Charlotte Mason

In my forays into education, I have stumbled across the name Charlotte Mason several times. Most recently, my sister-in-law pointed me to a blog that posts each day a selection from her writings.

I think that I am going to be an avid reader. From my appraisal so far, she appears to approach discipline much like Ted Tripp, in that obedience is central and not optional.

Law Ensures Liberty.––The children who are trained to perfect obedience may be trusted with a good deal of liberty: they receive a few directions which they know they must not disobey; and for the rest, they are left to learn how to direct their own actions, even at the cost of some small mishaps; and are not pestered with a perpetual fire of ‘Do this’ and ‘Don’t do that!’ (source)

Moreover, she sees discipline and education as intricately intertwined, which dovetails nicely with my inclination to classical education.

However, even a cursory glance at her reading will reveal that she believes that discipline and education are the role of the mother. So, if you apprehend the same, and are offended, leave the offense there. I think she has much good to say for fathers who can read her wisdom for mothers as being wise for both parents.

If you know of other good online resources for Mason's pedagogy, please share!