A MASON EDUCATION FOR THE AMERICAS
“It is the duty of the nation to maintain relations of brotherly kindness with other nations; therefore it is the duty of every family, as an integral part of the nation, to be able to hold brotherly speech with the families of other nations as opportunities arise; therefore to acquire the speech of neighbouring nations is not only to secure an inlet of knowledge and a means of culture, but is a duty of that higher morality (the morality of the family) which aims at universal brotherhood; therefore every family would do well to cultivate two languages besides the mother tongue, even in the nursery.”
Parents and Children, Charlotte Mason
My Hispanic Mason Ed Experience
As a Chilean expat in the USA, my Mason teaching path was based on adapting a wonderful Mason curriculum focused on US children with an Anglo-European ancestry and heritage to my bilingual US-Chilean cultural identity. I was doing most of the “riches” in Spanish (great!) and adding random literature about Chile in Spanish (not so great!). Reading Mason’s books and working with Spanish-speaking Mason educators from around the world helped me realize that Hispanic Mason educators in the USA had more options than they thought.
Firstly, I realized that my children’s cultural identity was not similar to mine but a wonderful mix of Anglo, Hispanic, and Indigenous heritage. This made me stop using our wonderful Mason curriculum focused on US children with Anglo-European ancestry, and spurred me to start a bicultural Mason education focused on US History with Anglo, Hispanic, and Indigenous perspectives, from scratch. Since “History is the pivot on which our curriculum turns,” as Miss Mason said, I started an independent research into US history. In our studies, we learn all the history of the current US territory, so we start with the Indigenous Peoples who inhabit the land. Then we learn of Europe and the context that made the encounter between Europe and America inevitable. We quickly introduce our neighbors: the Spanish-speaking countries that were part of the US territory, and the USA’s ties with the entire American continent. We approach the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula thirdly, connecting history with Europe and the Mediterranean world. Interactions with Asia and Africa happen naturally along the way.
A Charlotte Mason education is perfect for bilingual/bicultural children! Enjoying traditions with Spanish-speaking family, spending time outdoors with the parent who speaks Spanish, listening to traditional Hispanic music, learning about artists and composers from the Spanish-speaking world, and enjoying poetry originally written in Spanish, have given us endless joy during our school days. Exploring books and resources in Spanish for a Mason education is an uncharted path that we tread slowly and carefully. Thanks to our community of Spanish-speaking Charlotte Mason educators, we have been able to identify living books for all our school needs.
We are so glad to see more Hispanic families joining a Mason education in the USA!
Charlotte Mason for the Americas
This is our English-speaking initiative to support homeschooling families and schools in the United States who desire to include Hispanic cultural, literary, or historical studies in their educational programs.
We're walking an uncharted path when applying Hispanic parameters to our CM educational programs in the United States. But with your input and our research, we con do the jump from the Victorian era at the height of the British Empire to our 21st century Spanish-speaking/bilingual homes and schools!
Trabajamos al alero de un ministerio cristiano sin fines de lucro. Si desea colaborarnos financieramente, puede hacerlo a través de Zeffy, especificando “Educación.” También puede comprar las obras recomendadas en nuestro sitio pinchando los enlaces afiliados a Amazon sin costo adicional para usted. ¡Gracias y que Dios le recompense ricamente!
For now, we gather monetary funding under a Christian non-profit ministry called Messiah Missions. Your financial support is greatly appreciated! You may send an offering via Zeffy. Please earmark it for “Education.” You may buy books we recommend by clicking on the affiliate links on Amazon at no extra cost. Thank you, and may our God richly bless you!
