Prep schools are run with the goal of preparing child to take on the role of responsible and active adults. Using the motto "I am, I can, I ought, I will," the Charlotte Mason method provides training proven to help children develop into adulthood. Founded on the principles of reason and will, this ideology treats children as people who are capable of independent thought and whose intellectual curiosity is developed through rigorous academic and artistic training. Empirical data shows that this technique works for children across social classes. Mason grew up in England, where, beginning at age 22, she led a girls' high school. Ten years later, she began giving lectures to teachers-in-training. At the age of 36, she moved to the countryside in order to continue her work on experiential learning, which eventually led her to develop a series of geography books. She continued to teach and lecture until her death at age 81. Charlotte Mason wrote a series of books covering subjects as diverse as geography, poetry, world history, reading, and art history. These textbooks cover kindergarten through high school instruction. The children are meant to not only read these books, but also to narrate to the class to improve their retention and understanding. In this method, teachers are trained as mentors, rather than disciplinarians who simply dole out facts that the children collect. This education stresses the students' experience and perception of their study materials. Mason's writing emphasizes that education is an atmosphere, and that some (at the time) traditional schools created a patronizing and demoralizing atmosphere. She insisted that books and classrooms should not be dumbed down; rather, children should be respected for their natural ability to learn and retain information. Charlotte Mason's work has influenced outstanding schools, including prep schools, across the country. The emphasis on shorter morning lessons leaves plenty of time for free reading, arts and music curriculum, and extracurricular activities. From the early years through high school, students develop sustained attention and focus, as well as voluntary attention skills. Modern life is filled with activities that breed involuntary attention, such as watching television. Students have to learn to actively approach activities over increasing increments of time. The Charlotte Mason method refers to this as "habit training." Creativity guides the method. The goal is to prevent authoritarian methods that hinder a child's curiosity and discourage them from developing a lifelong love of learning. Students who are educated in this manner arrive at college prepared, disciplined, and intellectually curious. Two of the most important skills necessary for college, writing ability and critical thinking, are developed through this method. Mason's legacy lives on in a yearly conference, in home schooling practices, in online forums, and, most predominantly, in prep schools across the country. This method has successfully produced lifelong learners and good citizens for over a century. As education changes and evolves, this philosophy continues to emphasize the classical objectives of learning in a modern environment. It has proven to be a successful method for preparing students for college and the world beyond. When looking for NJ prep schools, parents should consider http://www.wilberforceschool.org/academicexcellence.
Related Articles -
nj, prep, schools,
|