If you’re here, then you’ve likely heard me share how deeply I believe that education is discipleship.

Discipleship is not merely instruction—it is the formation of character that reflects the love and nature of Jesus Christ. It is a call to virtue, a pursuit of truth, and an invitation to live in light of that truth. It’s the daily, intentional shaping of a soul to think rightly, act rightly, and respond rightly. And right can only be defined by the standard of God’s Word.

In short, it is the sacred burden of parenting:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Charlotte Mason understood this clearly. She rejected the division between “religious” and “secular” education, writing:

“We do not merely give a religious education, because that would seem to imply the possibility of some other education, a secular education, for example. But we hold that all education is divine... The Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind.”
—Volume 3, School Education, The Great Recognition Required of Parents

She called education the “handmaid of religion,” a humble and faithful servant to the greater work of drawing children into personal knowledge and intimacy with God.

And so, I invite you to see the education of your children as more than the fulfillment of academic requirements. See it as the offering of a living education—one that cultivates truth, goodness, and beauty; one that awakens joy; one that prepares their hearts to recognize the echoes of God’s Story in the stories they read, the art they behold, and the world they explore.

A Living Basket of Books for the Mind and Heart

I am sure you’ve seen and benefitted from the many wonderful monthly picture book lists offered by talented and thoughtful creators. It is my hope to offer something slightly different every month: living books for discipleship and delight.

Echoes of the Feast will include a monthly theme, anchor read, and echoes of beauty across subjects, sometimes stories, art, poetry, music, and always a delightful read for the mother/teacher, sometimes activity and narration prompts and reflection.

Each month, we shine a light on one of our handcrafted studies—whether a new release or a quiet treasure worth revisiting. These resources are designed to help you cultivate a feast of living ideas, rooted in truth, beauty, and hope.

Shaping the Dawn is the first volume in our Echoes of Form and Light series, a 33-week architecture and art history study that leads students from prehistoric caves to the early Christian basilica—exploring how humans have built beauty and meaning since the beginning.

Crafted for middle school and up, it’s a feast of living ideas, visual wonder, and hands-on response. This study was designed to be a companion study to our The Symphony of History, Vol 1 Overture curriculum, which follows events and people on the world stage from Creation to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Other studies beautifully compliment this, you can learn more about Overture and complimentary studies here.

Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason (1 January 1842 – 16 January 1923) was a British educator in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She dedicated her life to educating children whom she believed are worthy of a living education as born persons, created in the image of God. Her Home Education series is the culmination of her years as both classroom teacher and training teachers at the House of Education at Ambleside, England. She was incredibly intuitive in the ways in which children learn, summarizing her intuition and educational philosophy in her 20 Principles of Education.

And since I am a big fan of Miss Mason, this little corner will explore her philosophy and principles in each monthly newsletter, in the hope of better acquainting you with a woman who has brought meaning, life, and joy to our journey of homeschooling.

below: View of Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica in Rome, attributed to Ippolito Caffi (1849)

As I prepared Shaping the Dawn I was struck by the way architecture tells not only the human story but reflects the story of redemption. In the midst of ashes and the end of the Western Roman Empire Christianity became the state recognized religion. As worshippers gathered, what would become the Early Church, they sought out suitable buildings. The temples of the old Roman pagan religion were not suitable, but the basilica, formerly the center of the Roman Forum, was perfectly designed to offer a gathering place and a focal point for an orator. Something broken was redeemed. And this is the story that echoes throughout Scripture and through history – the story of what was fallen, lost, broken being redeemed and made new in the power of Jesus.

For the feast and the forming of hearts,

~ Tiffany

P.S. Looking for more ways to build a living education? You’ll find curated studies, music, and more at moraviapress.blog