Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff On a fateful January day in the early 1970s, two girls visited a school. Their names were Margaret and Kirsteen. Their mother recalled that it “was a small PNEU school, run in a classroom built onto the back of someone’s private home, looking into an English country garden.”[1] The mother …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The June 1918 Parents’ Review shared some good news: “The generosity of members has enabled the Committee to engage Miss Wix, ex-student of the House of Education, as an additional Organising Secretary, and with her help they look forward to an even more successful year’s work.”[1] A letter from Henrietta …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Today we continue our Helen Wix series. Last week we saw that Miss Wix was widely recognized for her ability to teach the Charlotte Mason method to professional teachers. This was no easy task, as Wix herself pointed out in a 1927 letter: Indeed, the training of a [university] graduate …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff One of the most dramatic chapters in the story of Charlotte Mason’s life is the adoption of her methods by a large number of state schools. The logistical challenge alone must have been staggering. Imagine trying to convince hundreds of teachers to teach in a new way and then finding …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The “Books” section of the 1909 Parents’ Review contains a brief notice by Miss Mason of a new book: The Training of Children, by Mrs. H. C. Cradock (Bell, 2/–). Contains many useful hints, carefully arranged.[1] An earlier notice that year indicated that Mrs. Cradock’s first book, The Care of …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The first time a visitor enters St. Mary’s Church in Ambleside, the first thing she notices is the beautiful and intriguing mural on the back wall. Everything about it is unusual, including its history. Gordon Ransom was a student at London’s Royal College of Art, but during World War II …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The Table of Contents of the 1921 Parents’ Review lists an article entitled “To What Extent Obedience may be Considered as a Vice”[1] By Mrs. Dermod O’Brien. Mrs. O’Brien was memorialized in the 1943 Parents’ Review with these words: Once again we have to mourn the passing of a most …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Rose Amy Pennethorne was Organising Secretary of the PNEU from 1921 to 1940. In her first year in office, she contributed two articles on the teaching of Scripture to The Parents’ Review. The first article was published in March and the second in November. Charlotte Mason celebrated Pennethorne’s work with …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff When does a composer qualify for composer study? And when is music “good enough” for music appreciation? I have wondered this as I have surveyed Dawn Tull’s table of composers studied in the Parents’ Union School from 1908–1953. Many modern composers are listed. Some were studied in their own lifetimes. …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Among my favorite Parents’ Review articles are the occasional pieces by homeschooling parents. I find great inspiration in the advice and perspective of these dedicated mothers and fathers from a prior generation. This short piece from 1923 is no exception. The hints from Mrs. Thompson remind us that a Charlotte …