My goal was to revive my parenting skills, refuel for my next season of homeschooling, and enjoy doing deep learning in a vibrant community of intelligent women. Mission accomplished!!! 😁
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“A person is not built up from without but from within… a life of the mind is sustained upon ideas.” – Charlotte Mason Vol XI
I am part of an online group full of amazing homeschool moms led by Leah Boden called “The Collective”. In 2024, Leah challenged us to read through each of Charlotte Mason’s six volumes on parenting and education. We met once a month to discuss our reading and learning. It was an intimidating but wonderful undertaking!
I was first introduced to Charlotte Mason’s educational ideas in 2009 with the Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. This book was exactly the tool I needed to build my homeschool plans and my parenting philosophy. I dove in and haven’t looked back.
Over the years I have read pieces and found what I needed from Mason’s original text, but I had never read it all the way through. Last December, when Leah sent out the initial post I knew it would help me in so many ways.
My goal in this Voyage Through the Volumes was to revive my parenting skills, refuel for my next season of homeschooling, and enjoy doing deep learning in a vibrant community of intelligent women.
All of my hopes for this reading challenge came true! I loved this last year full of learning and personal growth inspired by Mason’s rich philosophy and ideas.
There are many ways that I could share what I have learned this past year. But I decided to stick with the way that I write here in Substack. Many amazing teachers write about Charlotte Mason’s ideas so that will not be my main focus. But if you want to chat with me at a coffee shop I will talk your ear off about educational philosophy and life-long learning practices.
How I Took On This Challenge
Reading long-form educational philosophy material written in late 1800s English is not something my mind was used to.
It would often take me 15 – 20 minutes to get focused on the text. This was surprising for me considering that I read over 100 books in 2023 (with over 50 being non-fiction).
I was reminded that:
repetition and routine are key when switching modes in reading, learning, or how I use my brain.
my routine for reading the CM Volumes:
- Scheduled Regular Reading Time:I positioned my reading times in the mornings before breakfast when my mind was fresh (and the kitchen was quiet) or in the early afternoons when I had plenty of energy.
- Oriented Myself to Each Section:
I took time to review the subtitles, check the questions in the Appendix, and skim the material to get a sense of what was ahead. - Added a Touch of Fun:
Using fancy highlighters made the reading process feel “official” and enjoyable. - Used the Free Audiobook:
When I struggled to get into the text, I followed along with the free audiobook, which helped me stay engaged. - Allowed Myself to Read Imperfectly:
I gave myself permission to keep going even when I didn’t fully understand the context or references. More often than not, the meaning became clear as I continued reading. - Made Notes and Asked for Help:
I jotted down thoughts and questions in the margins and turned to The Collective members when I couldn’t follow a section or needed clarification. - Set Small, Manageable Goals:
I broke the reading into smaller sections, focusing on just a few pages or a single chapter at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed. - Reflected After Each Session:
I took a few minutes after reading to jot down key takeaways or thoughts, helping me process and retain the material better.
I found that reading in a community and discussing my learning are essential for me to enjoy the process.
This is something I already knew about myself but it was heavily reinforced this last year. Those Zoom calls full of shared quotes, standback statements, and ah-ha moments gave my learning and personal growth depth that I could not achieve on my own.
Whenever I was feeling discouraged or distracted by other reading I would see the Zoom meeting on my calendar and get refocused. The gentle deadline gave me motivation to get back to it and stick with it.
Leah was quick to remind us that this challenge was not about perfection or completion.
“I invite you to join me on this exploration, a weaving of Charlotte’s timeless wisdom into our daily roles as learners, mothers, and, for many, home educators….
I can assure you that regardless of how and how much you engage with Charlotte’s original work, your personal and intellectual growth is inevitable.” – Leah Boden
some unexpected insights:
- Some basic things about the family, learning, and the home have not really changed over centuries. I found stories relevant to my daily life and examples that seemed to come from modern times. This was comforting to me knowing that nothing is new, the human condition is pretty consistent.
- Charlotte Mason and the educators at PNEU school were wildly ahead of their times. I found the concepts of neuroplasticity, advanced productivity methods, women’s rights, and motherhood self-care ideas. While I was shocked at times by some Victorian culture examples I was also impressed with the research and application Mason gave.
I have been implementing Mason’s principles for over 16 years and by doing so I have created a reliable foundation for our family. Reading through the Volumes reminded me of all the pieces of Mason’s philosophy I have adopted and made part of our home life. It was a positive path of reflection and an excellent reminder of what matters most to me.
In our Collective Bookclub, the goal was to soak in the ideas, apply them to our lives, and pay attention to the connections we made.
Mission accomplished!
I am so thankful for the amazing group of women in The Collective and how we walked this path of learning together.
By creating a structured yet flexible routine—complete with preparation, small goals, enjoyable tools, and support—I was able to approach the CM Volumes with curiosity and consistency, making the process both manageable and rewarding.
reflection question:
How are you stretching yourself intellectually this next year?
What are you learning in community?
💙- April
If you are interested in reading through the volumes check out this post: Reading Guide: Charlotte Mason's 6 Volumes
[not sponsored - just an excellent resource!]