Charlotte Mason Poetry

Conference Lessons — Class II (Claxton)

Transcription Team — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:34:54 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Today we share the third in our series of retrospectives from the 1915 PNEU annual conference. The first described the demonstration lessons by Eleanor Frost and the second described the lessons of M. W. Kitching. Our third installment contains the narrative by Kathleen M. Claxton, a 1914 graduate of the …

The post Conference Lessons — Class II (Claxton) first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Personality of the Teacher

Transcription Team — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:24:29 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In 1919, a set of students at Charlotte Mason’s House of Education were each invited “to write an essay on some subject suggested by the volumes of the ‘Home Education Series.’”[1] Charlotte Mason herself then reviewed these essays and published them in the opening pages of the November 1919 issue …

The post The Personality of the Teacher first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

“GRIT”

Transcription Team — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 10:19:39 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In the second year of The Parents’ Review, the first issue (March 1891) included an article by Mrs. James Ward entitled “GRIT.”[1] The title was in all capital letters and enclosed in quotation marks. I like to think of the article as a detailed meditation on Charlotte Mason’s statement that …

The post “GRIT” first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Episode 500

Charlotte Mason Poetry Team — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:06:45 +0000

Today marks a major milestone for the Charlotte Mason Poetry podcast: our 500th episode! For this special episode we gathered together several members of our core and volunteer teams to have a roundtable discussion about the podcast. How did it start? How did these key volunteers get involved? What were some major events along the …

The post Episode 500 first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Conference Lessons — Class IA

Transcription Team — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:50:37 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In June of 1915, the PNEU held its 19th annual conference. This conference promised an interesting feature: The morning of June 15th will be devoted to classes of children who live in or near London and who are members of the Parents’ Union School. These classes will be taught by …

The post Conference Lessons — Class IA first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Place of Classics in a Modern Education

Transcription Team — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:24:25 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff W. H. D. Rouse (1863–1950) was a classical scholar and educational reformer whose fascinating story is told in The Living Word by Christopher Stray. Rouse is best-known today as a pioneer of the “direct method” of teaching Latin and Greek. His approach emphasized oral and conversational use of classical languages …

The post The Place of Classics in a Modern Education first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Swedish Drill in the 21st Century

Melissa Petermann — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:30:20 +0000

G. K. Chesterton said: Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a …

The post Swedish Drill in the 21st Century first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Rousseau (1712–1788)

Transcription Team — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:07:07 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In 2024, a leading educationist posited an ideological link between Charlotte Mason and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. “Her ideas about children,” he said, “are … from Émile, by Rousseau, but she probably never read it.”[1] Now, Mason’s 1910 article “Two Educational Ideals” proves beyond doubt that Mason not only read but carefully …

The post Rousseau (1712–1788) first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Teaching of Citizenship, by Laura Faunce

Transcription Team — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:23:38 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Laura Faunce was a House of Education graduate who spoke on the topic of citizenship at the 17th annual PNEU Conference in 1913. Eight years later, at the 9th annual Conference of Educational Associations in London, she was called on to revisit the topic, this time to an audience that …

The post The Teaching of Citizenship, by Laura Faunce first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Faith Without Guile

Transcription Team — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:27:13 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In the Western tradition, August 24 is the feast day of St. Bartholomew. In 1924, that date fell on a Sunday. The Rev. Francis Lewis evidently chose this as the theme for his sermon that day, presumably preached at St. Mary’s Church in Ambleside. At that time Elsie Kitching had …

The post Faith Without Guile first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Knowledge the Pathway to the Dawn

Transcription Team — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:23:09 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The 23rd annual conference of the PNEU was held in London in June of 1921. The report from the conference stated: Although Miss Mason was so far away at the moment, she was ever with them in spirit, her activities unceasing, and her interest as keen as ever, and thousands …

The post Knowledge the Pathway to the Dawn first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

With a Difference

Transcription Team — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:41:08 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff This article by Elsie Kitching first appeared in the December 1921 issue of The Parents’ Review. By E.K. The Parents’ Review, 1921, pp. 876-888 “To see a child in itself implies benediction.” —Wordsworth. “What is the P.N.E.U.? Oh, it’s a society for parents and teachers. Yes, but what does it …

The post With a Difference first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Fire in the Bones

Sheila Carroll — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:02:59 +0000

Keeping Faith with Natural Law in Changing Times “Like religion, education is nothing or it is everything—a consuming fire in the bones.” — Charlotte Mason, Formation of Character, p. 145 There are moments when a teaching parent senses that something essential has slipped away—learning hasn’t failed; the inner fire has dimmed. The only antidote is …

The post Fire in the Bones first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Wandering in Wealth

Heather Suemnicht — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:01:33 +0000

Walking from Worry to Wonder Sometimes, our earnest efforts to educate our children according to Charlotte Mason’s philosophy seem to lead only to detours or dead ends—whether because we struggle to grasp her approach fully or because life disrupts our carefully laid plans. Instead of following a sure path, we feel like we are meandering …

The post Wandering in Wealth first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Sacred and Sane

Nancy Kelly — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:50:03 +0000

Breadth and Balance in a Charlotte Mason Education The main marks of a living education are breadth and balance — Charlotte Mason’s ideal. She wanted to give each person a chance of expanding in all directions. Did Miss Mason emphasize knowledge over character? How much emphasis should we place on narration? Is my school out …

The post Sacred and Sane first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Outside-in or Inside-out

Art Middlekauff — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:54:29 +0000

Education and the Child Who Is a Person My son Palmer was wrapping up his sophomore year in college. He was near the end of his last pure math class, Calculus 4, and I was there with him to the end, learning with him, supporting him, tutoring him. The very last topic was Laplace transforms. …

The post Outside-in or Inside-out first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A New Educational Frontier

Keegan Spittle — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:53:36 +0000

So many of us either have already learned or are in the process of discovering that Charlotte Mason provided an incredible system for a living K–12 education. Her thoughts and ideas have been further developed and spread through various publications, retreats, and websites such as this one. But if you have any children who went …

The post A New Educational Frontier first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Idyll Challenge VI

Art Middlekauff — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:05:12 +0000

The year is 1921. You’ve just heard about a revolutionary new method of education where children actually love to learn. It’s been developed by a woman named Charlotte M. Mason, who is still living. You find out that the method is especially suited to teaching one’s own children at home, which is exactly what you …

The post Idyll Challenge VI first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Imagination in Childhood

Transcription Team — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:02:00 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The November 2, 1915 edition of the Times Educational Supplement included an article by Maria Montessori. Charlotte Mason was swift to reply, and her letter was published in the December 7 issue of the same periodical. Three months later it was reprinted in the March 1916 Parents’ Review. It is …

The post The Imagination in Childhood first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Charlotte Mason Feast Spread for Our Children with Special Needs

Kathy Dlugolonski — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:01:46 +0000

A carefully selected living book. A comfy couch. Blankets and snuggles. Excellent and attentive narration. Core memories made. Hearts touched. Loving education as the atmosphere on which we build our lives. This was what I thought homeschooling would be like. No one bouncing on a yoga ball. No one interrupting my perfectly curated artist study, …

The post A Charlotte Mason Feast Spread for Our Children with Special Needs first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Evolution of Home Education for Girls

Transcription Team — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:46:00 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Tabitha Wirges The beginning of this article explains the expectations surrounding a girl’s education at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century—ideas that will likely seem quite shocking to modern readers. As troubling as these views are, it is sad to realize that traces of such attitudes still …

The post The Evolution of Home Education for Girls first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

English Literature and the Teaching Methods of Miss Mason

Transcription Team — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:30:23 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff “Dear Mr. Household,” wrote Charlotte Mason in a letter dated March 27, 1922, “It is delightful to have a prospect of seeing & I hope hearing you.”[1] Miss Mason was referring to the upcoming PNEU Conference, to be held that year at the House of Education itself in Ambleside. The …

The post English Literature and the Teaching Methods of Miss Mason first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Holidays

Transcription Team — Tue, 26 May 2026 10:22:15 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Miss C. D. Lawe was the headmistress of St. Agnes School, a private school in Babbacombe, Torquay. For at least twenty-five years she led the school in accordance with the PNEU programmes and method.[1] At a conference in 1920, she explained why she embraced the Charlotte Mason method: … those …

The post Holidays first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Ourselves, by R. A. Pennethorne

Transcription Team — Tue, 19 May 2026 10:21:21 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The 33rd Annual Conference of the PNEU was held in June 1921 at Mortimer Hall, London. The chairman opened the event by noting that “although Miss Mason was so far away at the moment, she was ever with them in spirit, her activities unceasing, and her interest as keen as …

The post Ourselves, by R. A. Pennethorne first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Highways and By-Ways of Modern Thought

Transcription Team — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:47:17 +0000

Editor’s Note: This unique piece by Elsie Kitching was first published without comment in the November 1917 Parents’ Review. By E.K. The Parents’ Review, 1917, pp. 655-662 Now it came to pass that as the sons of men gazed upon the face of Science[1] they saw that she was very fair to look upon and …

The post Highways and By-Ways of Modern Thought first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Liberal Education for All — Letter III

Transcription Team — Tue, 05 May 2026 11:22:57 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Charlotte Mason’s third and apparently final 1917 letter to The Times on the subject of “A Liberal Education for All” was published in the May issue of The Parents’ Review. The timeline of letters is as follows: February 15: Charlotte Mason’s first letter March 1: A critical response March 18: …

The post A Liberal Education for All — Letter III first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Liberal Education for All — Letter II

Transcription Team — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:22:39 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Charlotte Mason’s first 1917 letter to The Times was evidently published on February 15 and then republished in the March issue of The Parents’ Review. Mason’s letter to The Times apparently provoked a critical response which was published on March 1. Mason was swift with her rebuttal, answering her public …

The post A Liberal Education for All — Letter II first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Liberal Education for All — Letter I

Transcription Team — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:47:06 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In the spring of 1917, a series of three letters from Charlotte Mason to The Times were published in The Parents’ Review. The first appeared in the March issue and is presented here. By Charlotte Mason The Parents’ Review, 1917, pp. 218-221 [Letter to the Times.] Sir,—The Times never fails …

The post A Liberal Education for All — Letter I first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Miss Mason’s Letter to the Children

Transcription Team — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:30:48 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The first Children’s Gathering of the Parents’ Union School was held in Winchester in 1912. In The Story of Charlotte Mason, Essex Cholmondeley wrote that “Miss Mason hoped that all pupils would, during their years in the school, enjoy a gathering such as Winchester, but the war years were soon …

The post Miss Mason’s Letter to the Children first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

What Next?

Transcription Team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:35:04 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff According to Gearóid Barry, “The Armistice of 11 November 1918 gave Britons a moment of public jubilation, yet the first stage of demobilization at the end of 1918 … had to be rapidly revised such was the public frustration with it… Decanting so many men into the labour market increased …

The post What Next? first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The True League of Nations

Transcription Team — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:15:31 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In December 1918, American President Woodrow Wilson visited Europe and gave speeches in which he “reaffirmed that the making of peace and the creation of a League of Nations must be accomplished as one single objective.”[1] That same month, Charlotte Mason’s beloved friend Rev. Francis Lewis contributed an article to …

The post The True League of Nations first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Application of PNEU Principles in the Home

Transcription Team — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:01:07 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The first annual meeting of the Melbourne, Australia branch of the PNEU was held in 1905. One of the speakers had just arrived from England, and she riveted the audience with a detailed account of the House of Education in Ambleside. Then the vice-president of the branch “said that though …

The post The Application of PNEU Principles in the Home first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Value of Handicrafts in Education

Transcription Team — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:00:35 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Agnes Drury (1874–1958) was “brought up … on lines very similar to those advised by Charlotte Mason.” We are told this about her mother: She loved flowers and out-of-door things; she was skilful with her hands, teaching the children to bind their books and encouraging a sense of colour which …

The post The Value of Handicrafts in Education first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Some Difficulties Overcome

Transcription Team — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:27:19 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff When H. W. Household first introduced the Charlotte Mason method to the schools of Gloucestershire, he began with five schools in 1917. Miss F. M. Clark was a teacher at one of those schools. She spoke briefly about her experiences at a teacher conference in 1920, and her words may …

The post Some Difficulties Overcome first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Olive Norton: The Transcript

Transcription Team — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:52:49 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff On a fateful January day in the early 1970s, two girls visited a school. Their names were Margaret and Kirsteen. Their mother recalled that it “was a small PNEU school, run in a classroom built onto the back of someone’s private home, looking into an English country garden.”[1] The mother …

The post Olive Norton: The Transcript first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The PNEU Ideal in Education

Transcription Team — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:16:25 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The June 1918 Parents’ Review shared some good news: “The generosity of members has enabled the Committee to engage Miss Wix, ex-student of the House of Education, as an additional Organising Secretary, and with her help they look forward to an even more successful year’s work.”[1] A letter from Henrietta …

The post The PNEU Ideal in Education first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Education Is a Life

Transcription Team — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:16:35 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Today we continue our Helen Wix series. Last week we saw that Miss Wix was widely recognized for her ability to teach the Charlotte Mason method to professional teachers. This was no easy task, as Wix herself pointed out in a 1927 letter: Indeed, the training of a [university] graduate …

The post Education Is a Life first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Few Roots

Transcription Team — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:33:26 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff One of the most dramatic chapters in the story of Charlotte Mason’s life is the adoption of her methods by a large number of state schools. The logistical challenge alone must have been staggering. Imagine trying to convince hundreds of teachers to teach in a new way and then finding …

The post A Few Roots first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

If I Could Begin Again

Transcription Team — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:32:44 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The “Books” section of the 1909 Parents’ Review contains a brief notice by Miss Mason of a new book: The Training of Children, by Mrs. H. C. Cradock (Bell, 2/–). Contains many useful hints, carefully arranged.[1] An earlier notice that year indicated that Mrs. Cradock’s first book, The Care of …

The post If I Could Begin Again first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

By My Spirit

Transcription Team — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:30:13 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The first time a visitor enters St. Mary’s Church in Ambleside, the first thing she notices is the beautiful and intriguing mural on the back wall. Everything about it is unusual, including its history. Gordon Ransom was a student at London’s Royal College of Art, but during World War II …

The post By My Spirit first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Obedience as a Vice

Transcription Team — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:55:31 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The Table of Contents of the 1921 Parents’ Review lists an article entitled “To What Extent Obedience may be Considered as a Vice”[1] By Mrs. Dermod O’Brien. Mrs. O’Brien was memorialized in the 1943 Parents’ Review with these words: Once again we have to mourn the passing of a most …

The post Obedience as a Vice first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Teaching of Scripture in the Parents’ Union School

Transcription Team — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:50:35 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Rose Amy Pennethorne was Organising Secretary of the PNEU from 1921 to 1940. In her first year in office, she contributed two articles on the teaching of Scripture to The Parents’ Review. The first article was published in March and the second in November. Charlotte Mason celebrated Pennethorne’s work with …

The post The Teaching of Scripture in the Parents’ Union School first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Maurice Ravel

Transcription Team — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:46:43 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff When does a composer qualify for composer study? And when is music “good enough” for music appreciation? I have wondered this as I have surveyed Dawn Tull’s table of composers studied in the Parents’ Union School from 1908–1953. Many modern composers are listed. Some were studied in their own lifetimes. …

The post Maurice Ravel first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Hints for Home Schoolrooms

Transcription Team — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 11:56:09 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Among my favorite Parents’ Review articles are the occasional pieces by homeschooling parents. I find great inspiration in the advice and perspective of these dedicated mothers and fathers from a prior generation. This short piece from 1923 is no exception. The hints from Mrs. Thompson remind us that a Charlotte …

The post Hints for Home Schoolrooms first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Teaching of Geography, by Mr. G. H. Smith

Transcription Team — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:11:10 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Dawn Tull This article was of particular interest to me because of my research on the Ambleside Geography Readers and the role of map questions in the study of geography. As with the previous two conference articles released, Mr. G. H. Smith addresses concerns that others, and perhaps previously he, had held …

The post The Teaching of Geography, by Mr. G. H. Smith first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

A Liberal Education For All, by Daisy Golding

Transcription Team — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:01:27 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Miss Mason was looking through the Christmas examination papers in February 1920. ‘What a long time since I have written to you! It is the school—it has taken me ten to twelve days to look through more than 1,200 sets, at about a hundred a day—heaps of elementary school children …

The post A Liberal Education For All, by Daisy Golding first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Need for a Liberal Education

Transcription Team — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:53:08 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The Contemporary Review was a monthly journal, founded in 1866, which “became known as a forum for open, erudite inquiry into controversial theological and philosophical issues of the day.”[1] In the July 1922 issue, an article by H. W. Household appeared which advocated for a liberal education for all according …

The post The Need for a Liberal Education first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The Manifestation of Christ in Worship

Transcription Team — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:41:19 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The April 1924 Parents’ Review included a powerful piece by Francis Lewis. We are not told whether it was originally a sermon, or whether it was composed specifically for The Parents’ Review. In either case, it contains references that would be familiar to members of the Charlotte Mason community of …

The post The Manifestation of Christ in Worship first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

The New Facility in Composition

Transcription Team — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:56:03 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In last week’s episode we shared a second paper from the June 1920 teacher’s conference in Gloucester. This week we share a third paper by a professional teacher who embraced Charlotte Mason’s method, along with some brief discussion that followed. By Mr. C. Jones The Parents’ Review, 1920, pp. 570-575 …

The post The New Facility in Composition first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.

Certain Difficulties

Transcription Team — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:28:52 +0000

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff One of the great chapters in the epic story of the Charlotte Mason method involves the introduction of the complete method, principles and practices, into the established British schools of Gloucestershire. H. W. Household began this project with five schools in 1917, and by May 1920 he had gone to …

The post Certain Difficulties first appeared on Charlotte Mason Poetry.