Charlotte Mason Isn’t Tricky

Dear Reader,

I had a very small new idea. Charlotte Mason isn’t tricky. I don’t think we would have hidden kids’ vegetables in their brownies. She would have wanted them to like vegetables and to know they like vegetables. She didn’t hide education under other forms — games and the like. She didn’t try and sneak it in. She gives quality materials straight out and expects kids to like them, yes, even Shakespeare and Beethoven and Monet. She was definitely opposed to what we call unit studies (the equivalent was Herbartian education in her day) and I don’t think she would have approved of anything along the lines of “learn  . . . through playing Mine Craft.” She was much more of a straight shooter than that. The reason is simple: if you put okra in your brownies, the kids learn they like brownies, not that okra can be pleasant. If you put your education in Mine Craft, they learn they like Mine Craft, not that it can be fun to do science or math.

And that’s my little big thought of the day.

Nebby