Busted: 31 Days of CM Myths

That’s right. This is what we’ve been waiting for! Every single day in October, there will be a new post right here that busts some sort of myth associated with Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy and practices.

If you are unfamiliar with Charlotte Mason, you can see the information page at AmblesideOnline.

This post is going to serve as an index, or linked table of contents. Each day, I’ll come back here (and I’ll try to make it earlier in the day, rather than later) and add the link for that day’s post.

So. Did I mention how excited I am about this series? I have been working so hard getting all of it together, and this team of contributors is just awesome and the topics are great and … seriously? What’s not to love?

Here’s what you have to look forward to:

• Introduction ← you are here
• Myth 1: Reading and narration are the sum total of a CM education.
• Myth 2: Charlotte Mason never had children of her own, so her advice is unrealistic.
• Myth 3: CM and memory work don’t mix.
• Myth 4: Real CM/PNEU families all had servants and governesses, so a modern mom can’t do what they did.
• Myth 5: Charlotte Mason would have children spending six hours outside on a hot July day in Alabama.
• Myth 6: CM homeschools ought to recreate the PUS timetables.
• Myth 7: You have to have tea-time in a CM education.
• Myth 8: A CM education is long on humanities and short on math and science.
• Myth 9: Twaddle and light reading are the same thing.
• Myth 10: Charlotte Mason’s many subjects directly conflict with the classical principle of multum non multa.
• Myth 11: The point of composer study and picture study is to know about composers and artists as individual persons.
• Myth 12: CM doesn’t work for those with learning disabilities.
• Myth 13: CM doesn’t work for boys.
• Myth 14: CM is a method and not a curriculum.
• Myth 15: CM only uses old, dusty books.
• Myth 16: A Charlotte Mason education is gentle.
• Myth 17: Charlotte Mason uses a sight reading approach to reading instruction.
• Myth 18: CM isn’t Christian enough.
• Myth 19: CM math can only be done with living books.
• Myth 20: CM doesn’t work for high school.
• Myth 21: Charlotte Mason’s schools were for a rich elite.
• Myth 22: Masterly Inactivity is something children do.
• Myth 23: CM is only for perfect kids. Or bookish kids.
• Myth 24: Charlotte Mason was a godless evolutionist.
• Myth 25: CM won’t work for a large family.
• Myth 26: CM is child-led.
• Myth 27: CM means you never use a textbook … ever.
• Myth 28: CM isn’t hands on like other curricula.
• Myth 29: CM history completely ignores events in favor of focusing on individual people.
• Myth 30: Charlotte Mason’s philosophy can be well understood through secondary sources.

I cannot tell you how excited about this!