I received this comment:
I’m looking for some help with my Latin study. I am a first year Classical Conversations Challenge B tutor. We are using Henle 1. This is my first year tutoring and also learning Latin. I’m not finding Henle very user-friendly for someone brand new to Latin study and am thinking that going through Henle with a teacher might be a better experience.
If I were to sign up for your Henle 1 Latin class, how much of a time commitment per week would it be? I’m assuming there will be a one-hour class once a week and then daily study. I have a son and daughter also participating in Classical Conversations and using Henle Latin.
I’m so happy I found you. I’ve been so discouraged trying to muddle through Latin this year. I really want to excel at it, but just need some help.
Here is my reply:
Good morning.
Don’t feel bad. It’s Henle Latin. Not you. Promise. I respond to emails like your yours every week. Seems like it’s turning into every day…
Henle Latin is not user-friendly. I think it may have been user-friendly in the old days. I have read many Latin grammar books. Up until about 1950, they all look a lot like Henle Latin. This reinforces my conviction that the book may have worked fine in the old days. These days, it just seems to frustrate people.
Of course, no matter what generation you write for, it’s just not nice to ask 13-year-old girls to translate sentences involving dead bodies floating in rivers. Not sure what that is all about.
If you have to read Henle Latin, my suggestion is that you get through as quickly as possible. As soon as you are done, go read Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. It’s a novel. It’s so much better than Henle Latin. So much tougher, but, so much better. Learn the grammar with Henle Latin. Learn to love Latin with Lingua Latina.
Every year, I take students through both books. Subscribers to my site have access to both classes. They also have access to my English Vocabulary classes and my Greek classes. But, I digress.
You are correct. Plan to spend an hour a week in class, and about an hour a day on the other days. Some students don’t take this long, but it varies. Plan an hour to be safe.
The subscription price is a family price. $25 per month. Per family. Not per student.
Happy to help.
Let me know if you have more questions.
Dwane
