The CM Latin Project
Welcome! We’ve welcomed a lot of new followers here recently, so I’d like to take the opportunity to orient you to this space and explain what I’m trying to accomplish on Instagram @thecmlatinproject.
My first goal is research. I hope to determine, as much as is possible, how Charlotte Mason’s philosophy translated to the study of Latin. She had recommendations for classical education in the public schools that are worth our considering; she included Latin study in the Programmes she issued for the schools that had adopted her methods; she even prescribed elementary Greek for the students in her teacher’s college, the House of Education. Indeed, she wholeheartedly endorsed classical study! But what was her particular methodology relating to Latin? Was it distinctive in any way? How did it fit within the era in which she lived? And, perhaps most important: is it relevant and worth our replicating today?
To answer these questions, I share here some of my process: excerpts from Mason’s volumes, periodicals associated with her work, and scholarly resources. I’m looking at historical context, socio-economic factors, and educational trends. I think it especially important to understand the linguistic process—how DO we best learn language?—in light of pedagogical methods, historic practice, and modern research.
I share with you freely here because I need an audience to motivate my continued effort (accountability), and because I think knowledge should be free. Please understand, though, that this effort is a work-in-progress and while I share snippets to take you along on the journey, I desire to keep my thoughts here for now—incomplete as they are—and I ask too that you respect the confidentiality of this account by not sharing my notes with others. Invite them here instead!
I have other ideas that I’d like to explore in the future: Latin curriculum reviews, teaching tips, helpful resources, interesting connections between the ancient world and today, but what I’m most interested in is how I can help you! What else would you like to see here? Do tell.
Here you can find my earlier posts on Latin as it is represented in a Charlotte Mason education:
What Does Charlotte Mason Say about the Value of Latin?
Learning Citizenship via Cicero
If you’d like to follow my research process, I document my notes and narration about CM Latin on Instagram @thecmlatinproject
