A Free Look Inside First Steps
This page is a preview of Week One of First Steps Into Charlotte Mason Education, an eight-week online course that introduces the principles of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy one idea at a time, grounded in her own writings. Below are excerpts from the first lesson, sample pages from the course journal, and a picture of the course itself, so readers can see what it is like before deciding.
- Thoughtfully written lessons with readings, real-life examples, and reflection questions, read online at any pace
- About an hour of reading each week, plus time applying the ideas at home
- All eight weeks open from the start
- A downloadable course journal with reflection questions and practical exercises
- Lifetime access
- $97, with a 14-day refund if not satisfied
First Steps is written for parents who are new to Charlotte Mason and want a clear, faithful place to begin, and for those who are familiar with her but have never really understood how the pieces fit together.
Children are Persons
Week One of the First Steps course begins with Charlotte Mason’s first and most foundational principle: Children are born persons. The excerpts below are only a portion of this lesson.
Week One Excerpts
Begin with the Child in Mind
While our impulse may be to begin our child’s education by sorting through curriculum and researching the best teaching methods, there is something far more important for us to understand first, and that is who we are educating.
The child before us is not a container to be poured into, a lump of clay to mold, or a programmable robot, but a whole person: body, mind, heart, and soul. In fact, like you and I, they have thoughts, feelings, reason, will, affections, and a soul. They are created in the image of God.
This is where a Charlotte Mason education begins—with her first and foundational principle:
“Children are born persons.”
With this truth, Mason reorients education around the personhood of the child.
This is how we find them––with intelligence more acute, logic more keen, observing powers more alert, moral sensibilities more quick, love and faith and hope more abounding; in fact, in all points like as we are, only more so; but absolutely ignorant of the world and its belongings, of us and our ways, and, above all, of how to control and direct and manifest the infinite possibilities with which they are born.
—School Education, Vol. 3 p.172
A Real-Life Moment
A mother once shared that her son’s breakfast-table chatter used to irritate her. She saw it as distraction or disruption. But as she began to embrace Mason’s view of the child as a person, something changed. She realized he wasn’t just being disruptive, he was narrating. He was noticing the world around him and eagerly sharing it with her, inviting her into his thoughts.
That shift in perspective allowed her to respond differently.
She still taught him when to speak and when to listen, but now it was done with understanding, less irritation. Over time, things improved and a more genuine relationship formed between them.
This Week’s Reading
Read: Volume 1, Preface to the Home Education Series
(If you struggle with her original writing, an easier to read, adapted version can be found here. Or an audio version can be found on Librivox.)
Words to Reflect On: “As a stream can rise no higher than its source, so it is probable that no educational effort can rise above the whole scheme of thought which gives it birth.”
Why It Matters
In the Preface, Charlotte Mason makes a striking claim: if we begin with the wrong view of the child, no educational effort can truly succeed. Even the most polished curriculum or efficient classroom strategy will misfire if it starts with false premises rather than personhood.
As you read, notice:
- How Mason defines the true aim of education.
- Why she believes personhood—not utility, efficiency, or achievement—must guide all our efforts.
See the Whole Course
Week One is the first of eight. Each week takes up one of Mason’s principles in order, with readings from her own writings, reflection, and practical application at home.
The Course Journal
The downloadable pdf course journal accompanies each week’s lesson with readings, questions for reflection, and practical exercises to help you consider and apply what you’re learning.
Here are a few pages from Week One.
Course Interface
The following is an image of what each week’s lesson will look like. The panel on the left allows you to see where you are each week while the progress bar at the top shows you how much of the course you have left to complete.
Continue Learning
Children Are Persons is week one of eight weeks exploring Charlotte Mason’s educational principles and what they mean in our homes and the education of our children.
The full course is $97 and includes all eight lessons, the downloadable course journal, and lifetime access, with a 14-day refund if not satisfied.
Facilitators can contact admin@charlottemasoneducation.org about group rates.