and listen to six pieces of their work over that term.

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 10 Sect. 2

The Knowledge of man
Morals and Economics: Citizenship
Children 6 years of age were introduced to “citizenship” by being read tales, fables, or biographies from which they could begin to draw conclusions as to the sense of community and how it runs.
Children 7-9 years old added the subject of Citizenship to their formal education. The book that Charlotte Mason used was Plutarch “Lives”. This was read aloud by the teacher and narrated orally by the students. From these ancient readings the students would then be asked what they knew of the local, nation, or church governments.
Books should not be altered with only examples of good or righteous men. Children should be protected from horrific accounts of happenings, such as found in a newspaper, but should be given examples of people who made wrong choices from accounts like that of Plutarch or the Bible.
For all ages it was of utmost importance to make sure the examples of the lives of the people read about were not drenched in “grossness” or sordid tales. If a biographical reading was of value but did contain undesired portions the teacher would edit out the undesired sections keeping the content accurate.
The lessons should not just focus on government policies or laws of the land but should inspire the students to live exemplary lives themselves as to be of true service to God and their country. They should learn to guard their minds and thoughts. To fill their minds with worthy things to think upon so sin cannot encroach.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 10 Sect. 2

The Knowledge of Man
Pt. b Literature
Children age six began their literature study with Fairy Tales like Grimm or Anderson. The children are eager to narrate with vivid recall, these types of stories. Charlotte also used Aesop’s fables or Mrs. Gatty’s Parables from Nature with the same success.
Children ages 7-9 would begin having The Pilgrim’s Progress read aloud to them which they would then narrate from. Charlotte used a book called Tales of Troy and Greece which she would introduce at age 7 and continue to use each year through age 9. She would also add Water babies by Kingsly, Alice and Wonderland, and Just So Stories by Kipling. The children began to appreciate the great names of heroes like Ulysses and Achilles in an age that seemed to be breaking away from historical influences. By ages 8-9 the students were reading a great deal of the work for themselves. They individually read their own geography, History, and Poetry. The read alouds at this age consisted of things like Shakespeare’s Twelfth night, Rob Roy by Scott or Gulliver’s’ Travels from which they would narrate. This kind of schedule continued until 10 years of age. Teachers may have also included one or two books along the lines of a book entitled The Heroes of Asgard.
From ages 10-12, students would have more individual reading added to their work as well as a few more additional books.
All children read or were read the same material and took from it according to the individual understanding level. Nothing was “dumbed” down. Children who were bright naturally would take more from the readings than a child who was duller but that was ok. Each understood and took from it what they individually needed.
At age 13, the text, The History of English Literature was introduced. Students would read about 50 pages per term and the material would coincide with their history readings.
The object of literature study was not which author wrote during each time period studies but to read material from broad time spans to appreciate the living pictures authors give us of past time periods.
From ages 15-18, reading is more comprehensive and difficult. It also follows along with the History time periods they are studying. They would read things like: Popes’ “Essay on man” or Thackeray’s “The Virginians”. Narrations were still expected in the higher “grades” or “forms.”

The Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 10 Sect. 2

The Knowledge of man
'History'
Most of the teaching of history in Charlotte’s day was a very little bit if English history given in the form of lectures where the students took notes and wrote a report. The knowledge of history should be more than “impression” or “opinions”
Charlotte says: “Now the method I am advocating has this advantage; it multiplies time. Each school period is quadrupled in time value and we find that we get through a surprising amount of history in a thorough way, in about the same time that in most schools afford no more than a skeleton of English history only.”
The focus is on using the right books. The teacher’s part was to see that every child knows and can tell back what they heard either in oral narratives or written essays. By using this method no revision is necessary for the final examination.
Passages are read only once because if the student knows there will be second or third reading they will not pay attention.
The Method
At six years old, begin reading to the child from a book that is well written and well illustrated. In Charlotte’s schools the six year olds began with ‘our Island Story’. They would cover about 40 pages each term which would be about the first third of the book. This was read out loud to the children and then one student would “tell back” after each paragraph or passage. The teacher does not say anything while the child is talking and is careful not to interrupt them. Afterwards, the teacher allows the other children to correct anything that was not told correctly.
At seven years old they continued reading ‘Our Island Story’ and would read about the same number of pages per term completing the book. Added to this would be short biographies of the people connected with the time frame they were reading about in ‘Our Island Story’. Field trips to historical monuments that were significant to the material read were also visited.
From ages 9-12 a more difficult book was used from which they would read about 50 pages per term. A book about the social life of people from the periods read about was also added.
Charlotte Mason also introduced the histories of other contemporary nations at the same time that she began English history, even with the six year olds. She would begin with France and used a book called “The First History of France”. They read about the same time periods so the children would begin to understand the world view of history unfolding in other countries, not just their own.
Ancient history was also introduced to the students. They used a book that was written to parallel the time periods on display at the British Museum. They also added a “book of centuries” where the children drew things/objects they came across.
The next year they would continue with the above readings and add a short book on the history of India.
At age 12 the children began to read a book called ‘The Students History of England’. This was a little more in depth than what they had been reading. They also added a book called ‘The History of Everyday things in England’. Outlines of European History were introduced as well and the book of centuries was continued.
From ages 15-18 the study of English history is more in-depth and depended more on readings from great literature and essays by well known authors. The history of France was continued in the same way as well as of that of Western Europe. The study of Greek and Roman history was continued though not as detailed as prior years. History charts were made instead of a book of centuries. This was a square paper divided into 100 small squares where an illustration was added in each square of some significant event that happened in that 10 year period. Also, at this level many readings dealing with social happenings were added through plays, novels, essays etc.
Geography was studied as a separate subject. All history at all levels was studied chronologically. When they reached current day they began again.
Charlotte Mason thought that the saddest thing a school could do was to fail in giving the students a “comprehensive, intelligent, and interesting introduction to history.” Students should know not only their own countries history but also need to learn and appreciate the histories of other peoples as well.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch.10

Section 1: The Knowledge of God
This Chapter begins with a look at the “curriculums” taught in most school systems in Charlotte’s day, which are not unlike our own. They focused on teaching material at the elementary age to “test well” enough to enter a preparatory school for high school, then in high school to test well enough to enter a university, and in the university we teach the student based only on his future work without realizing that this alone doesn’t make him profitable to society. We should aim for a program that is “wide” rather than to pick and choose what the child is taught. Charlotte said “because the relationships a child is born to are very various, the knowledge we offer him must be various too.”
Section 1
The Knowledge of God
Of all three kinds of knowledge: the knowledge of God, of Man, and of the Universe, the knowledge of God is the most important. Charlotte says “mothers are on the whole more successful in communicating this knowledge than teachers who know the children less well and have a narrower, poorer standard of measurement for their minds.” It was common thought that in the educational publications of the day that we need to “bring concepts down to their ‘little minds’.” Charlotte calls this “foolish prejudice” and says we should be “astonished at the range and depth of children’s minds." Teachers do not have the same “tender opportunities” that mothers have to point out the love God has for each child as she walks through day to day events.
One point Charlotte makes is that the teachers adopted a view point that didn’t expect that “kiddies” could be expected to learn and know and so the children “lived down” to those expectations.
The PNEU schools began formal education at 6 years of age and the students were expected to make a conscious mental effort of telling again what they had been read to or heard. The process of “tell again” is how we all learn, by repeating what we want to remember –i.e.; phone numbers, conversations, etc. Charlotte says this is “as old as the mind of man and it is a shame that it has been used very little in education today.”
When giving the children knowledge of God we need to first use the Bible, not someone else’s interpretation but the real word of God. Both old and New Testament passages will be listened to with delight by the six year old child. Charlotte did use a type of commentary to give historical background to the scripture passages.
Between the ages of 6-12 the children are read the whole of the Old Testament. Students 12-15 years old read the Old Testament to themselves along with a book that presented the history of the Old Testament and included questions to think about. From ages 15-18 they would read the whole Old Testament again, along with an in-depth commentary. The New Testament was approached the same way. Children 6-12 were read Matthew, Mark and Luke. Students 13-15 added John and Acts along with the chosen commentaries. The upper grades or “forms” read a 6 volume set that arranged the New Testament in chronological order. The 17-18 year olds also added the Epistles and Revelation.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 9

‘The Way of Reason’

We should teach our children not to lean on their own understanding or reasoning. Reason functions in two ways. 1) It demonstrates mathematical truths and 2) it gives logical demonstration of the “initial ideas” that are accepted by the will. Most of the time we don’t even realize that reason is functioning, until we take a step back and see the point by point “argument” supporting one decision over another. Charlotte says this is “because every ‘pro’ suggested by our reason is opposed to some ‘con’ in the background. That is why people can take up both sides of a debate and present infallible proof to support their side of an argument and be convincing.

Reason can be used for both good and bad outcomes. The first example given is that of Shakespeare’s character Macbeth. In the beginning of the play Macbeth holds honors in the army as well as with his king but the idea of ambitious gain was presented to his will and his reason began to set up the arguments to achieve what he wanted, ending in tragedy. The second example given is of any inventor, army general, or discoverer that has made or done anything great. They used the power of reasoning to overcome all the ‘cons’ with the ‘pros’ to achieve his success.

It is worthwhile to ask our children “how did you think of that?” when they share a new game they invented or some other imagined “play”. They most likely will tell you of the idea that “put in into his head” and then the reasoned steps that led up to the finished “game or play” will follow.

We should present to our children examples like that of Eve in the garden when the persuasive arguments, reasoned out, led to disobedience and the consequences that followed. They should be told that when they want to choose to do the wrong thing, reason can convince them it is a good idea. We need to train them to use the power of reason to do what is right. They should recognize that reasonable is not necessarily right. We can train children that although reason works involuntarily, and all the enticing steps flow one after another, they cannot say they were forced into the wrong choice and couldn’t help it. Truthfully, it is not “reason” that that begins the process. Reason only comes into play after the choice to think about something is made. So if we choose to think about something good, excellent reasons will “hurry along to support it.” Likewise, if we choose to think of something bad, reason again will present arguments to make wrong seem right.

The power of reasoning is already present in our minds from birth. It is like all other powers of the mind in that it only “wants material to work upon.” Reason is no different than any other part of human make-up, it is “subject to habit and works upon material it is accustomed to handle.”

We as teachers must understand that “reason” should not only be fed by learning math. When using reason to figure out mathematical problems you learn that the logic is absolute and right. For example, 2+2=4 and not 5. This is supported by “reason” and in this case reason is proven right. But with the problems of life or the persuasion of a false religion or a political form of government “reason” can present arguments of persuasion to make wrong seem right.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 8

“The Way of the Will”
The function of the will is to choose or to decide and when the decisions take more effort the weaker the general will becomes. It seems that we tend to take on the opinions of society and the habits we develop are those of convenience but it is acceptable, so that is all we think is necessary for a decent and orderly life. But the one thing we should achieve is Character. Character is shaped like fine metal which is repeatedly beaten into shape and beauty by the force of “will”. Our aim in educating our children should be placed less on conduct and more on character. To quote Charlotte “Conduct may be arrived at, as we have seen, by indirect routes, but it is of value to the world only as it has its source in character. The will has only one action and that is to choose. Every choice we make we grow in force of character.
All of our lives we will be exposed to the opinions of others, whether it is in how we should take care of ourselves physically or what we should teach to educate the mind. The tendency is to accept what “makes sense to us” and follow the path of least resistance. Charlotte felt very strongly that teachers should not intrude on the minds of children but to “afford to each child a full reservoir of right thought of the world to draw from. For right thinking is by no means a matter of self-expression.” The “right thoughts” should come from ideas in great books about the lives of other men, nations, inventions, etc. Charlotte says “to fortify the will is one of the great purposes of education.” Parents need instruction on strengthening the will. It won’t just come as second nature to us. We should carefully expose them to characters, real or fiction, who are impulsive, self-pleasing, self-seeking, those who are willful, verses those examples of characters who are governed by will. “The will” cannot be exercised for personal gain repeatedly and grow strong. It needs to think outside ourselves to become powerful. The Bible tells us to “choose you this day whom ye shall serve.” Charlotte says there are only two services to choose from: 1 God, which includes others or 2 self. There is no act of will to serve ourselves because our desires are always there to show us what to choose but when our goal is to serve God first we are always watching to choose between right or wrong ideas that present themselves.
Charlotte says that “What we get in our youth we keep through our lives”. Although the “will” effects all our actions and all our thoughts it really only has one role of function and that is to accept an idea or reject it. Our consciences and reasons have an effect but our “will” is the supreme and our behavior will be determined by all the principles and opinions we have formed from our youth. When an unworthy idea presents itself that is supported by public opinion or we can reason it justifiable, and the will is weary of choosing, how should we handle this? By diversion- think of something else, even if it is something trivial, as long as we don’t think of how we “ought” to think about the idea in question. The weary will does not need arguments of support but rest. After a short time of rest the will is ready to choose the right path, even if it is a difficult or tiresome path.
Charlotte Mason says “the way of the will is a secret power of self government “. She says the statement of our will being a “free will” is true. Our will can only be free no matter if the choice is right or wrong. But many take “free will” to mean “free thought”. We forget that it is “the will” that orders our thoughts. If we belong to Christ we are not our own and are not free to think however we choose.
The ordering of the will does not happen suddenly. It is the “outcome of an ordered education” full of examples from the lives of great men. However the moment of choice is immediate and the action of the will is voluntary. The object of education is to prepare us for the immediate choices of everyday life. In training the will we need to be careful to not use words like “self-knowledge or self control” because Charlotte Mason says that education must be “outward bound” because the mind that focuses on “self”, even if some of the thoughts are righteous, misses the highest purpose of life. Duty and service to God and others is good reason to put our children through the training of their will, even though it is hard work.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 7

“How we make use of our mind”

Herbart was a German philosopher that had developed a system of education that believed that children were “empty vessels” waiting to be filled by the teacher. Charlotte begins this chapter by pointing out that “our business is not to examine the psychology of Herbart…but rather to consider how Herbartian methods work out practically in education.” She begins by stating that Herbart’s psychology is attractive to teachers that want to “magnify their office” and how rewarding it is when the child graduates as the new creation of his teacher. This method is summed up as the teacher selects the “ideas” and then shows the student how they relate to each other. The work is complete and the ideas” enter the mind and grow and those that are the strongest rule and if they are “good” the “man is made”. Next she gives a detailed description of a lesson plan from a school using this way of educating that resembles a unit study approach where every subject is based in that unit. She points out that while it may look like much has been accomplished it really is setting the child up to be bored with learning. We already have learned that the mind needs ideas to feed upon. It may be that children appear to like easy lessons and abridged story books but in Charlotte’s words, “they like lollipops but cannot live upon them.” And yet there are schools that are trying to “supply the intellectual , moral, and religious needs of children by appropriate ‘sweetmeats’” When children are given books of great literary quality the mind takes the ideas presented and sorts, arranges, selects, rejects, and classifies the material all by itself.
Herbartian philosophy puts the burden of education on the teacher, which then exalts the teacher as the “chief agent” in education. This method appeals to teachers who hope to change the world with the children they have raised to a higher level. It also is appealing to education committees and administrators. They are relieved because the responsibility can then fall on the teachers to educate, because teachers can just turn on the faucet and out will flow the knowledge. They like the fact that the lessons are pleasing to watch and listen to. Lessons that are planned in this format may not show flaws in the practical working of the method, however, later, it “gives rise to dismay and anxiety among thoughtful people.”
Next we are introduced to a Mr. A Paterson who wrote a book criticizing the schools of the day. Charlotte Mason quotes him extensively in this section but basically he found problems with a system where the boys were given extensive lessons but were not trained to do the thinking themselves. Many were found struggling in their jobs because prior to graduating, the “thinking” had been done for them.
It was common in her day to educate young people according to their chosen vocation. They, too, had “trade” schools. She makes the point that employers have said that workers that had education specific to the trade did not produce any better than a boy who was a hard worker and learned doing the job. We put so much effort educating for profession because we believe that this is how young people will become beneficial to society but we forget that “man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, shall man live.” The Spiritual life of man is far more important. The spiritual life also requires the food of ideas. Charlotte Mason concludes “like the old saying goes knowledge is a virtue and knowledge informed by religion will result in seeing that righteousness exalteth a nation.”

Philosophy of Education vol. 6 ch. 6 pt. 3

“Education is a life”
Food is to the body what gas is to a car, the source of energy. The mind works as it is fed education. The mind is only nourished on ideas. If we only feed our minds a diet of information as in dry facts, Charlotte likens this to a meal of sawdust.
So what is an idea? It is “a living thing of the mind” according to the greatest thinkers from the days of Plato to the present.
An idea is something that “strikes us” or “catches hold of”, “impresses” and if the idea is big enough, “possesses us”. Charlotte says “in a word, it behaves like an entity”. Everyone has said “I have an idea” when a grand thought rises in the mind. Charlotte believed that ideas were present everywhere but in the sphere of education. She gives the example of textbooks that were nothing more than dry facts.
Charlotte Mason includes several passages from Coleridge describing how many men, such as Columbus, were “given the ideas to explore or discover. And those ideas, Coleridge says, were “presented to chosen minds by God, a Higher Power than Nature itself”.
Indefinite ideas express themselves like an appetite and should draw the children towards things that are honest and of good report, and should not just be offered at a scheduled time but should surround them like the air they breathe.
Definite ideas are conveyed as “meat “to the mind rather than simply inhaled like air. Definite ideas are Spiritual in origin and God created us to convey them to one another either in word, writing, Scripture, or music and we must feed a child’s inner life like we feed his body. Charlotte points out that a child will probably reject about 9/10th of all the ideas we give just like the body only keeps what it needs and rejects the rest. Our business is to supply abundance and variety and his to take what he needs from this vast buffet. Just like in the natural, children hate to be forced fed and they despise pre-digested food. Her example of how to avoid teaching this way is found in the way Jesus taught. He used parables. They were unforgettable stories and yet the reader takes the lesson in and applies it without a trace of force. Our downfall in educating is that we tend to offer opinions rather than ideas in our teaching. Instead of just teaching math or geometry, we should put them in touch with Pythagoras through use of a great biographical story. They will then see where the idea for these concepts originated making the subject more alive.
To sum up this section, Charlotte says she wants to enforce the fact that human thoughts expressed through great reading and Art should not be considered a luxury to be given in bits and pieces but rather the “bread of life” for children and therefore they should have a broad and liberal curriculum offered to them daily.

Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 Ch. 6 part 2

“Education is a discipline”
It is not necessary to labor as a teacher to get the children to learn their lessons. If the lessons are the right kind of lessons the children will be delighted to learn them. More effort should be placed on learning good habits and those habits that are needed for learning are formed by themselves through the use of the right curriculum. Charlotte stresses that this happens when the children process their work and tell what they have read. This she calls the “act of knowing”. She makes the point that if this process is not done the material goes into “the dustbin of our memories”. This act of knowing produces a two-fold reward. The first is the habit of attention and the second is an educated person. From this education also flow the habits of: a fitting expression, obedience, good will, right thinking, right judging, neatness and order (which flow from self-respect). All of these habits can be obtained from an education that “respects the personality of children”. The chief function of an education should be establishing a way of thinking in children that will provide a good and useful life full of “clear thinking and enjoyment” but most of all it should have a positive effect on their spiritual lives.
Forming habits is unavoidable. Either we lay down good habits with right actions or bad habits with wrong actions form themselves “of their own accord”. Charlotte compared habits to fire- “fire is a bad master but an indispensable servant.” She asks us to think about how hard life would be if every act of grooming or eating required the effort of a decision. Our days would seem so long with little productivity. She feels that most of the indecision or hesitation of adults doing or not doing things, in her day, was because the “right rails of habits” were not laid down properly for right behavior to easily run upon. We all admire the way a soldier carries himself but most shrink from the discipline it takes to produce such carriage. Charlotte says there is no other way of forming any good habit except through the strenuousness of working through a conflict. In other words - it’s hard work. The bad habits of the easy way or laziness always look pleasant but the good habit will be formed through the pain of resistance. We must each, internally, purpose ourselves to resist the bad habit and adopt the good. We have heard “sow an act reap a habit- sow a habit reap a character” but Charlotte says we need to go back one step further. We need to sow an “idea” or thought. The habit is formed by entertaining a thought which leads to an action which produces the habit. When training the habit we need to be consistent to point out the slightest slip up. The example given is of a boy who was working on being punctual to class and making great efforts on forming the habit. After days of punctual arrival he arrives late and the teacher lets him slip with no rebuke or penalty. The boy learns it doesn’t matter and the wrong habit starts to form. The habit of an ordered life is to make life “easy and spontaneous”. Charlotte says that physical fitness, morals, and manners are the outcome of habit. Most of all, habits in our Spiritual life become strong and give us the ability to live a “godly, righteous and sober life.” There is an excerpt written by a young person named DeQincey on his feelings about going to church. He describes the church, an ancient one, with beautiful details and tells how his heart was touched by a part of the liturgy that spoke about God healing the sick. This narration did not come from a child that was “bored” with church but had developed habits, not only in Spiritual training but also through beautifully written books. By reading literature with a vast vocabulary, the habit of attention was formed and he was able to grasp the message given from the pulpit easily. There is obvious value in forming good habits. It is very important to expose the children to men and women with “great minds” and “wise thoughts” through great books so they can gain courage from right opinions. Otherwise what will happen is, as soon as the young person graduates from school they will “run after the first fad that presents itself, try it for a while and then take up another to be discarded in its turn, and remain uncertain and ill–guided for the rest of their days.