The Charlotte Mason Influence

While Classical education forms much of Heritage pedagogy and curriculum selection, much of the classroom methodology for teaching is influenced by Charlotte Mason, who was a British educator in the late 1800’s.

Her primary aims were to instill in children good study and social habits as well as a love of learning. Children are “born persons” and need sufficient time to assimilate learning. In contrast to some schools that put quality content before students, and do so with such volume and intensity that learning is lost in a sea of facts, Ms. Mason’s methodology encourages depth over breadth. 

Heritage avoids the use of pre-digested textbooks and prefers to use original sources, such as older literature that is rich in what Ms. Mason called “living ideas.”  Children are not computers needing a teacher/programmer to instill facts into them. At Heritage, teachers are similar to tour guides taking students on tours of rich ideas and noble thoughts as a means of inspiring and engaging their minds and imaginations.

Narration: The use of oral and written narration enables a child to not only listen and read well, but also to comprehend well, by telling back a selection of material they have heard or read. They retell, as much as possible, word for word. As students narrate, they learn good writing style, since they often recite or write in the same style as the author. Narration also strengthens and develops vocabulary and memory skills. Having engaged the actual intentions of the author, students can then apply those rich ideas to their own thinking.

Nature Study: Ms. Mason also believed that children should be allowed to spend time outdoors every day. Nature study provides hands-on experiences with nature as a means of gaining skills in observation and appreciation of God’s creation.  Based on this concept, Heritage recently completed a garden and a nature trail. The trail extends around the full 12 acres of the school’s campus. Heritage also offers weekly classes in nature study for students in the Lower School.

Shorter Class Days: Heritage has shorter class days in the Enrichment and Lower School. Ms. Mason believed that fewer hours allow for the time at school to be more productive and also allow for more time at home.  Children’s capacities for focused learning are limited. After a half-day at school, younger children are ready for non-educational activities that occur optimally in the home environment.