By Karen Canon
Here is a question not entirely new to Charlotte Mason circles: Is a Charlotte Mason education rigorous or gentle? In the realm of educational theories, where does it lie? What is its particular strength? On any day, there is plenty of reading material available online that speaks to either one of these options.
At varying times in our family’s homeschooling journey, I have extolled the virtues of one side or the other. During my father’s final illness and hospitalization, for example, I was so grateful for a ‘gentle’ approach that fed each of us with much-needed sustenance without demanding a lot from me in the way of ‘teaching’ or ‘administration.’ At other times, when we had the mental, emotional and physical stamina to meet rising challenges, I celebrated the growth that ensued as we were all stretched by new ideas, added responsibility, and minds challenged to go vast as well as deep.
This is a good thing, this elasticity, and we should recognize and appreciate that a Charlotte Mason approach is indeed rigorous enough to challenge us while yet retaining a soft touch, not white-gloved, but easy in the sense that it meets students where they are, accommodating and yet stimulating.
Maybe the question is not so much, “Is a Charlotte Mason education rigorous enough? Or, is it gentle and honoring enough?” Perhaps, in a Charlotte Mason approach, the glass is not part empty or part full, but a third option: just as full as it needs to be.
At varying times in our family’s homeschooling journey, I have extolled the virtues of one side or the other. During my father’s final illness and hospitalization, for example, I was so grateful for a ‘gentle’ approach that fed each of us with much-needed sustenance without demanding a lot from me in the way of ‘teaching’ or ‘administration.’ At other times, when we had the mental, emotional and physical stamina to meet rising challenges, I celebrated the growth that ensued as we were all stretched by new ideas, added responsibility, and minds challenged to go vast as well as deep.
This is a good thing, this elasticity, and we should recognize and appreciate that a Charlotte Mason approach is indeed rigorous enough to challenge us while yet retaining a soft touch, not white-gloved, but easy in the sense that it meets students where they are, accommodating and yet stimulating.
Maybe the question is not so much, “Is a Charlotte Mason education rigorous enough? Or, is it gentle and honoring enough?” Perhaps, in a Charlotte Mason approach, the glass is not part empty or part full, but a third option: just as full as it needs to be.