I’ve been reflecting recently on the essential work of storing up language in children. I don’t mean merely learning individual phonics sounds or word families or even isolated vocabulary words. No, this important exposure to words is deeper than that. In her book, Proust and the Squid, author Maryanne Wolf highlights the significance of a child’s exposure to the language of ideas at a young … Continue reading Storing Up Treasures in the Grammar Stage
By Ian Mosley, Instructor of Latin, School of the Ozarks The old saying is true—“familiarity breeds contempt”—but that isn’t even half the problem. Familiarity also leads to comfort, and the human mind does odd things when it is comfortable. G. K. Chesterton wrote his wonderful book The Everlasting Man, he said, to re-present the Christian west as if examining an alien country, so that, the … Continue reading How to Learn a Language
As a college writing instructor, I have noticed a disturbing trend in my students’ ability to choose and use words appropriately. These same students also appear increasingly unable to comprehend critical vocabulary used in non-fiction writing. The unfortunate result of these challenges is an inability to contribute to class discussions on important ideas and the inevitable struggle with articulating a coherent response in writing. Students … Continue reading Fighting “The Death of Words”
The Classical Thistle 