The Story of Charlotte Mason, 1842-1923

by Essex Cholmondeley

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) orphaned and poor at the age of sixteen, nonetheless developed into an inspiring and original educational reformer of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, a period of great intellectual vitality and cultural change. Enabled through the help of friends and colleagues she founded the Parents National Educational Union (PNEU) in 1887 and established the The House of Education, the Teacher Training College for women in Ambleside in 1892. The clarity and coherence of her applied philosophy of education established the foundation for a simple, stimulating and deeply satisfying enjoyment of learning for children of all ages in countless homes and schools in Britain and the world. In her biography, Essex Cholmondeley draws on her own experiences of Mason's teaching, as well as her extensive literary output, to unfold her life and work. Whilst she and Elsie Kitching lacked full details of Mason's family history, a warm and lively personality emerges, able to inspire other people with her own splendid vision.

Genres: Biography, Education, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

287 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2021

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this biography of Charlotte Mason!
It was much better than I had been led to believe mostly because of the extensive quotes of CM’s works.

But it also detailed a few walks Charlotte took which is helpful in a project I am pretending to work on.

Finally, and most significantly it deals at some length towards the end on the concept Charlotte had of the dangers of self-consciousness. In this time of selfies and influencers and most especially platforms to show off our bona fides sometimes referred to as children, Charlotte’s words are life saving.

Charlotte’s philosophy is so genius in that she honors the personality without expecting Children to learn by looking within themselves. Sheer genius.

[Lauren Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really do not have a category for how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had intended to read it for a while now, but the Spirit without a doubt timed my reading of it this past month. From planning a trip to England myself to being in the midst of a writing project, there was just so much practical and philosophical wisdom that was inspiring to me. Essex excels at painting the picture of Charlotte's limitations in terms of familial support, wealth, and connections, but also all the ways that she was rich, especially in friendships, her faith, and the many benefits that came from practically living out her philosophy. She was beloved by so many, even those who never met her and I count myself to be in that number. She would never want to say that she influenced others, but merely that she propagated her philosophy among many and I am grateful that through the Spirit's leading in my own life, her philsophy has indeed taken root. I highly recommend this book to all Charlotte Mason educators.

[Anne White]

Good for filling in details of PNEU history; but the essays at the end alone are worth the price of the book.

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really helpful and a pleasant read. I'm curious that so many of the added readings are from vol 3 which is one many people never get to, but is a super important volume.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few biographies of Charlotte Mason. At times, this book veers into pure hagiography but it is still a fascinating read about this woman of very humble birth and parentage who changed the face of education with her philosophy on how children learn. The number of people who revered her is very impressive. She influenced the wealthy and the titled as well as the poorer communities.

This book made me wish I could have met her and shared a cup of tea!

[Angie Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can appreciate and love Charlotte Mason even more after getting the behind the scenes look at her upbringing and work in the PNEU. She truly is an amazing woman! I am so blessed to have her ideas and influence in my life.

[Heather Gorsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect introduction to Charlotte Mason and her works!

The first part details her life’s work and how her volumes were written over a lifetime, the establishment of the Parents Educational Union (later National), the first and continual issuance of the Parents Review magazine, the opening of the House of Education at Scale How and the Parents Union School, and finally her liberal education for all movement.

The second part gave a smattering of her principles: her motto, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life;” her foundation, “Children are born persons;” one of her meditations (a lifelong Sunday practice); some other writings, and a tribute given at a conference held in her memory upon her passing.

I particularly loved the appendixes with a synopsis of each volume she wrote, a timeline of significant events, and a list of her principles.

If you want to have a good foundation for understanding Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy, this book is the perfect place to start!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We must have a working philosophy of education. No one can live without a philosophy which points out the order, means, and end of effort, intellectual or other.” A nice biography of Charlotte Mason and nice that it acknowledges the overall activity of the time with other educational reformers in Europe and England for context. I enjoyed reading her words and seeing her tender heart for teaching and loving young children, and passion for opening up opportunities for girls to get an education. An influential reformer and quite fun to read her biography alongside other interesting but also lonely Victorian age children who grew and became influential around the same time period, such as Beatrix Potter & Rudolf Steiner. Charlotte Mason’s work will truly stand the ages, I think.

[Laura McCarter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this as an introduction to Charlotte Mason. It includes many of excerpts from her writings and others in her life. It was a good first choice for me before diving into her own writing.