Blog
Picking Latin up again?
I received this email: I was one of your Lingua Latina 1 Students last year. I did not complete the course (I got about 1/3 of the way through) then, (life got in the way) but I would like to, and I was wondering what you think would be the best action for me to...
Bored with Latin?
I received this inquiry: I am contacting you because my grandson, who is good at languages, is thinking of giving up latin because he says it is too difficult. Really I think he is bored with having to learn lists of vocabulary etc Obviously we are in the UK but given...
She just turned 15.
Some parents don't feel like grading their kid's Latin homework. I don't blame him. It's pretty tough. It's worse if you don't speak the language. So, they hire me. I receive dozens of emails from students every day. In general, the work is pretty impressive. I'm...
More $ for gyros!
If you are thinking of moving, the following site will help: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ You can compare major cities to one another. For example, I compared Nashville, Tennessee (where I live) to Athens, Greece (where I would love to live) and found out...
Athens, Franklin, and all those Latin endings.
I received this question: I want to ask you for some guidance with Henle Latin and my (our) student. She is doing really well at translating Latin into English. However, when we go English to Latin, she consistently gets endings wrong (although she usually has the...
Become a “chicken entrepreneur”.
They say there is another recession coming. Let's hope not. I have plenty of bad memories from the last one. Now may be the time to become a "chicken entrepreneur". What am I talking about? I first heard of this concept when I read Michael Masterson's book The...
Google Translate
Some of my students use Google translate before they send me their homework. Google translate is great for individual words, and for pronunciation practice. With full sentences and paragraphs, things can get tricky. https://youtu.be/7DvD4tuDZvg
Wheelock’s Latin?
I received this question: I have a question about your Latin course. My daughter is 14 and she has just started an online Latin course that uses Wheelock's Latin. She is having a very hard time with it, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information in each...
Praise for Via…
"What you do by telling others in a practical and efficient way how to learn Latin well is to tell them in a practical and efficient way how to do anything well. You obviously love language, and you can see in the resources you offer and the points you discuss that...
The books that changed my life, part 2.
I have been re-editing my book Via. A publishing friend of mine wants to turn it into a physical book. During the re-edit phase, my wife has encouraged me to add a section on books. What are the books that have altered the direction of my life? The original post is...
The books that changed my life.
I am re-editing my own book, Via. A friend of mine, who happens to publish books, wants to publish mine. I was advised to include, in the new edition, books that have inspired me. I will be adding the list to the newest version of Via. In the meantime, I need a...
Vade Mecum
I didn't send a tip of the week last week. I have no good excuse to offer. It's pretty simple, really. I forgot. So, this week I'm going to wrap two into one. But first, a little background. If you ever want to put me to sleep, don't bother using sleeping pills, or a...
Mr. Thomas… What would you do?
I received this series of questions: If you could choose any method for teaching a child Latin, how would you do it? Would you do Visual Latin for one year? I see there is a VL 1 & 2. Is that one year or two? Would you do Lingua Latina simultaneously with VL or...
How to add the Greek alphabet to your keyboard.
Here is a very helpful article from DuoLingo: I hope to start filming the recording of the Greek class in October. Meanwhile, join DuoLingo, jump into the Greek class and start practicing pronunciation. You will need to know how to type in Greek. Follow the...
Vidangel
Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you get angry, count to 10. If you get really angry, count to 100." I like Mark Twain's version better. "If you get angry, count to 10. If you get really angry, start swearing." I admit it. I am more Mark than Abe. Do you know when...
Compass Classroom is looking for help.
You probably know that Compass Classroom, in Nashville, Tennessee, produced Visual Latin. Well, they are looking for some help. They need a marketing assistant. If you are interested, click on this link : https://www.compassclassroom.com/employment
Made me happy….
I received this note this weekend: My daughter took your Lingua Latina last year, and it was her favorite thing. Last year she was the one w/earbuds at her computer laughing alone in the dining room. This year it's all of us! You have no idea how grateful I am for...
Because I’m Batman…
I wish I were Batman. I wish I had a car like his. My website supports my family. I am happy about this. But... you will know that my website has gone viral when you see a Batmobile cruising through the streets of Franklin, Tennessee. Fortunately, I am like Batman...
Duo Lingo and Typing in Greek
If you are going through the Greek course in DuoLingo, you are going to need to learn to type in Greek. This may help: https://youtu.be/p4XQW5GncGY
Greek is finally up!
The last time I checked, DuoLingo was not planning to release Greek until October 1. (I have been waiting since March.) Yesterday, I randomly decided to check. To my surprise, there it was, ready to go. Already there are about 20,000 learners! Yes! This morning, I...
Errata: Visual Latin 43
I received this comment: Hello. I'm going through Visual Latin. In Lesson 43c in the first sentence there is the word 'dicerunt' I think it's supposed to be 'dixerunt'. Thanks Here's my reply: You're correct. I have changed the spelling in the worksheets....
I doubt you will get such an offer from the eels.
I received this question: Hi Dwayne! My kids are enrolled in Classical Conversations, and using Henle Latin. I was hoping for some clarification on the pricing. Wondering Monthly Subscription (Academic Months) means Sept -May it is $34/month ($306) and the Monthly...
Class today is NOT required.
This morning, at 10 central time zone, I will be teaching a Henle Latin 1 class. This class started last Wednesday. However, there were problems and quite a few people we're locked out of class. I am offering a special one-time only class this coming Saturday for...
Let’s try this again…
You all know that I teach Latin online. Many of you are in my classes. Those classes started this week. For the most part, everything went well. That is... until we got to the Henle Latin 1 class. That one did not go so well. Quite a few of you were locked out of...
Does Visual Latin 1 prepare students for Henle 2?
I received this question: If students complete your Visual Latin I, will they be ready for Henle 2? I have half the class doing VL instead of Henle this year, and they are planning on doing Henle 2 next year. I'm having them keep up with the Henle vocab though. Here...
Problem with Henle 1 class…
Hey, everybody! Quite a few of you got locked out of the Henle 1 class today. I am incredibly sorry that this happened to you. I have already solved the problem. This will not take place again. I am converting is a recording right now, and will be uploading it to my...
Online answering questions…
My kids are in bed. I'll online for a little bit answering questions. Still quite a bit of confusion. The login process to the live classes has tripped up quite a few people. You should have received a receipt when you joined the online class. In that receipt,...
In class for the next 3 hours….
I will be in class for the next three hours. I will not be responding to my website, nor will I be responding to emails. When you signed up for one of my live online classes, you should have received a receipt. In that receipt, You will find instructions with a...
A new payment option.
Some people don't like being charged during the summer. So, I added an option for payment. Tuition can be spread out over 12 full months ($50 with grading, or $25), or, it can be spread out over 9 academic months ($67 with grading, or $34). Of course, there is a...
Henle Latin or Lingua Latina?
I received this question: My son is in Challenge 1 through Classical Conversations and his 3rd year in Henle Latin. We get to about Chapter 11 and begin needing help. Would you recommend your Henle class or Lingua Latin? Thanks for teaching! Here is my reply: I much...
Latin pronunciation
This should be titled, "What classical Latin (50 BC - 50 AD) may have sounded like." Students get hung up on this all the time. There is an easy solution. Go with the Italian pronunciation. Still, the video has many interesting points. https://youtu.be/_enn7NIo-S0...
Classes start tomorrow
Quite a few of you have emailed to me to let me know that you are not receiving, or have not received, the links for classes. Classes start tomorrow. If you have not received the instructions and links for a class, please email me at dwane@visuallatin.com. This system...
Catching up right now…
I am working very hard to catch up tonight. I am still hours away from done, but I have no intention of going to bed anytime soon. If you're waiting on a response from me, you should have one before tomorrow.
Do as I say, not as I do.
I continue to learn as I go. This Saturday, if I have any advice for you, it is this: back your computer up. In other words, do as I say, not as I do. On Thursday, after recovering from a debilitating virus, I sat down to get some work done. Instead, I watched in...
Lingua Latina Workload?
I received this inquiry: How work much is assigned from Lingua Latina? Does this workload apply to both Levels 1 & 2? How quickly are assignments returned to students? Can a family switch from grading to no grading or vice versa, assuming that slots for grading...
The gods must be angry…
I'm beginning to think the gods are angry with me. At the beginning of this week, a debilitating stomach virus took me down. For three days, I accomplished next to nothing. This is not typical for me. Last night, feeling stronger, I decided to get back to work....
The mighty oak
I received this question from a former student: I'm taking a tree ID class this fall, and I'm preparing for it by reviewing some of the Latin tree names we'll be learning. I came across one, quercus rubra (red oak), that I have a question on. Shouldn't it be quercus...
This is a good way to do it.
I received this question: My twins were in classical conversations and have a foundation from their challenge A & B program for the last two years but their local co-op program disbanded this year when they would have taken the entire Latin year of Henle I. I...
Ugh… passwords.
I hate passwords. By now, you know that. There are some useful sites that will help you keep up with all of your passwords. I highly recommend you take the time to learn how to use one of these sites. I use Lastpass: https://lastpass.com/ There is also...
Listening
I received this question: Hi. It's my first year using visual latin so basically, I have no idea what I'm doing. I was wondering, on the High School Schedule sheet it says, listening. Does that mean listening to the flashcards or something else? Thanks for your time!...
Family discounts?
I received this question: Hi Dwane, Did I see somewhere that you offer a family discount for multiple classes? I was interested in Henle 1, Henle 2, and the vocabulary class. Thanks! Here is my reply: Good morning! I don’t offer any discounts. I just offer the best...
Roma Aeterna
Every now and then, I run across a student who actually wants to read the old Roman writings. This morning, I received this email: My kids were your students this last school year. They both did Henle. They both fizzled out because of various things...and once they...
French?
One of my former students wants to learn French. He asked for my advice. Here it is: Whenever starting a new language, I always start with the free, and excellent DuoLingo. My 14-year-old daughter started tinkering around with their French course while we were in...
Online classes will be in the morning.
I received this inquiry: Hello, Mr. Thomas:) This year I will be attending Lingua Latina 2 and I had a quick question about the schedule. My mom sent me the purchase receipt from the class and the link in the email said that classes would be at 10:00-10:55 pm. I went...
When do classes begin?
The live online classes I will be teaching this year start in about three weeks. Here's the schedule: Tuesday classes will begin on August 30, 2016, and will end on May 30, 2017. Wednesday classes will begin on August 31, 2016, and will end on May 31, 2017. Latin 1...
Howjsay.com
Didn't send a tip of the week last Saturday. And, yet, it seems the world moved on. I assume you are okay. I haven't heard otherwise. Are you ever uncertain about the pronunciation of a word? No worries. There is a solution. There is a site that teaches you to...
Online Henle Latin class, or Visual Latin?
Here is another common question I receive: Hi Dwayne! I hope you're doing well. It's the beginning of Latin again for another child. She begins Challenge A with Classical Conversations next month using Henle. I had a question about how to approach it using your...
People just can’t believe it, I guess.
I get this question, or questions like this, every week: I have two kids entering Challenge 1 this year in CC, and I am interested in your Henle 1 class. Would I need to pay 250.00 per child? Also, if I were to sign them up for the class where their work is graded,...
Learn Spanish, French, or Italian first!
I received this comment: Hi Mr. Thomas, I have mostly younger children (4 that are 7 and younger, a 3rd, 4th & 6thgrader) and only began the process of really researching what I will be doing with my upcoming 7th grader this past year. My oldest has taken an...
Where do I start?
I received this question: Dear Dwane, I'm looking to learn Latin. What is the best way to satart? which course i need to take. And,as I dont live in USA can I have my lesson any time that suit to me? Here is my reply: I am so embarrassed. Last week, I discovered that...