Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was an innovative educator who developed a unique approach to education. During her lifetime she developed a Philosophy of Education designed for homes, private schools, and homeschools. Her blend of practices (she never claimed to have invented these, only to having adapted and combined them) includes Narration and copywork, Nature Notebooks, Fine Arts, Languages, a Literature based curriculum instead of textbooks, and real-life applications. Two key mottos taken from her principles are “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life” and “Education is the science of relations.” She believed that children were born persons and should be respected as such; they should also be taught the Way of the Will and the Way of Reason.