Plutarch
From Shannon Whiteside, Alveary Program Director
Plutarch is one of those subjects that seems intimidating, as most of us did not read Plutarch as students and perhaps had never even heard of him before being introduced to the methods of Charlotte Mason. You may think, “What if my students don’t understand and can’t narrate? What if I don’t understand?”
Why did Mason incorporate Plutarch into the curriculum beginning in Grade 5? Plutarch falls under the subject of Citizenship. Mason states, “Perhaps nothing outside of the Bible has the educational value of Plutarch’s Lives” (School Education, p. 236). In another section, Mason says, “[The Lives] stand alone in literature as teaching that a man is part of the State, that his business is to be of service to the State, but that the value of his service depends upon his personal character” (School Education, p. 280).
It is important to realize that Plutarch’s purpose was not to write a history book but to portray the inner lives of influential leaders from ancient Greece and Rome. In the introduction to Plutarch: The Selected Lives and Essays, Edith Hamilton explains the difference between writing a history and writing about someone’s life. She states,
A Life was a portrait, which Socrates once told a great painter must be a portrayal of the man’s inner self, a revelation of what he really was. A History was an account of men’s actions and fortunes irrespective of what the people were like who produced them. ‘The most glorious exploits,’ Plutarch says, ‘do not always furnish the clearest indications of virtue or vice in men; sometimes a mere expression, a jest, even, gives us their characters better than the most famous sieges, the bloodiest battles. These are history’s material, but I must be allowed to give my particular attention to the marks and indications of men's souls, as I endeavor to portray their lives’ (p. xv).
Having this understanding that we are exploring the characters and motives of these men can help students know what to listen for and how to narrate. It gives them a better understanding of the purpose and helps them not get caught up in all the details or the words they might not understand. My children and I have explored great ideas as we have read about Caesar this year. We might not remember the name of the Gallic tribes or the places that were conquered, but we are getting a better understanding of who Caesar was as a leader and a man.
If you need more encouragement to get started with Plutarch, check out Nancy Kelly’s talk about Plutarch that can be found in the Hive course, Charlotte Mason 101: The Methods. What has been your experience with Plutarch? What advice or encouragement would you give to someone who is intimidated to read Plutarch with their students? Let us know in the comments of this Hive post.
Notes
1. Member Survey: Thank you to all who completed our survey. We are very appreciative to have received responses from so many of you and are already using those responses to inform our work on the 2023-24 Alveary curriculum. We are pleased to announce the winners of the prizes!
- Jessica Mell: A collection of living books curated by Board Member (and book expert) Kerri Forney, especially for the ages of your students, and mailed to you.
- Kristin Randles: A one-on-one Zoom chat (45 minutes) with CMI Founders Carroll and Andy Smith.
- Angela Seever: A one-on-one Zoom consult (45 minutes) with your choice of Alveary Program Director, Shannon Whiteside, or CMI Board Member Kerri Forney, Min Jung Hwang, or Lisa Ector.
Congratulations to all!
2. Office Hours: Here is the link to the video from last week’s Office Hours. Our next session will be Wednesday, November 9th at 3:30 p.m. EDT. We would like to know what you are excited about! Come and share a book title, a podcast, a website, an app, a product–anything that you wish to share. We are interested in hearing from you. If you have Mason/Alveary questions, submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive. Otherwise, come and share your excitement with fellow members. (We will not record this segment.) Here is a link to the spreadsheet with all of the past Office Hours videos.
3. Science Teacher Opening at Gillingham. Gillingham Charter School, a CMI accredited Charlotte Mason charter school in Pottsville, PA, is looking for an upper school science teacher. As a public charter school, they are allowed to hire someone who is not certified to teach. Also, if Gillingham cannot find a science teacher who can teach in person, then the school is open to hosting a virtual teacher, and a proctor will be in the classroom with the students. Please contact Krista Bevan, Director of Organizational Development, at kbevan@gillingham.school. Visit Gillingham's website if you'd like to learn more about Gillingham, a Charlotte Mason public school.
Have a great weekend!
The Alveary Team
