My Homeschooling Pilgrimage

I apologise for my absence, but we were away in the Lake District at a family conference. It was a great time of meeting up with other families who also live and work cross-culturally, and several of the mums were also homeschooling. It was so refreshing to be in a group of people who really 'get' you - do you know what that's like? Suddenly you don't feel so weird after all :-)

Anyway, some of you hard-core Charlotte Mason followers out there may have felt your heart flutter slightly at the mention of 'the Lake District'. For those of you who are going "Charlotte who?", let me explain..

CM (as I shall affectionately call her from now on) was a British educator who was born in 1841 and died in 1923. She developed a particular philosophy of education which centred around the premise that all children are born persons in their own right, and not blank slates upon which the adult is free to write as they choose. She also taught that 'Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life', and many modern day homeschooling curricula and homeschooling parents base their approaches on her methods. You can find out more about her here, or download her six volume Home Education series to your kindle here.

The town of Ambleside

It was in Ambleside, in the Lake District in England, that CM set up a training school for governesses, and you can understand her desire that children should spend as much time as possible outdoors when you see how beautiful the Lake District is! 

So, of course, I couldn't miss the opportunity to go and pay a visit to Ambleside while I was there. I found my way to the Armitt Museum, which houses all of CM's books as well as a little 'plaque' dedicated to her (see above). There was also a lovely display about Beatrix Potter, another famous resident of the Lake District. Unfortunately, CM's school, which later became part of the University of Cumbria, was closed a couple of years ago, much to the sadness of the librarian I talked to at the museum.

The Beatrix Potter display at the museum

A collection of Charlotte Mason's books

Well, I now feel suitably re-inspired to continue working my way through CM's Home Education series. It can be a bit hard going, but it's well worth it!

How many of you have heard of Charlotte Mason, or perhaps are even using her methods in your homeschool?

Abide in Him!