Education is an Atmosphere
Nothing forms us as much as the relational “air” we breathe.
Nothing forms us as much as the relational “air” we breathe.
Nothing forms us as much as the relational “air” we breathe.
The bracing atmosphere of truth and sincerity should be perceived in every school; and here again the common pursuit of knowledge by teacher and class comes to our aid and creates a current of fresh air perceptible even to the chance visitor, who sees the glow of intellectual life and the moral health on the faces of teachers and children alike.
— CHARLOTTE M. MASON —
The bracing atmosphere of truth and sincerity should be perceived in every school; and here again the common pursuit of knowledge by teacher and class comes to our aid and creates a current of fresh air perceptible even to the chance visitor, who sees the glow of intellectual life and the moral health on the faces of teachers and children alike.
CHARLOTTE M. MASON
Discover more — A living education
The Charlotte Mason Philosophy
At Ambleside, students encounter the past and present, the awe and wonder of science and mathematics, the frailty and nobility of humankind, the ebb and flow of life, and the relationship between authority and obedience. And — free from the burden of competing for ranks, grades, or prizes — they learn for the joy of learning.
Ambleside students experience the guiding hand of a teacher who is both loving and firm. Teachers allow students to experience the natural consequences of their actions, and students experience the delight and the struggle of everyday life.
Classroom furniture is the work of craftsmen. Natural light filters into the classroom. Children observe birds feeding outside classroom windows. Walls display old masters’ works, wise sayings, maps of faraway places, and nature specimens the class has gathered.
Ambleside teachers cultivate an atmosphere that nurtures:
- Joy and belonging.
- Relationships that include, rather than exclude.
- Culture that transcends fads.
- Pursuit of, and love for, knowledge.
- Wonder, as students relate to knowledge, others, and God.
- Delight in work and in the struggle to grow.
- Effort and enjoyment of the fruit of worthy effort.
- Rigor, challenge, and an opportunity to meet mind to mind.
- Work characterized as worthy in conversation and its focus, in writing and its topic.
At Ambleside, we do not define children by their strengths or weaknesses. Children are not — like unmolded clay — ‘incomplete and undeveloped” beings. Instead, we view all children as persons, created in God’s image, with a vast potential for a fruitful life filled with interests and relationships.
Children as Persons
Who hasn’t been defined by character or ability? “You are very musical”…or athletic, bright, or mathematically inclined, says a teacher. “You are tone deaf, clumsy, average, and have no aptitude for math,” says a grandparent. Defining a child is a common way to identify who he is, to locate something he is good at, to bolster his self-esteem, to place him in the right track in school, to direct his extra-curricular activities.
As persons, all children at Ambleside:
● Experience a broad, rigorous curriculum.
● Calculate, solve, attend, explore, ponder, recite, paint, and sing.
● Are held to a high standard in relationship to self, others, ideas, and work.
● Learn without the external motivation of grades, rewards, punishment, or manipulation.
● Participate actively in the learning process each day.
● Learn to complete punctual, accurate, neat, work.
● Demonstrate complex thought, mastery of material, and academic skill.
● Receive support as they master the habits of a life well-lived.
● Encounter a wealth of ideas and knowledge in well-written books.
● Complete tasks worthy of their attention, time, effort, and thought.
Discover more — A living education
The Charlotte Mason Philosophy
