A Charlotte Mason Education (Paperback)

by Catherine Levison (Author) "Charlotte was born in England in 1842 and was primarily educated by her parents at home..." (more)
Key Phrases: living books, Charlotte Mason, Home Education, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"As a teacher of twenty years, I have greatly appreciated Catherine's guidance in introducing the Charlotte Mason method in my teaching." -- Maggie Dail, MA, of Master Enterprises Learning Center

"Catherine Levison has written a perfect introduction to the Charlotte Mason method. A must." -- Penny Gardner, author of Charlotte Mason Study Guide

"Surely, you will, as I did, find something to enhance the education of your children immediately. Catherine makes it so simple for us!" -- Bob and Tina Farewell, Lifetime Books and Gifts

"When I became interested in this way of learning and wanted to know how to begin this was the only book the accomplished my goal. Highly recommended." -- Lorrie Flem, editor of TEACH magazine

Product Description
NEW 1999 EDITION - The immensely popular ideas of Charlotte Mason have inspired educators for many decades. Her unique methodology as written about in her six-volume series established the necessary protocols for an education above and beyond that which can be found in traditional classroom settings. In A Charlotte Mason Education, Catherine Levison has collected the key points of Charlotte Mason's methods and presents them in a simple, straightforward way that will allow families to quickly maximize the opportunities of homeschooling. With weekly schedules, a challenging and diverse curriculum will both inspire and educate your child. A Charlotte Mason Education is the latest tool for parents seeking the best education for their children.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc. (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891400169
• ISBN-13: 978-1891400162
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best practical information I've found., June 19, 2000

By A Customer

Far and away the most helpful information I've found on the application of Charlotte Mason methods has come from this one little book. By doing a web search for both "Charlotte Mason" and "Catherine Levison", I located a wealth of information online about Miss Mason's educational methods and Mrs. Levison's other writings (a large number of websites, book lists, and even email newsletters). After reading through the online information, I was tempted to think I didn't need to actually spend money for any books on this topic. I thought the Web and a good search engine ............ was enough. But I've found that having each school subject's practical explanations individually listed in a single "hold-it-in-my-hand" resource has been a great benefit and definitely a worthwhile investment. The subjects covered in this book include: narration, literature, poetry, composition, handwriting, spelling, foreign language, grammar, science, math, art, music, history, geography, formation of habits, and more. In my humble opinion, no Charlotte Mason library or resource list is complete without A Charlotte Mason Education. It's short, but I found that only makes it more user-friendly; the practical tips aren't lost amidst other text. It's the perfect book for someone who's interested in getting down to business and "doing" Charlotte Mason methods in their home or school. The only problem I see with the book is that I wish more home schooling catalogs carried it so more people were aware of this helpful resource.

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and practical., April 8, 1999

By A Customer

I've read Charlotte Mason's original works and every other book on Charlotte Mason topics, but I always had trouble with the details of practically applying Miss Mason's methods with my students. Levison's book took the mystery out of the method. Within the first 24 hours of reading A Charlotte Mason Education, I started applying the methods with my children and we loved it! I knew Charlotte Mason's methods were what I wanted to use... and this great little book made it possible. I highly recommend this book to anyone seriously considering implementing Charlotte Mason's methods in their home or school.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction!, March 20, 2002

By A Customer

If you're brand new to Charlotte Mason and looking for a quick reference of the practical how-to's of Mason's educational methods, then this is the book for you! I believe that this book successfully accomplishes what it was written for--to present the reader with a step-by-step, topic-by-topic introduction to Miss Mason's methods. This book isn't an in-depth treatment of Charlotte Mason's entire philosophy of education, and I don't believe it was meant to cover anything more than just the practical how-to's. If you're looking at your home educational efforts and thinking something like, "How can I quickly and easily add art appreciation and poetry to our curriculum?", then you'll find the answers here. I find this to be one of the easiest to use, most helpful home education books on my shelf. I refer back to it often (ie: "I need more ideas for Nature study. I'll go back and see what Levison recommends"). The book is short, to the point, and written from the wisdom of a long-time homeschooling parent who spent several years digging through Charlotte Mason's original books and many out-of-print resources to distill Mason's vast writings on the philosophy of education into the practical nuts and bolts of how to do it at home. Presented in a manageable and readable format.

Contrary to some opinions, Levison's second book, More Charlotte Mason Education, definitely isn't a rewrite of this first book. More Charlotte Mason Education does go into greater depth on things like the life of Charlotte Mason, but none of the practical how-to's are repeated from one book to the next. Please don't start with Book Two unless you're already using CM methods almost exclusively in your home school, or I think you'll probably find yourself wondering why the author didn't talk about most educational topics that need to be covered in your homeschool (the first book gives the most information about what to do and how). I think it's probably best if someone buys both books. They're definitely a set that compliments and completes one another.