Last week I mentioned that I'm going to create a little series of posts about teaching Plutarch for anyone out there who wants to incorporate this into their homeschool but feels intimidated or lost on how and when to start. I'm sure there are lots of good resources online about this; I'm just sharing my own thoughts and experiences, and a few bits from Charlotte Mason.
To be frank, I am not sure I would have taught Plutarch at all if it had not been for the fact that my small Charlotte Mason homeschool co-op needed a Plutarch teacher. There are many things our children can learn; Plutarch wasn't really top on my own list. But he has moved up in my estimation!
Plutarch lived in the first century and wrote biographies of famous Romans and Greeks. He was born into a prominent, wealthy Greek family, and eventually became a Roman citizen. His Parallel Lives contain paired biographies of one Greek with one Roman.
First of all: why bother? It's a valid question.
Plutarch, in some ways, is a means to an end. In the Charlotte Mason model of education, the scope of education encompasses knowledge of God, knowledge of the universe, and knowledge of man; Plutarch is used to facilitate a student's understanding of the "knowledge of man." We can study human behavior via history, literature, and even the Bible. Why do people choose what they choose? How do we assess whether their choices are good or bad? Are all choices always all good or all bad?
I'd like to linger on this for a few minutes, because I think recognition of this nuance is often absent in our culture.
I see, more and more, in our current society, a hyper-focus on people as though they are all good or all bad. We want to categorize other human beings. We don't always want to acknowledge that a good person can have a flawed belief system, or a deeply-flawed person can do good in the world.
Interestingly, a reading of the Bible can quickly lead us out of these murky waters. The Bible is a place where we do find nuance. We see that humans are inconsistent, flawed, imperfect, and yet can also be deeply loved by God, redeemed, and create good and beautiful things in the world. It's important for me to pass this along to my children.
So what does Plutarch have to do with this?
Reading Plutarch's biographies is a study in human motivation, character, and behavior. Charlotte Mason used his works to teach "citizenship". There are plenty of ways to teach citizenship; Plutarch isn't the only way! I can envision many options: certain films, various biographies. But Plutarch was what Charlotte Mason used, and I find that his works are an interesting choice. In addition to providing a biographical sketch of a notable ancient Greek or Roman, Plutarch's works allow us to easily incorporate some geography and ancient history into our days. I like this! It's also worth noting that Shakespeare leaned heavily on Plutarch's Lives when he wrote several of his plays, including "Julius Caesar" and "Coriolanus."
So, if we decide to try Plutarch, when should his works be introduced?
In general, it seems Charlotte Mason introduced Plutarch during "Form 2", or roughly around fifth grade. Mason used the North translation, which is written in Elizabethan English. As a result, I recall Nancy Kelly saying at some point that it's helpful for a student to have at least a year of Shakespeare under his or her belt before beginning the North translation of Plutarch, and I agree that this is a good idea.
As for the age (here's where my own experience comes into the post)....fifth grade was too early for my son, who had been steeped in language, including Shakespeare, for a lot of his childhood. Sixth grade was also too early, although we struggled through because he was in co-op and that's what we were using! In seventh grade, I had a few young-ish students, so I taught Plutarch using another version, and that worked much better; we are using the same thing for eighth grade. Next year--when he's in ninth grade--I will transition him to the North version once again, and I think it'll be a more pleasant experience. (He probably would have been fine with the North translation this year, but I felt no urgency, and I'm happy with the choices I've made.) I will be interested to see how Annie's Plutarch education goes--she's in fourth grade now!
I think we shouldn't underestimate our children's abilities, and that some children will be ready to read the North translation in late elementary or early middle school. But I'm also a big believer in using maternal wisdom to discern what is best for our own unique children. A living book must be living for that child! So "when" to start Plutarch is going to involve a certain amount of discernment. Don't force it...you may risk frustrating yourself and your child, and souring them on Plutarch.
Next week I'll write a little bit about Beginnings, because one must start somewhere!
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