‘—Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.’
-William Wordsworth
That sweet epigraph begins a whimsical poem by Wordsworth in which he describes an astonishing sight on the Thames. It seems a miller and two women are merrily dancing down the river on a watermill, freely dancing to the music emanating from a carnival on shore. Not only is this trio claiming this “stray gift” but Wordsworth himself does so as he enjoys watching their pleasure in their simple delights. Charlotte Mason shares these lines with us a few times, too. Do we look for these stray gifts in our lives? As busy moms trying to live this lifestyle, we sometimes overlook or do not take the time to wonder at the grandeur or even the ordinary, the stray gifts, all around us.
In an early edition of L’Umile Pianta, the alumni periodical for graduates of Mason’s House of Education, Charlotte wrote an endearing letter to her former students. She gives some rambling advice, affectionately addressing her readers as her “bairns,” the Northern English/Scottish word for children. She exhorts them to keep their minds alive with new ideas every day: “Every day new ‘thoughts that burn’ must be supplied or the fire will go out and present the dreariest of all spectacles, a desolate hearth.” She continues and rhetorically asks from where these ideas will come. She says, “These are, as Wordsworth says of pleasure, ‘cast in stray gifts through the world, to be found by whoever will seek.’” This is followed by an admonishment to read widely, since from here is where many of those ideas will come. The thought of ideas coming from all the stray gifts throughout the world is a lovely one.
As homeschool moms implementing the Charlotte Mason method, I wonder if we realize that the philosophy itself is a sort of gift. I think that there are many aspects that we either take for granted, or perhaps we are so busy trying to figure out how to implement it that we miss the beauty of it all. Charlotte teaches us that education is not a separate entity or a task to be completed but a lifestyle. This brings a continuity to our days rather than a jarring switch that we flip from school time to non-school time. It is about living life to the fullest and in ways we may have never before considered. Remember Charlotte’s response to the young woman who said she came to the training college to learn how to teach? She said, “My dear, you have come here to learn to live.” The woman in later years stated, “I have never forgotten those precious words which have helped me with my children.” May those words help us with our children, also.
Another unique aspect of a living education using the Charlotte Mason method is that the philosophy is unified with the method. Every single method of learning—narration, short lessons, varying subjects, et al.—is supported by a point in her philosophy. Therefore, when we hit a bump in our implementation of the method, we learn to look back into the philosophy for the solution and not to a different or new piece of curriculum. You might even think of that as a money-saving bonus!
And a key that I wish I had realized when I began homeschooling and understood sooner is the role of the Holy Spirit. I hope you have learned that the Holy Spirit in this philosophy and life is not a reminder, an add-on, or an afterthought. He is an active partner in this life and so much more. We learn to cooperate with Him in everything from grammar lessons to habit training. Read, as I like to do before each school year, chapter 25 of Volume 2, Parents and Children, to be reminded and inspired about this Helper.
The focus for this philosophy of education is the inner life, character, strengthening the will, and more. This is an eternal perspective with its fulfillment in a relationship with our Creator. Maybe not as easy as checking off a box, but absolutely richer, more fulfilling, and longer-lasting than other ways that aim for fast and measurable results. Monk Gibbon, the Irish poet and admirer of Charlotte, sums it up nicely:
Miss Mason looked on education as something between the child’s soul and God. Modern education tends to look on it as something between the child’s brain and the examination board. I think that covers the issues at stake; it is part of the whole modern policy of quick returns, of the substitution of immediate and temporary values for ultimate and absolute ones.
These ideas are just a few of the many reasons we should be thankful for this gift of a Charlotte Mason education. How grateful I am that the Holy Spirit brought it across my path so many years ago! I could add the amazing books, the relationships, the appreciation of nature, and dozens of other elements that are part of it. These things, taken as a whole, are incredibly inspiring and unique to the Charlotte Mason method. What could you add? Have you considered how this philosophy is a gift to you and your family? Have you thanked God for it? Let’s heed Wordsworth’s advice and watch for these gifts every day and everywhere.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (KJV, James 1:17).
A version of this article first appeared in my column “Stray Gifts” at Common Place Quarterly (2019 Q1). CPQ is an excellent and inspiring resource for those interested in pursuing and maintaining a living education through the philosophy of Charlotte Mason. And now, as an uplifting response to the current crisis in our world, CPQ is offering their first issue for FREE as a digital download, printables and all! Go here to enjoy all the goodness.
Your thoughts?