Charlotte Mason was a British educator during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who dedicated her life to the education of children, and to the training and education of parents and teachers. She developed a Philosophy of Education over a 30-year period which was radically different from the educational model of her time.
First and foremost, Miss Mason taught that Children are Born Persons, and that every child has genius inside of them; it simply needs to be nourished by ideas. These ideas come from the world around them, observed and pondered, and from Living Books. Ideas contained in Living Books become the seeds spread in the science of relations. The child wrestles with these ideas and relations in his mind, in oral narration, and then in written form. Ideas form connections, which then instruct the child in wisdom and knowledge. It is the desire to know, that is planted within every human mind which drives the child to learn.
The teacher presents the feast before the child, but does not feed it to him. The teacher does not know which idea may spark interest and ideas, so she presents a wide feast and allows the child to explore and discover. She does, however, guide him in the tools and skills necessary for discovery, the ability to see (reading), to work out and wrestle with ideas (writing), and the logic and order to make conclusions (arithmetic). Where and how exponentially far these skills and ideas eventually lead is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Eagle’s Wing Learning Center was born out of a desire to create a unique learning environment, fostering joy and creativity in learning, where children could flourish in the development of their minds and souls. We are guided by the principles of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy, and have implemented within a co-school environment the structure of a Charlotte Mason education.
What this looks like in a practical sense is carefully structured day, in which students and teachers organically flow through the ‘feast’ of subjects that Charlotte Mason strongly believed were necessary for the nourishment and education of the minds of every child. Our day is divided between morning academics and afternoon occupations. Mornings flow through a variety of subjects which engage the mind and the hands- Bible, singing, grammar and writing, history and literature stories, reading and math skills, composer and picture study, physical movement, language, music and science. Afternoons spark the child’s imagination and creativity with outdoor time and nature study, art, music, handicrafts and building. Lessons are short, and our days are structured within ‘blocks’ of time to allow for flexibility. Depth of learning and creativity flourish in this type of atmosphere.
We do not use textbooks or a canned curriculum, but are guided by the Alveary curriculum, written and developed by the Charlotte Mason Institute. This allows for a unique balance between the co-school and the parent, with the parent as the primary educator, teachers as the guide and mentor, and the child as responsible for his own learning. A student may enroll in one to three days per week at Eagle’s Wing, with each day independent unto itself and centered on World studies, US studies, or Science and Geography electives.
Finally, Charlotte Mason believed that the purpose of education is knowledge of God, and that it is our individual responsibility to cultivate that knowledge in the wisdom of the Bible. Eagle’s Wing seeks to nurture a life of education as our divine responsibility and not just as a utilitarian task.
All of life is learning,
so join us on the journey!