By Natalia Testa
Natalia is a high school sophomore and National Honor Society inductee whose vision of a good moment will always include a steaming cup of tea and a large stack of books. This summer she will be attending Hillsdale College’s Summer Study Abroad program Western Civilization: Visions from Italy. Look for her interview on The Literary Life Podcast.
British educator Charlotte Mason once said, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.” This cannot be more true than in my own journey of education.
The Lane, Theodore Robinson, 1893
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia. Public domain.
This tranquil landscape is a stellar example of American Impressionism, capturing the evocative light and scenery Robinson embraced upon returning to the United States from France. Heavily influenced by his close friend Claude Monet at Giverny, Robinson applied fluid, soft brushstrokes to depict a contemplative woman seated on a grassy bank. By trading standard academic structure for broken color and brilliant, unblended green tones, the composition transforms an ordinary rural pathway into an immersive, sun-drenched study of quiet, atmospheric reflection.
From a young age, through my mother’s hard work and perseverance, I have been given just that: a habit of attention, residency in the world of living books, and a lifelong love of learning. My mother devoted myriads of hours to reading aloud to me and my sisters throughout my childhood. Stories that captivated my imagination and curiosity: works by Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, C. S. Lewis, and Hans Christian Andersen, fairy stories compiled by the Grimm Brothers, and tales from The Arabian Nights being only a few notable examples.
History, and later, language, was a beloved subject of mine, and as I grew older I developed a lifelong love for that of the Greeks and the Romans and the Mediterranean by which they lived. Later as part of my education, I would be handed the first volume in Winston Churchill’s series The History of the English-Speaking Peoples, a series which remains a personal favorite to this day. My mother spread the feast, giving me and my siblings ample access to books. Our house was filled with shelves always teeming with books old and new which we could go and discover for ourselves. What all these books did in me was what all living books have the ability to do; a well-written book can create what C. S. Lewis called a “landscape of wonder”. This not only transports the reader into a story or a character, but makes them a citizen of a warm and familiar world—a whole new facet to the idea that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. The books which I cherished in my heart have become an inseparable part of me, giving me eyes to see into a world which is full of interesting and beautiful places.
"What all these books did in me was what all living books have the ability to do; a well-written book can create what C. S. Lewis called a “landscape of wonder”.
Natalia Testa
Thus, looking back to these years and experiences, this atmosphere and life filled with travel to atmospheres of story through literature, music, and language, I see that it is my duty to see that it prevails as I grow older.
Showcase Magazine · Vol. 1 · 2024–2025
About this piece
This piece first appeared in the debut issue of Showcase Magazine, printed for CHECH’s 2024–2025 annual theme, An Invitation to Wonder: A Culture of Learning at Home. Drawing on Josef Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture, the theme asked families to guard unscheduled time, keep good books within reach, and take a child’s questions seriously.
Vol. 1 was printed in a small run, and most of the writing in it has reached only the families who own a copy. We are bringing selected pieces from past volumes to The Commonplace so the work of our own community can be read and shared more widely.
In print
Showcase Magazine, Vol. 1
The debut issue, with student artwork, creative writing, and CHECH’s first graduating senior class. Printed copies are limited.
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The theme
An Invitation to Wonder
Pieper on leisure, the Monet cover, and the year’s theme booklet, gathered on one page.
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Each volume is made from the work our families send in: essays of 500 words or less, art, poetry, and news of awards and service. Guidelines and deadlines are on the magazine page.
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