Laying Down the Rails

by Sonya Shafer

Genres: Parenting, Education, Nonfiction, Family, Philosophy

239 pages, Paperback

About the author

Sonya Shafer is a popular homeschool speaker and writer, specializing in the Charlotte Mason Method. She has been on an adventure for more than 20 years studying, researching, practicing, and teaching Charlotte’s gentle and effective methods of education. Her passion for homeschooling her own four daughters grew into helping others and then into Simply Charlotte Mason, which publishes her many books and provides a place of practical encouragement to homeschoolers at https://simplycharlottemason.com/.

Reviews

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, but would have liked more discussion of what it might look like in day to day living to implement Mason's ideas. I can read the volumes for myself and get the same points as are in this book (granted, not all together in one place like this). What would be more helpful is some focus on application.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are familiar with Charlotte Mason teaching method at all, you will recognize this author immediately. If you don't, please do familiarize yourself with her! I encourage you to listen to podcasts or watch her youtube videos.

As for this book, I feel Laying Down the Rails is consistently lacking in meat. One cannot read this book without purchasing the books that accompany it for teaching the individual habits. The brief information given is essentially the words of Charlotte Mason on habits, with some various additions from Shafer, herself. The book cannot be read in it's entirety, as it's designed to be used WITH the others. If you would like to learn more about Charlotte Mason's concepts of habit, please look elsewhere or read her own books. I expected so much more and was very dismayed to find that I needed to purchase other books to read this and gain practical knowledge to apply in my habit training.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

"As for sitting down to table with unwashed hands and unbrushed hair, that, of course, no decent child is allowed to do." - Charlotte Mason Vol 1 p 127



I've heard so many good things about Charlotte Mason and her method of education. I haven't read any of the books she's famous for writing, but this is a book that heavily excerpts and summarizes her work.

Miss Mason's judgy, condescending tone gets all my hackles up in a way they haven't been since To Train Up a Child. As with that book, I tried to chew the meat and spit out the bones, but there's so much gristle it's really unappetizing.

Within the first 30 pages, I knew Miss Mason was judging me from the grave in these areas:
-not making beds or having a "sweet-smelling" kids' room because I'm not "airing" the beds and pajamas
-my 6-year-olds should be taking daily baths completely independently and being totally competent to do all washing up themselves
-my children should always shut the door when walking into and out of rooms, even when just coming to pick up one thing and go back out (apparently this was a "necessity" in her day, but I can't imagine why! I tried to google it but all the results were about what Victorians did behind closed doors...)
-because I am not strict with my kids (forcing them to obey me 100% of the time) every act of disobedience is my fault and my choice
-in fact, every way my children make bad choices is my fault because I should only allow them to make good choices

Hey, if I had all the servants these Victorians had, I'm pretty sure I could micromanage my kids' entire day too!

I tried to skim through the rest and see if I could find any practical tips, but the whole thing just left me cold. I'm already a critic by nature (if you couldn't tell from this review). The last thing my kids need is for me to become even more strict, stiff, nitpicky, etc. As with authoritarian parenting books, there is this huge emphasis on forcing cheerful and immediate obedience every single time—and nothing about making sure your kids know they're loved. Of course, Charlotte Mason just taught other people's kids and never had any of her own, so love never needed to be a focus, did it?

Finally, I admit that as both a Canadian and a person who deeply values honesty, I am uniquely disposed to detest this particular kind of pompous tone that is often natural to the writings of Brits and Americans. The idea that "There is only one right way, it's my way, it's delightful to everyone involved, and if you don't follow it you are doomed." It's arrogant and I don't buy it.

[Maria Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I will re-read it often. Truly life-changing (when you put it in practice).

[Jennifer VanderPloeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this over 2 1/2 years. It was excellent. I read tiny passages at a time and pondered them, working them into my life and the life of my children.
I appreciated how the book was broken down into topics. I just started at the beginning and read through but if you wanted to look up what Charlotte had to say on a specific trait, it would be easy to look it up.

I have not read Charlotte’s original writings but plan to read those next.

[Shaina Sunwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Habit training for momma and children.