About Thinking Love
"The mother is qualified," says Pestalozzi, "and qualified by the Creator Himself, to become the principal agent in the development of her child; ... and what is demanded of her is––a thinking love ... God has given to the child all the faculties of our nature, but the grand point remains undecided––how shall this heart, this head, these hands be employed? to whose service shall they be dedicated? A question the answer to which involves a futurity of happiness or misery to a life so dear to thee. Maternal love is the first agent in education."
We are waking up to our duties and in proportion as mothers become more highly educated and efficient, they will doubtless feel the more strongly that the education of their children during the first six years of life is an undertaking hardly to be entrusted to any hands but their own. . And they will take it up as their profession––that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours.
That the mother may know what she is about, may come thoroughly furnished to her work, she should have something more than a hearsay acquaintance with the theory of education, and with those conditions of the child's nature upon which such theory rests."
Charlotte Mason, Home Education
Charlotte Mason begins her first volume of educational philosophy by quoting Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, the great education reformer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Before laying out her own ideas, Charlotte Mason urged us to think, to process what she said in the light of our own family's needs.
You are here because you have chosen to think about your child's education in an unexpected way. You have chosen to go against the grain. Whether you have very young children and you hope to homeschool them, or you have been homeschooling for years, we pray that this podcast will inspire you as you fulfill your calling.
We can present you with ideas, but it is your duty to think.
About Amy
Amy Fischer stumbled into a love for education during a year studying abroad. After leaving work to care for her first child, her enthusiasm led her to look into home education, and, eventually, to the Charlotte Mason Way. Amy blogs at Around the Thicket, where she posts about the Charlotte Mason philosophy, homeschooling, and parenting. When she's not chasing after little boys, she's can be found reading or planning her next hike.
Originally from Indiana, Amy resides in England with her husband and three rambunctious boys.
Amy is the author of Before Curriculum: How to Start Practicing the Charlotte Mason Philosophy in your Home.
About Leah
Leah is a former teacher who learned about the Charlotte Mason philosophy when she was hired by a private school. The philosophy complete changed the way she viewed education, and she began implementing it in her home. After leaving her job to be with her children, she continued to learn about Charlotte Mason, and wanted to share it with others. She started My Little Robins in 2016 as a way to connect with like-minded parents, and as a way to keep teaching outside of the classroom.
Leah lives in Colorado with her husband and three children.
Leah is the author of Charlotte Mason Preschool Foundations.
