a "living" education
by Dawn Davis
with photos by Ryan Davis

"To form in his child right habits of thinking and behaving is a parent's chief duty. To nourish a child daily with loving, right, and noble ideas is the parent's next duty. The child, having once received the idea, will assimilate it in his own way, and work it into the fabric of his life. Nourish him with ideas which may bear fruit in his life." — Charlotte Mason

Born in England in 1842, Charlotte Mason introduced methods and philosophies which changed education in her day. Her approach continues to impact educators and is eagerly accepted by many homeschoolers who find it a welcome change from traditional methods. A motto of Charlotte Mason and those using her methods is "An education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." Mason felt that all children, regardless of social class, deserved a liberal education, one in which parents could play a vital role.

Penny Gardner, well known author and homeschool mother of six, has been using the Charlotte Mason approach since 1994. Gardner holds degrees in Elementary and Music Education, and is the author of Charlotte Mason Study Guide; Nine-Note Recorder Method: Easy Duets for Beginners; and Easy Duets for Christians: A Nine-Note Recorder Book. Gardner's Charlotte Mason Study Guide reduces Mason's often daunting Original Home Schooling Series to bite-sized pieces. She encourages the reader to implement Mason's methods and dig deeper into the Charlotte Mason six volume book series.



Gardner, visited San Diego in April to share her passion for the Charlotte Mason philosophies and methods of home education. Nearly fifty homeschoolers, some from as far as Los Angeles, attended the San Diego Homeschooling-sponsored event at Point Loma Nazarene University.

Gardner introduced many of the core elements of Charlotte Mason-style homeschooling: living books, narration, copywork, dictation, nature notebooks, short lessons, art and music appreciation and Charlotte Mason's particular approach to both history and science.

"Narration," Gardner explained, "is the cornerstone of the Charlotte Mason method."

Narration is the cornerstone of the Charlotte Mason method.

Through narration, the student retells in their own words what they learn from lessons or experiences. In contrast, traditional assessment involves testing students for what they do not know or recall. Mason recommended that narration begin when the student was verbally capable of sharing what they knew, about age six. Eventually, the student reaches a developmental level where written narration becomes appropriate much of the time.

Living books are written by authors with passion and personal knowledge of the subject and a desire to share what they feel deeply about with the reader. These books, such as String, Straightedge, and Shadow by Julia Diggins, bring subjects like science and math closer to the student.

Music is another core element of the Charlotte Mason method, in which seminar attendees received a hands-on lesson using recorders provided by Gardner. Even those who didn't read music were able to play a tune, and gained confidence in showing their students how fun and easy the recorder is to learn.

"Penny has a way of sharing Charlotte Mason's ideas so that you feel you can really go home and implement these methods," said one seminar attendee, "It was so inspiring!"

Gardner hopes to return to San Diego in the near future for a more in-depth seminar to go beyond scratching the surface of Mason's approach.

For more information on Penny Gardner and her books:

Charlotte Mason Approach

Penny Gardner on Amazon


Links to Charlotte Mason websites:

A Charlotte Mason Education

The Charlotte Mason Research & Supply Company

Ambleside Online