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Patterns for Life: An Orthodox Reflection on Charlotte Mason Education
"The first time we look into our child’s eyes and encounter the immortality that pools in their depths, we suddenly become aware of the immense responsibility we carry as parents. There are so many ways to serve the Lord in a lifetime, so many different paths to take, so much good to do; but the order of things suddenly crystallizes into a new pattern the moment we become parents." And so begins Lisa Rose's and Laura E. Wolfe's (Sasha and the Dragon, The Lion and the Saint) journey into the detailed and intricate, wonderful, and ever-new world of Charlotte Mason education. Many home-schooling families know of Charlotte Mason, but what is the best way to employ her in the home, with children of different ages and different interests? This book, by two classically-minded and diversely-educated, Orthodox Christian homeschoolers, lays out not just a bunch of principles, but what these principles look like in daily and even hourly detail, how they are implemented with various children, what Biblical and theological truths sit behind these principles, and at the center of it all, the reality that parents are not creating a new person in the home, but have a fully intact person already on their hands. As such, our small person, wholly unique in the Image of God, ought not be pressed into a system (standardized norms and tests), but developed through patterns that will help bring out the person God intends. This is the purpose and goal of Patterns for Life.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2023
32 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2023
Excellent! I'm not Orthodox, but I think while they write it to encourage Orthodox Christians, it applies to all Christians.
Also how I missed a CM book coming out I'm not sure!
I've read most of Charlotte Mason's volumes and a lot of books/articles about her method. Most books about the CM method are heavy on philosophy, or overly romantic and unrelatable (at least to me), or heavy on practicality (almost making it into a system). This one stands out for it's way of making CM so relatable for people new or old to the method and the practicality aspect with reminding you continually that it's about the principles and not a system. It's no slouch in the philosophy department either. They helped me understand some things I wasn't clear about from CM and in a new way. Plus it's like sitting down with these ladies and them reassuring you that it's all about principles and to just do your best. As long as you implement those it doesn't matter if you do the method exactly like CM in her PNEU classes. It's not about that. It's about a life giving method that helps us build relationships with the Lord, our children and others. So, all of our homeschools should look different and have different seasons.
The first part is all on philosophy. It's mainly the 20 principles. It explains why we do it, how it relates to the church and other thoughts from outside sources that being a full picture. One of the hard parts about CM is that she was a Victorian and she wrote for Victorian's. So, we may not understand her quotes from pop culture of the time. That's what these ladies were trying to do. Make this relatable to someone in our time, especially those new to CM.
The second part is the 20 principles in plain language laid out and some anecdotes on how they've played out in their lives.
The final part is all about the pieces that make up the day to day of a school day with the CM method. They continually reassure you that it's about the principles and how you use these depends on who you or your children are.
I felt very encouraged to continue working on habits that I basically gave up on. I'm working on the habit of prayer by myself and with my children.
I highly recommend it. I raced through it to see if I'd like it. Now I'm going to read it more slowly.
Also how I missed a CM book coming out I'm not sure!
I've read most of Charlotte Mason's volumes and a lot of books/articles about her method. Most books about the CM method are heavy on philosophy, or overly romantic and unrelatable (at least to me), or heavy on practicality (almost making it into a system). This one stands out for it's way of making CM so relatable for people new or old to the method and the practicality aspect with reminding you continually that it's about the principles and not a system. It's no slouch in the philosophy department either. They helped me understand some things I wasn't clear about from CM and in a new way. Plus it's like sitting down with these ladies and them reassuring you that it's all about principles and to just do your best. As long as you implement those it doesn't matter if you do the method exactly like CM in her PNEU classes. It's not about that. It's about a life giving method that helps us build relationships with the Lord, our children and others. So, all of our homeschools should look different and have different seasons.
The first part is all on philosophy. It's mainly the 20 principles. It explains why we do it, how it relates to the church and other thoughts from outside sources that being a full picture. One of the hard parts about CM is that she was a Victorian and she wrote for Victorian's. So, we may not understand her quotes from pop culture of the time. That's what these ladies were trying to do. Make this relatable to someone in our time, especially those new to CM.
The second part is the 20 principles in plain language laid out and some anecdotes on how they've played out in their lives.
The final part is all about the pieces that make up the day to day of a school day with the CM method. They continually reassure you that it's about the principles and how you use these depends on who you or your children are.
I felt very encouraged to continue working on habits that I basically gave up on. I'm working on the habit of prayer by myself and with my children.
I highly recommend it. I raced through it to see if I'd like it. Now I'm going to read it more slowly.
June 26, 2024
Wow. Just. Wow. I read it on my Kindle but think I'm also going to buy a hard copy to carry around with me - so much theory, so much practical, so much encouragement - all in one, accessible book!
They had me at "Reading Charlotte Mason can be a bit of a slog if you are not in the mood to drag out your Victorian thesaurus." and kept me all the way through "Everything we do, everything we think, everything we are, depends on who we become when we know Who we are meant to know."
We will begin Level 2 of a Charlotte Mason style education this Fall and I've felt so confident in this approach, it has come so naturally, but I felt very called to dig in deeper this summer as we step up. This book affirmed and challenged me all at the same time.
They had me at "Reading Charlotte Mason can be a bit of a slog if you are not in the mood to drag out your Victorian thesaurus." and kept me all the way through "Everything we do, everything we think, everything we are, depends on who we become when we know Who we are meant to know."
We will begin Level 2 of a Charlotte Mason style education this Fall and I've felt so confident in this approach, it has come so naturally, but I felt very called to dig in deeper this summer as we step up. This book affirmed and challenged me all at the same time.
December 8, 2022
I am THRILLED to be the first person to review this book. This book was recommended to me by Andrew Kerns from the Circe Institute. I wish I could say he and I were friends, but really I am just an unembarrassed woman who sometimes emails people whom I think may be able to help me with specific questions. I rarely buy or read new books, but I felt kind of special after Mr. Kerns actually replied to my email, so I took a chance. ;)
I am so grateful I did. Although I am a very religious and devoted Christian, I am not a member of the Orthodox Church. Additionally, I know very, very little about the Orthodox Church. But I have to agree with the authors that anyone Christian or religious in nature will benefit and gain much from reading Patterns for Life. While the semantics used differ from my own, I found that I could easily connect and relate to the ideas and feelings that were expressed. I am fairly familiar with the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy, and I have read some of Charlotte's own writings. However, so many concepts were opened up to me through Patterns for Life. I better understand the principles, the practices, and the applications. For instance, I am now finally sold on the concept of "handicrafts." Before I had thought of handicrafts as sort of outmoded and a ridiculous way to spend precious time. But through reading the authors' explanations and interpretations, coupled with their conviction of an embodied education that is indeed inseparable from our sacred, embodied, mortal existence, I couldn't help couple those ideas with my own personal thoughts and feelings I had been having about truly, actively, intentionally living through physical movement and experience as a way to worship God. I felt like rejoicing! Ha! Somebody understood what I'd been feeling! (And now all of my children are getting things like wood burning, leather working, whittling, etc. kits for Christmas and their birthdays. We're pulling out the old sewing machine!)
I mean all of that seriously. But to use a more serious tone, I found deep, meaningful connection in every section. The writing was clear and beautiful. There were things presented in the book and expressed in such a way that I often took a moment to stop and ponder for a minute or two about how the ideas and principles truly applied to me and resonated with what I wanted for my children, my homeschool, and for the trajectory of our lives. It was an uplifting, encouraging, motivating, and transformative experience.
Am I sounding a little hyperbolic? That's fair. But I'm also being honest. I'm not trying to say I'm going to change every aspect of my life, or that without this book I'd be completely lost. Most of the ideas were not completely new to me. There is nothing in the book that is causing me to rethink all my life's decision. I don't mean to elevate it to sacred scripture, and while I have benefited from it, I'm not going to run around encouraging everyone I know to read it. (This book definitely has an intended audience! Thankfully, I am included as one of the intended.) But through the reading I've started to refine and recommit to patterns I had already adopted, although some of them feebly. Like with handicrafting ;) I better understand the principles behind some of the practices I wasn't sold on before and found that my beliefs about children, education, life, and our relationship with the Divine is supported by these principles and so many other people who adopt the Charlotte Mason lifestyle of education and family life.
The book was specific enough in descriptions and explanations, but general enough to show clearly that these are principles that can be adapted to a wide variety of styles and personalities. I'm already sharing thoughts and ideas with friends whom I know will also appreciate and benefit from them. This book is a treasure to those who know and can recognize it's value. My hope is that more and more people will feel the need to reconsider the prevailing thoughts and patterns of modern education and look for books like this to lead them to a more gentle, natural, deep and lasting understanding of educating the whole person.
Five stars. Highly recommend!
I am so grateful I did. Although I am a very religious and devoted Christian, I am not a member of the Orthodox Church. Additionally, I know very, very little about the Orthodox Church. But I have to agree with the authors that anyone Christian or religious in nature will benefit and gain much from reading Patterns for Life. While the semantics used differ from my own, I found that I could easily connect and relate to the ideas and feelings that were expressed. I am fairly familiar with the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy, and I have read some of Charlotte's own writings. However, so many concepts were opened up to me through Patterns for Life. I better understand the principles, the practices, and the applications. For instance, I am now finally sold on the concept of "handicrafts." Before I had thought of handicrafts as sort of outmoded and a ridiculous way to spend precious time. But through reading the authors' explanations and interpretations, coupled with their conviction of an embodied education that is indeed inseparable from our sacred, embodied, mortal existence, I couldn't help couple those ideas with my own personal thoughts and feelings I had been having about truly, actively, intentionally living through physical movement and experience as a way to worship God. I felt like rejoicing! Ha! Somebody understood what I'd been feeling! (And now all of my children are getting things like wood burning, leather working, whittling, etc. kits for Christmas and their birthdays. We're pulling out the old sewing machine!)
I mean all of that seriously. But to use a more serious tone, I found deep, meaningful connection in every section. The writing was clear and beautiful. There were things presented in the book and expressed in such a way that I often took a moment to stop and ponder for a minute or two about how the ideas and principles truly applied to me and resonated with what I wanted for my children, my homeschool, and for the trajectory of our lives. It was an uplifting, encouraging, motivating, and transformative experience.
Am I sounding a little hyperbolic? That's fair. But I'm also being honest. I'm not trying to say I'm going to change every aspect of my life, or that without this book I'd be completely lost. Most of the ideas were not completely new to me. There is nothing in the book that is causing me to rethink all my life's decision. I don't mean to elevate it to sacred scripture, and while I have benefited from it, I'm not going to run around encouraging everyone I know to read it. (This book definitely has an intended audience! Thankfully, I am included as one of the intended.) But through the reading I've started to refine and recommit to patterns I had already adopted, although some of them feebly. Like with handicrafting ;) I better understand the principles behind some of the practices I wasn't sold on before and found that my beliefs about children, education, life, and our relationship with the Divine is supported by these principles and so many other people who adopt the Charlotte Mason lifestyle of education and family life.
The book was specific enough in descriptions and explanations, but general enough to show clearly that these are principles that can be adapted to a wide variety of styles and personalities. I'm already sharing thoughts and ideas with friends whom I know will also appreciate and benefit from them. This book is a treasure to those who know and can recognize it's value. My hope is that more and more people will feel the need to reconsider the prevailing thoughts and patterns of modern education and look for books like this to lead them to a more gentle, natural, deep and lasting understanding of educating the whole person.
Five stars. Highly recommend!
August 31, 2024
An excellent read. I read this with the 7 other homeschool (and potential homeschool) families in my church, and we found a lot to discuss. Very edifying and humbling. The authors covered the theoretical/philosophical side of CM as well as some more pragmatic applications. This is a book I will certainly read again.
August 8, 2025
it wasn't super helpful for me. it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my favorite CM book.
July 30, 2024
A most wonderful book. Rose and Wolfe frame Charlotte Mason's 20 Principles of Education through an Eastern Orthodox perspective, and the result is an incisive survey replete with poignant ruminations on homeschooling. This book covers absolutely everything and to my mind, is quite successful in answering any question a homeschooler may have who is new to Charlotte Mason. My biggest takeaway is well-summarized in the following quote: "In the end, it does not matter at all what we know. Everything we do, everything we think, everything we are, depends on who we become when we know Who we are meant to know"
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews