One of the hallmarks of a Charlotte Mason education is short lessons.

But why did Charlotte use them? And are they enough?

Today we are going to look at six benefits that come with short lessons

and a couple of guidelines to keep in mind if you're going to use them effectively.

Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast. I'm Sonia Schaefer. Short Lessons. It's a phrase often heard in Charlotte Mason circles, and it's an important principle of teaching a child in the Charlotte Mason way. But as always, that one component is part of the bigger picture. So let's take a few minutes to dig a little deeper into short lessons and talk about what

all they encompass as part of a Charlotte Mason approach.

Let's start by discussing why Charlotte Mason used short lessons.

What are the benefits? Well, I can think of six to begin with. Benefit number one, short

lessons encourage the habit of attention. It's human nature. If you know you have all day to tidy the house before

company arrives, that task can expand to take all day. You think about other things, you

get distracted doing other things, and before you know it, that job stretches out over several

hours. If, however, you know that company is arriving in

one hour, what happens to your focus? Suddenly your mind zeroes in on the task at hand

and you get it done in that time limit. Well, it's the same thing with short lessons. Knowing that there is a time

limit helps your student focus on the task at hand. Now's the time to give your full

attention to the history reading. You only have a few minutes, so don't miss it. As

Charlotte put it, the power of reading with perfect attention will not be gained by the child

who is allowed to moon over his lessons.

Home Education, page 230.

Here's a practical tip.

As you set that time limit, be sure to keep your students' capabilities in mind.

You want to find the sweet spot that encourages a sense of positive urgency but doesn't cross

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