Charlotte Mason Principle: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life

One of the favorite sayings in a Charlotte Mason education is “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.”

In this post, let me break them out into simple terms, but please bear in mind that there’s still so much to discover about each of these ideas! 

Education is an atmosphere 

As parents, we have the power to create an atmosphere conducive to learning. This does not mean adjusting everything in the home for the child’s comfort, but it does include being intentional about pursuing lifelong learning, even in our personal lives. 

One example for this is that we create an atmosphere of safety in thinking, analyzing ideas, and expressing our thoughts and opinions. The more we cultivate this kind of atmosphere, the more that our children grow up knowing that learning is enjoyable and is a reward in itself, the bigger the chances that they will grow up to be lifelong learners. 

Education is a discipline

We believe in the power of habit. Charlotte Mason describes habit formation as being like laying down rails for a train to pass through. Just as the locomotive can go as fast as it wants and still be sure of getting where it needs to go, when we do one thing over and over, it forms a “rut” in our minds that the action becomes automatic. 

One practical example of this is when we first learn to drive. Do you remember how, when you were first learning to do it, you had to pay attention to what you had to do first? For a stick-shift vehicle, that would’ve included figuring out whether to step on the clutch, the break, or the accelerator, and then glancing at the gear to figure out where to push it. Then you also had to add in your attention in front of you, etc etc! But, after a few days or weeks or practice, it becomes almost second nature. 

In terms of school lessons, habit it also crucial. For example, the habit of attention plays a vital role in how a child is able to listen with his whole being, and then assimilate his lessons from only a single reading. 

In a Charlotte Mason education, we also emphasize the habit of excellent work, and encourage our children to give their best effort in everything they do. 

Education is a life

Our minds thrive on ideas, not just dry facts, and we serve a feast of great ideas from the greatest minds in history using the very best books we can get our hands on. This is one reason why the CM philosophy uses a wide array of books. 

And, we also believe that the mind of our children is not merely a container for ideas: instead, we view it as a “spiritual organism” that actually hungers for knowledge! Just as our physical body hungers for food and thrives on nutritious food, our mind also hungers for living ideas, feeds upon them, and grows from a steady diet of these “nutritious” ideas! 

This means that, one of our roles as our children’s teacher is not necessarily to “teach” every single thing. After all, who among us can say we know everything about everything? But, because we value the importance of ideas coming from great minds, we know that we can use books. And instead of pressuring ourselves to “teach” our children, we focus on preparing the materials that will give our children’s minds the healthy diet that it needs.

Learn More About Charlotte Mason

To learn more about the Charlotte Mason method, sign up for our free e-book, A Beginner’s Guide to a CM Homeschool.