Poetic Mode of Education vs. Charlotte Mason: Catholic Homeschool Guide

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In recent years, more Catholic homeschoolers are rediscovering two powerful streams of classical education: the Poetic Mode of Education (often associated with John Senior and the Integrated Humanities Program) and the philosophy of Charlotte Mason.

Though they arise from different contexts and traditions, both approaches treasure wonder, beauty, and the formation of the whole person. But how are they different? And can they be combined in a Catholic homeschool?

John Senior and Charlotte Mason

I wrote a bit about what the poetic mode of education is here and there were a few questions that I received. So I decided to write a bit more on the topic to clarify a few things.

First off, I believe that the Charlotte Mason method is very similar to John Senior’s teachings, with just a few slight differences. Also, a mother teacher can teach in the poetic mode while using CM, but it isn’t explicitly taught. You really have to dig deep into her volumes to find her mentions of poetic learning.

“Our Beauty Sense. — There is another region open to Intellect, of very great beauty and delight. He must needs have Imagination with him to travel there, but still more must he have that companion of the nice ear and eye, who enabled him to recognise music and beauty in words and their arrangement. The aesthetic Sense, in truth, holds the key of this palace of delights. There are few joys in life greater and more constant than our joy in Beauty, though it is almost impossible to put into words what Beauty consists in; colour, form, proportion, harmony — these are some of its elements. Words give some idea of these things, and therefore some idea of Beauty, and that is why it is only through our Beauty Sense that we can take full pleasure in Literature.”

Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, book 1, p. 41

We’ve used Charlotte Mason’s method for many years of our homeschool life. And I still do combine some of her principles in our home.

However, the poetic mode is what I found to be missing for us. I also find John Senior’s writings paired with the teachings of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to be more of what we’ve been looking for in our Catholic home.

Related: An Education in Wonder + Changes to Our Homeschool

What Is the Poetic Mode of Education?

Rooted in the classical teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. These teachings were brought back to the minds of us moderns through the work of Dr. John Senior and his colleagues, Dr. Frank Nelick, and Dr. Dennis Quinn.

Professors Senior, Nelick, and Quinn created the Integrated Humanities Program (IHP) at the University of Kansas to form their students through an education in wonder. Later on, John Senior wrote about poetic knowledge and shared his 1000 Good Books list as a preparation for the Great Books.

The Poetic Mode of Education is about awakening the soul through wonder. It begins not with rational analysis, but with what Senior called “poetic knowledge” — a pre-rational, experiential way of knowing rooted in the senses, memory, and imagination.

Key features of the Poetic Mode and the IHP include:

• A strong emphasis on real experiences—nature, music, manual work, and art
• Reading formative literature from the “1000 Good Books” before diving into the Great Books
• A lifestyle that encourages silence, contemplation, and receptivity
• Education as a preparation for the liturgy, for truth in Christ — and ultimately towards union with God

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

St. Augustine

What Is Charlotte Mason’s Educational Philosophy?

Charlotte Mason was a 19th-century Anglican educator whose insights remain surprisingly modern. She saw education as “an atmosphere, a discipline, a life,” and emphasized the development of good habits, living ideas, and a rich exposure to beauty.

Key features of Charlotte Mason’s method:

• Use of “living books” — well-written books that spark imagination and convey noble ideas
• Narration as a central method of learning and retention
• Short, focused lessons to encourage attention
• Nature study and outdoor time to cultivate reverence and observation
• Formation of virtue through habit training

Shared Foundations

Despite their differences, both philosophies:

• Begin with wonder and reverence
• Value the imagination and moral formation
• Prioritize beauty, goodness, and truth
• Encourage a slow, thoughtful pace
• Seek to form not just scholars, but saints

How to Combine Them in a Catholic Homeschool

Blending Charlotte Mason and the Poetic Mode can bring out the best of both worlds. We have been using The Children’s Tradition for the base of our curriculum — which is based off of the work of John Senior and his 1000 Good Book’s List.

But we also combine a bit of Charlotte Mason’s wisdom into our home. Here are some practical ideas and ways that we combine both in our homeschool.

Begin with Beauty: Start your day with prayer, a hymn, the Lives of the Saints, and a poem. Let memory work include psalms, poetry, and catechism.

Choose Books Thoughtfully: Although we use John Senior’s book list for our curriculum, we also will use some of Charlotte Mason’s principles. If you want to combine both, you could use Charlotte Mason’s living books for academic subjects, and draw from the 1000 Good Books for read-alouds, fairy tales, historical fiction, adventure stories, bedtime reads, and saint stories. This is how we initially began our transition over.

Narration Meets Contemplation: Let children narrate after each reading, but also build in time for silence, reflection, and art. I like to add in pockets of time for silence and contemplation in our days.

Embrace Nature as a Gift: Go on nature walks not just to label plants, but to receive creation with awe. Sit outside and star gaze, listen to the birds, watch the sun rise or set, observe the beauty of God’s creation! Mix journaling with simple observation and gratitude.

Structure + Rhythm: Follow a CM-style schedule in the morning (short lessons, rich content), and let afternoons be free for poetic experiences—music, handicrafts, art, free reading, rest. Be sure to fit in time for manual work, too. We are fortunate to live on a cattle ranch and homestead with a variety of animals and a decent size garden — so many regular manual labor opportunities!

“Work is a physical necessity; if you don’t work you don’t eat.  Prayer is a necessity of obligation; if you don’t pray you will not enter the Kingdom.  Prayer is a duty, an office; it is free, voluntary payment of the debt we owe to God for existence and grace.  The Latin word for duty is officium, and the perfect prayer of the Church is its Divine Office; St. Benedict called it the opus Dei, the work of God”

— John Senior, The Restoration of Christian Culture

Root All in the Faith: Live the liturgical year in your homeschool. Let feast days, saints, and Scripture form the rhythm of your year, drawing your children deeper into wonder and worship.

Resources for the Mother Teacher

• An Education in Wonder + Changes to our Homeschool
• What is an Education in Wonder? A Guide to the Poetic Mode
• Musical Education in the Classical Homeschool
• Fairytales, Fables, Legends, and Myths in a Catholic Education
• The Children’s Tradition” — Use code: JOYFULLYDOMESTIC for 10% OFF!
• Awakening a Sense of Wonder in the Mother Teacher
• “The Death of Christian Culture” by John Senior
• “The Restoration of Christian Culture” by John Senior
• “John Senior and the Restoration of Realism” by Fr. Francis Bethel
• “Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination” by Vigen Guroian
• The Home Education Series by Charlotte Mason

I hope that you found this post helpful as you immerse yourself and your children into a life filled with awe and wonder.

By thoughtfully weaving together Charlotte Mason’s gentle structure and John Senior’s poetic vision, Catholic homeschoolers can cultivate homes filled with beauty, reverence, and joy.

Our ultimate goal is about creating a home where both the imagination and intellect are formed for Heaven.