R is for Reading
Reading is the first (and the only legitimately spelled!) of the 3 Rs! And as such holds a place of primacy in education. The ability to read is a key vehicle for knowledge⊠and is the source of much turmoil for many students and their parents.
With this topic, almost more than any other, it is easy to step into the hole of utility. For some, this is the defining trait of education. In times past the question of, âDo you have your letters?â formed a distinct line between the classes. The teaching of reading is often the first thing in a personâs mind when they contemplate educating their young children, and it can feel like a daunting hurdle â not only technically, but emotionally.
Before you stop reading this article due to elevated anxiety or because you think this topic doesnât apply to you and your functional reader â letâs step back for a minute. Breathe and take a wider view with me. Letâs look at this icon of attainment and see why reading isnât just a functional skill â but a habit â a mind â and a life that deserves purposeful cultivation at every age.
One mistake I have seen parents make is to believe that it is up to them to give this skill to their children, that it is in their gift, or lack thereof, to bestow. The truth is that the human being, in all of its potential and wonder, is a pattern seeking savant that thirsts for knowledge and opportunity to gain ability. This is not a plug for an laisser-faire approach to education; the parent certainly has definite roles and duties to perform in this process, but they are not along the lines of: giving, making or creating - but of: consistent exposure, habit of practice, space and wonder.
The teaching of reading is one of the areas where Ms. Mason spent time giving specifics. In her book Home Education, she spells out an intuitive and straightforward way to teach reading with no purchase required â but begins by saying:
âBut, as a matter of fact, few of us can recollect how or when we learned to read: for all we know it came by nature, like the art of runningâŠâ
More than undermining her approach, she is underlining the miracle of mind. And so, as far as specific curriculum goes, perhaps your born-person doesnât even need one! In the event they (or you!) do there are many out there that will do the job admirably. Evaluate each based on Ms. Masonâs principles and meet your child where they are, lead with ideas and so cultivate care.
But what about those people for whom letters twist and turn and for whom ability doesnât come easily. As a teacher I can tell you that there is no magic grade level for reading regardless of what the public school, or your extended family, may say. I have heard the clink as the pin of understanding clicked into place for 5-year-olds and in 13-year-olds.
As the parent of a child who did not read functionally until 7 th grade â I can tell you that lack of ability doesnât have to define. This particular child went on to become our most passionate reader, writer, and lover of words in large part because reading wasnât viewed as a merely technical skill, but as an atmosphere and a life. Her interactions with words were never labeled or quantified; rather our efforts in decoding were simply part of our discipline of habit â one of many constants in our day. More vitally were all of the in-between spaces where the great wide world of words and ideas were allowed to swirl in our atmosphere free from personal dexterity. Space. She had space â space enough for me to secretly fret! â but in that space, not only did ability steal in almost unaware - but care and passion were kindled and preserved.
Meeting your child where they are may require additional time, and space, and even special approaches â but reading is not merely utilitarian, keep in the forefront of your minds the purpose and wonder.
Once functional ability in reading is achieved, we tend to coast rather than level up. We forget that the âeasy readerâ is the same challenging balance of function and comprehension to young kids, that Dickens is to older, and in its turn, the same way a technical non-fiction is to a High Schooler â and that hard doesnât equal bad! We should continue to challenge ourselves with ever higher levels of phrasing and comprehension. This is one of the beauties of Charlotte Masonâs scheme of using living books as the vehicles of education. In modern models, once function has been gained, the use of books is narrowed to story, leisure, and enjoyment. Ideas, concepts, and deep understanding are outsourced to presentations and lectures with their accompanying paperwork. With this view, those not keen on fan fiction, or tired of Amish romance â will feel reading to be a backwater. Charlotte Mason keeps reading in its rightful role of vitalizing force.
Avoiding the ditches for Charlotte Mason teachers will involve resisting the temptation to make all readings at a tip-top level, or on the other side - a tad too low for growth. The middle of the road is to keep Ideas as the focus â not all subjects require âgrade level booksâ. Sometimes the best presentation of an idea is in simple words aptly put, even in High School. A good curriculum will contain elements to grow a person in all directions, at all grade levels.
Finally, with the mention of persons, letâs circle full round to the humanness of this art. Yes, there is need for functional ability, yes reading is the best vehicle for ideas and so growth, but beyond the externals, the very act of reading channels the brain into uniquely focused and empathetic currents of thought and clarity. That this capacity was anything less than essentially human may have remained unrecognized except for our new societal trends that push tech, screens, and so also the resultant scattered attentions. As Nicholas Carr points out in his book The Shallows:
ââŠbook reading⊠(and the accompanying) linear, literary mind has been at the center of art, science and society. As supple as it is subtle, itâs been the imaginative mind of the Renaissance, the rational mind of the Enlightenment, the inventive mind of the Industrial Revolution, even the subversive mind of Modernism. It may soon be yesterdayâs mind.â
Most people are aware of the fact that reading nurtures and grows individuals, but what must also be recognized, or lost, is that the art and habit of reading has also been the conduit of civilization. To relegate the reading of books to the back burner personally, or in schemes of education, or as the pivotal habit of adult life is to pull the keystone from the arch.
Sara Timothy 2025
For Further Reading in the Volumes:
Phonics and Learning to Read - AO Topical CM Series
For Further Learning:
First Reading Lessons: Charlotte Mason Poetry
Charlotte Mason Reading Lessons: Charlotte Mason International
Reading and Writing Readiness: A Delectable Education Podcast
Charlotte Mason Reading Lessons: Wildflower Ramblings
Reading Lessons for the Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschool : Our Cooper Nest
Charlotte Mason Reading Instruction : My Little Robins
Further Resources:
Reading Bundle: A Delectable Education
Delightful Reading Kits: Simply Charlotte Mason
DIY CM Reading Lessons: A Joyful Shepherdess
Dianne Craft Brain Integration Manual