When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today

by Eve Anderson

Charlotte Mason was very explicit about how the atmosphere of the school classroom is affected by the teacher making herself the “showman of the universe.” This type of teaching in effect denies that the child is a person who can act upon the knowledge he receives and retrieves, and that he must be directed as to how, what, and when he should think. Though the masterly inactivity of Mason does imply a master, it is the role of the teacher to get out of the way. The teacher is the master by planning the lesson, having available all the necessary resources, and then deftly guiding the flow. As master, she guards against inappropriate materials or diversions, keeping intact the foundational principles that we discussed earlier. There is never a doubt to her authority, but she never lets herself get in the way of the learning. She is inactive in the sense that she lets the natural curiosity and interest of the students take its course within the confines of the discussion. Often ideas come that lead to connections with truths learned in other subjects, for which she is delighted as students make these transitions. Overall she lets the living books and other resources speak for themselves and does not consider herself the students’ only source of information. Does she share her own stories and information that would benefit her students? Absolutely, but not in a continual lecture format day in and day out that produces an unhealthy attachment of the students. Individual pursuit...