In 1917, the Times newspaper published a letter by Charlotte Mason in which she made four bold claims: (a) That our people are capable of receiving a liberal education in a generous sense of the term. (b) That no limitation of vocabulary or environment need be an obstacle. (c) That the method and means of …

The Bible lesson is a unique, wonderful opportunity to dialogue over the Living Word with your child. Jesus had such discussions himself with some of the Father’s Children. Charlotte Mason writes, “It is only by trying the method oneself on such an incident, for example, as the visit of Nicodemus or the talk with the …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Gertrude M. Bernau studied under Charlotte Mason at the House of Education in 1894. By 1906, she was the principal of a PNEU school for girls in London.[1] One benefit of having a school in London is that they were relatively close to the British Museum. Bernau recalled later: “When …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff Rose Amy Pennethorne studied at Charlotte Mason’s House of Education in the class of 1898. She remained involved in the PNEU, eventually becoming Organising Secretary in 1921. In this capacity she traveled widely, lecturing, visiting schools, and representing the PNEU at international events. Henrietta Franklin remembered her as “a brilliant …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff England in the late 1950s had not yet forgotten about Charlotte Mason. In fact, many educators still wanted to learn Mason’s philosophy, but they didn’t have the opportunity to study in Ambleside. To meet this demand, Charlotte Mason’s former friend and colleague Helen Wix proposed an intriguing innovation. Her idea …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In April 1936, “418 members and friends of the Parents’ National Educational Union, and 268 children being educated in the Parents’ Union School” converged upon Ambleside in England’s lovely Lake District for an extraordinary conference.[1] It was “The Jubilee Conference for Parents and Teachers and The Children’s Gathering,” celebrating the …

A paper submitted to Dr. Bruce Hindmarsh in fulfillment of the requirements for the Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies from Regent College April 2023 “My dear, my life does not matter… It is the work that matters and, I say it with all reverence, it will some day (not in my lifetime) be seen to …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In 1936, Elsie Kitching wrote a book review for The Parents’ Review, the journal she edited from 1923 to 1949. Published in the April issue, the piece covered The Year Book of Education, 1936, edited by Harley V. Usill. Kitching enumerated the key sections of the book and noted some …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff N. McLeod enrolled in the House of Education in 1914[1] before heading up a PNEU school in Richmond, Surrey from at least 1921[2] to 1931.[3] In 1927, she contributed a short article to The Parents’ Review entitled “The P.U.S. Motto.”[4] The article is memorable to me because it opens with …

Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In November 1909, the 13th Annual PNEU Conference was held in Birmingham.[1] On the morning of the second day, a paper by Dr. Helen Webb was read entitled “Environment in Relation to Nervous Stability.” It offered advice on how to raise healthy children in our modern hectic era, and it …