Interest in Charlotte Mason’s personalist thought and unique approach to education—sparked by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay’s For the Children’s Sake, has been on the rise since the 1980s. Study of Mason’s work was further stoked by Dean and Karen Andreola’s 6-volume reprint of Charlotte Mason’s writings.

Mason (1842–1923), a British educator, author, and thinker, was committed to providing a living education. She developed an educational approach that cultivated an optimal learning atmosphere; developed balanced relationships and habits; and provided students access to the best work of the best minds.

In 1999, Ambleside[ASI], a 501(c)3 corporation, was founded as a model school and training center to support renewal in education. Its staff developed the Ambleside Method of education, based on Mason’s educational approach. Maryellen Marschke St. Cyr, school principal, author of When Children Love to Learn and expert in Mason’s educational thought and practice, spearheaded the Fredericksburg, Texas-based ASI movement.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Dean Peterson, Bill St. Cyr, and Founder and Director of Curriculum, Maryellen St. Cyr, Ambleside Schools International — now entering its third decade — remains committed to educational renewal, and to building and supporting a worldwide community of schools and training centers that provide children a living education.

Ambleside Training Centers

Ambleside Schools International, in partnership with local Ambleside schools, trains and mentors parents, teachers, and all interested in developing their understanding and practice of Charlotte Mason’s thought and the Ambleside Method of education.