Gentle Seeds & Personhood

“What if we treated children not as empty vessels to be filled, but as full persons from the start?”

One day, in the train, Teacher Irene asked her 10 year old son what he thought of this statement “Children are born persons.” There was a pause as he rotated his head full circle, which he usually does when he seems tired or restless. She thought he probably didn’t understand the statement and wasn’t quite expecting his reply when he replied non-chalently. “Yea, children are born persons. The difference between children and adults is education and maybe work? We can’t work yet.” 

As Irene listened to her son, it dawned on her that he was exemplifying the very principle she was asking him about.  As a child, he was capable of processing an ‘adult’ idea and sharing his perspective with his own spirit, mind and will. 

The Philosophy of Personhood

At Gentle Seeds, our approach is anchored in three foundational pillars: Nature, Literature, and perhaps most importantly, Personhood. These pillars are inspired by the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a 19th-century British educator whose ideas remain remarkably relevant today.

Charlotte Mason’s first and central principle is profoundly simple yet radical: “Children are born persons.”  This means that from birth, children possess a complete and unique identity — body, soul, spirit, mind, will, and emotions.

Mason emphasises that children are not blank slates or passive recipients of adult instruction. Rather, they come into the world fully human and capable of engaging with it meaningfully. As she writes in Volume 6, “In his first two years of his life [the child] learns the properties of matter, knows colours and has first notions of size, solid, liquid; has learned in his third year to articulate with surprising clearness” (p. 36).

She elaborates on this idea: “He always has all the mind he requires… his mind is the instrument of his education and that his education does not produce his mind” (p. 36). If the child is already a full person, our role as educators must shift — from shaping a child into someone, to nurturing who they already are.

A Contrast in Educational Approaches

This philosophy stands in contrast to some modern educational methods. For instance, the Montessori Method emphasises the importance of a prepared environment that enables the child’s development.

As Isaacs notes in Principles of Montessori Pedagogy, “By preparing the learning environment, they ensure that children are provided with tools for all aspects of their development” (p. 21).

While this approach values independence and structure, Charlotte Mason’s model centers more deeply on the idea of relational learning — that the child’s mind grows best through relationships with ideas, people, and the natural world.

Personhood in Practice: The Gentle Seeds Experience

We weave nature study and living literature into each Gentle Seeds session, always rooted in the belief that every child is a unique person, as well as an active learner. Our classes are intentionally small — a 1:4 teacher-to-child ratio — so we can know each child personally and support their development as whole individuals.

On a typical day, we begin with a nature walk where children explore their surroundings freely. The great outdoors offers us a living education, where curiosity is piqued and minds are trained for observation. They might turn a giant leaf into a fan or collect rocks to make their own musical instruments. These are not just cute activities; they are moments of discovery, creativity, and also relationship-building with their fellow explorer friends! 

At a calm juncture, we pause for a snack on a picnic mat and read aloud from a living book — rich, meaningful literature that feeds not just the mind but the heart.

Here, storytelling becomes a shared experience of feasting on living ideas which continue to take root and grow long after the book is read. 

Forming Character Through Relationships

We often encounter situations like this during our nature walks: a child takes another’s snack, a stick is snatched, or the group can’t agree on which path to take in the park. Far from being distractions, these are vital opportunities for growth. They allow us to help children discern what is true, good, and beautiful — and to practice virtues like empathy, patience, and kindness. 

As Van Pelt and Spencer explain in their commentary on Mason’s ideas: “Personhood entails a sense of purpose — to develop and sustain our own incommunicable selves in loving relationships with other personal selves and with the nonpersonal world” (Smith, p. 85).

Yes, those moments of transformation don't usually happen on their own. It takes time, patience, and insight for teachers to look beyond surface behaviours and address the underlying causes—or to apply creative strategies that turn chaos into calm. For instance, one teacher paused mid-walk and invited the children to take deep breaths, puffing up their cheeks like bullfrogs before slowly releasing the air. This playful yet grounding activity helped reset their restless energy in a way that felt both fun and calming. 

True personhood includes freedom, but also obedience and will-training. It is a misconception that honouring a child’s personhood means permissiveness. Respecting a child does not mean indulging every whim; it means guiding them toward maturity with dignity and love.

Conclusion: Seeing Children as They Truly Are

At Gentle Seeds, we believe that recognising children as persons is not simply a method — it is a way of seeing. When we view each child as whole, capable, and relational from the start, we create an environment where learning is not imposed but awakened.

By nourishing the mind with living ideas, engaging the body through nature, and forming the soul through meaningful relationships, we don’t just educate — we grow alongside our children.

How might your day change if you approached your child as a whole person, capable of relationship, reason, and reverence? How can we see a child as a person today?