Charlotte Mason Conference Resources
The lectures and Keynote presentations from our conferences are listed below- click on the appropriate button to access them. The lectures will appear in a pop-up window, so make sure that your browser is not set to block them.
Speaker: Dr. John Thorley
BiographyJohn recently retired as Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education and Training at Lancaster University. He had previously been Principal of Charlotte Mason College at Ambleside, and before that Head of Trinity School, an 11-18 comprehensive school in Carlisle, UK. He was trained as a classicist, and was formerly Chairman of the Joint Assoc. of Classical Teachers and President of EUROCLASSICA, a federation of classics teachers from all parts of Europe. His main areas of research are Greek and Roman History; he has recently published Athenian Democracy (Routledge). John will give us a further look the ideas and beliefs of Charlotte Mason.
Topic: 'Science of Relations' v. 'Examinable Content' (2008) The debate about the place of assessment in education has been going on for a long time, and still continues unabated. In England as well as N. America the debate has reached new heights, as governments increasingly want to exercise control over the school curriculum and over what they perceive as educational standards.
But any extensive programme of assessment, especially national systems that demand uniformity of curriculum, assessment and of teaching methods, is liable to narrow educational opportunities for children, not extend them. One of Charlotte Mason’s key concepts was that education is a Science of Relations, by which she meant that children should be brought into contact with a wide range of knowledge in such a way that they can relate to it and make it their own. And this is in direct conflict with most national assessment systems, and certainly that in England, which now puts an ever greater emphasis on a narrow range of basic skills at the expense of a wider and fuller curriculum.
So where are we heading?
Speaker: Lori Lawing
BiographyLori Lawing has come to appreciate Charlotte Mason’s love of “living books.” In addition to teaching her own children (ages 13 12, 9, 7, & 5) she delights in teaching Shakespeare to a group of 30 students ages five to thirteen. She has written six condensed scripts of Shakespeare’s plays (without altering the language of Shakespeare!) Lori is a pastor’s wife and a 1985 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in public speaking. She was a member of Chapel Hill's speech team, competing in oral performance of literature. For the past five years she has served as the Director of the annual competitive speech tournament for 100+ students in the southeast United States.
Topic: Integrating the Curriculum with History as the Pivot and Living Books as the Medium (2008) Charlotte Mason said education is an atmosphere. With history as the pivot and literature as the primary medium, our schools and homes can provide an atmosphere where “children express ideas that fill them when exposed to great materials.” As we move through history, we integrate all the disciplines that apply: geography, art, music, literature, archeology, nature, church history, philosophy. We create a world for the children, not segmented, unrelated subjects. They’ll even role play their history; “living in a single time period until they practically think the same thoughts as the people they study, learning the intricate details of one person's life.” Participants will leave with samples of integration that span multiple disciplines and ways to make more of their own. Why bore them with out-of-context dates and lists, or detached, flat summaries from textbooks? A whole world is waiting to be recreated in the minds and hearts of our children.
Speakers: Susan Crist
BiographySusan Crist is the Lower Elementary Principal at Perimeter School in the Atlanta area. She and her husband, Stephen, found their “home” in the writings and philosophies of Charlotte Mason in 1991, and have endeavored to raise their 2 daughters—Caitlin and Hannah-- to treasure the delights of nature, living books, great art, music, travel, and the value of persons as image-bearers of Christ. Susan has been blessed to have been able to live out these precious principles in her professional life, as well, most importantly as Principal in Charlotte Mason schools for 6 years. Her first love is the young child, and she feels fortunate to be able to specialize in this area of Kindergarten through Second graders in the covenant school context. & Gladys Schaefer Biography
Gladys Brasher Schaefer has always been a lover of books. Growing up in rural Alabama, the library was her best friend. When she discovered Charlotte Mason in the late 1990’s, she knew she had found a kindred spirit. Her degree in Accounting from the University of Montevallo was accompanied with a minor in English “to keep her sane”. The home schooling adventure began in 1995 and continues today. She is married to Dale Schaefer and is the mother of six perfect children and mother-in-law to one perfect son in law. Her work at Red Mountain Community School in Birmingham, Alabama has been some of the most rewarding of her life. As high school mentor, she taught English, History and Fine Arts. The recent school year ended in the graduation of her third child, the first one to be home-schooled from K5 to 12th grade.
Topic: CM 101: The Historical and Theological Background of Charlotte M. Mason (2008) This workshop is an introduction to the sociological and geographical settings in which Miss Mason lived and developed her philosophy of education. Highlights will include a discussion of the events occurring in Great Britain during the late Victorian and Edwardian era, as well as commentary on and photos of the Charlotte Mason College and the Lake District of England. Understanding Miss Mason’s time and place provides for greater context in understanding her educational philosophy both then and now. Suggested reading to obtain a maximum appreciation for this seminar is The Story of Charlotte Mason by Essex Chalmondeley.
Speaker: Jack Beckman
BiographyJack's thirty years of school experience include serving as a teacher, Principal,
school-starter, and professor of education, and have encompassed Master's degrees in both
Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Research, and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education from the
University of Cambridge. Charlotte Mason's model of teacher training drew him to the UK to
complete his dissertation on that topic. In collecting data, Jack spent a full year driving from the
South Downs to the Lake District of England interviewing Charlotte Mason-trained teachers
ranging in age from 101 to 78 -- listening to their stories of life in college and in the classroom. At
present, he is Associate Professor of Education at Covenant College. Jack and his wife Barbara
have two lovely daughters, Kara and Anneliese.
Topic: From Enigma to Educationalist - Assessing Charlotte Mason (2007) The historian's imagination takes the traces and voices of the past and creates a narrative story of a lived life. There is much to commend in the life and work of Charlotte Mason as we sift through the archival boxes in the Armitt and listen to the now dwindling voices of those most touched by her. How are we to assess all of this knowledge and wisdom? What does it tell us about life and learning? In a conference focused upon assessment in the classroom, an appropriate starting point is Charlotte herself. Let us examine some of the mysteries and extant truths of Charlotte Mason as we seek to assess her ideas through the narrative turn of history.
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