By Cheryl Ward
Head of School,
Calvary Schools of Holland
Charlotte Mason believed that minds are truly nourished when they engage ideas—the best thoughts of the best minds. The result of engaging with these living ideas? Joy. Yes, it is possible for modern students to find joy at school and in the classroom. Our school — and other Ambleside schools around the world — are a testament to this type of learning atmosphere.
“There is but one sphere in which the word idea never occurs, in which the conception of an idea is curiously absent, and that sphere is education!”
– Charlotte M. Mason
Today much that passes as education is actually data and technique, assessed by quizzes and tests. Contemporary students in traditional schools only pass time in class. Day-to-day, week-to-week, even year-to-year, their minds find only scraps of ideas to feed on.
But intellectual starvation is not the only option for this generation!
Real learning happens when students engage novelists, poets, philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, artists, musicians, historians, and explorers. Real learning happens when students wonder, ask why, and see how. Calvary teachers foster this engagement using a carefully chosen Ambleside curriculum.
*Adapted from Living Education: From Ambleside Schools International
Members of our community are invited to attend our upcoming three-day internship to learn about the Charlotte Mason method of education. Led by Ambleside staff, participants read and discuss Charlotte Mason’s writings, observe Ambleside classrooms, and witness how teachers apply Charlotte Mason’s pedagogy across a variety of disciplines at different grade levels.
Cheryl Ward is the Head of School & Executive Director at Calvary Schools of Holland. She has served the Calvary community since 2015, stepping into her current role in 2021. Cheryl’s passion is transforming educational settings through the underlying philosophy, relationships, structures, and processes that support them. She has a bachelor’s degree in education and a second degree in Biblical studies, as well as a master’s of education degree. She has been an advocate for Charlotte Mason education, and an Ambleside affiliate, since 2009.