Education for a Full Life

Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life.––We begin to see what we want. Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Thou hast set my feet in a large room; should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking––the strain would be too great––but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest. We cannot give the children these interests; we prefer that they should never say they have learned botany or conchology, geology or astronomy. The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?

Charlotte Mason (School Education)

Many of my fellow home educators will be starting a new school year this week, and, as I’ve done the last two years around this same time, I’m celebrating this momentous annual occasion with a new quote design!

Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life

The quote I’ve chosen for this year is actually the title of a section of School Education for which I made another quote print (also here). The “large room” quote is a popular one in the Charlotte Mason world and with good reason. It summarizes what our goal is as Charlotte Mason home educators. We don’t want to merely educate our children; we want to send them off into adulthood with an appreciation for the world around them and the desire to learn more about it. Not only that, but also to find joy in the learning. We want them to care.

As I searched for ideas for this year’s design, I came across this lone quote… “Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life.” I’ve read all the volumes from front to back, but couldn’t think of where this one might be until I looked it up and realized it’s the header of the section with the large room quote. How fitting!

Education isn’t just about preparing our kids for their future professions. Education is about forming their character, instilling good values in them, teaching them right from wrong, and introducing them to the world and all that entails. I want to come alongside them in this educational journey as their guide, philosopher, and friend, and that means that I want to help them know more than just the facts and details found in any standard textbook. My desire is that their education goes so much deeper than that and leads them into living a more meaningful life.

In short, my aim is to provide them with the opportunity for a full life through their education.