Blog
Subscription confusion…
I received several questions... I am trying to make sure I understand how your online classes work. The monthly subscription cover one class for multiple children? And is it 25.00 a month for each class? And, which latin curriculum are you using for the online class?...
Greek words and Italy…
I received some questions from a former student: So I'm taking an astronomy class this semester, and just learned about perihelions and aphelions in ellipses. I'm thinking it has a Greek (ancient Greek) tie in, since Helios was the old sun god in Greek mythology. But...
French, Spanish, German, and so on…
These days I am focusing on learning Italian. That is, when I have a few spare moments, I am focusing on learning Italian. I have two reasons. First, I am going for better Latin pronunciation. I believe the "Italian" pronunciation of Latin is the pronunciation that...
Visual Latin errata, Lesson 11, Quiz 8
I received this letter: In the Lesson 11 answer key, for 11B Sentences, sentence #6 is different than in the student's worksheet. Is there an easy way to find corrections for the worksheets and tests? I found some corrections by doing a search (and getting the...
Visual Latin before Lingua Latina?
I received this letter: First, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have been homeschooling my 13 yr old daughter her whole life and she has never been enthusiastic about any of it. She has no interest in learning any subject. When I first mentioned...
Bella Italia
Now and then, someone asks me to take them to Italy. "You should lead tours to Italy, Mr. Thomas!" Ther is only one problem. I have never been to Italy. I was once a spelunker. I have explored more caves than I could count. I could take you into some amazing...
Visual Latin 38, 39, and 40 Errata.
I received this email: Lesson 38c has pistorem interfecit--I think it is a spelling error and it is supposed to be interficit. Lesson 39b Sentences number 3 and 5 both have erint--I think that they should be erunt Also in Sentence 5 you have silva translated as...
When should I start reading Lingua Latina?
I receive a common question: When should I start reading Lingua Latina? Here is my reply: Begin using Lingua Latina after completing Lesson 16 in Visual Latin. Lingua Latina is a challenging book. If you start reading it too soon, you will quickly overwhelm...
Difficult, not expensive
I received this question: I should have asked when registration for the fall will begin. I know it’s only February, but open enrollment (at least for CC) has already begun. So, we’re trying to piece together a plan. Currently, on the classes page of your website, the...
Substantive adjectives
I received this question: Hello, I am taking Visual Latin 1, and I have a question. On lesson 16c, the translation, there is the sentence "Columba non aridam in aqua videt." , which according to the answer key means "The dove does not see dry land in the water". How...
Save some time for yourself….
I spend about three or four hours a day responding to email. It takes a long time to respond to people when they're writing to me in Latin and Greek. Not too long ago a friend of mine told me about this guide: http://macsparky.com/email/. If you are a Mac user, and...
Struggling with verb tenses?
I received this question from one of my online students: "I seem to be having difficulty with the proper usage of most of these verbals/verb equivalents. Do you have any suggestions?" Thanks! Here is my reply: I actually think you are doing quite well. Your work...
What will you learn in Visual Latin?
This is more for me than anyone else. I never seem to have a copy of Visual Latin that I can flip over when I get this question. What is the scope and sequence of Visual Latin? Here it is: Latin 1 includes Lessons 1-30. It covers two semesters and can be worth one...
Subscription clarification…
I received this bag of questions: Thank you for your response. So glad to hear Latin is so popular! Third Form is year 3 of the Memoria Press program. I like it okay, but I think it lacks something extra for my son. We have been working on Latin for about 3 years, so...
Do I have to learn Latin before Greek?
I received this question: Hi, I saw your Youtube video and enjoyed it immensely, well done. I am currently studying theology and hope to study Greek in another year or so . Someone has suggested that I learn Latin first however. Is this necessary/beneficial? And if...
Why I am running away.
Years ago, I read an article. It had quite an influence on me. I will link it at the end. In 2013, I decided to implement. My family and I drove up the East Coast from Florida to Maine. Oddly enough, we discovered that we spent less on the road than we did at...
Resources for Latin
I received this question: Since you have been kind to reply, in your experience with Henle and CC, are there any other tools you have found that would make learning the Latin easier for me or my students? Here is my reply: If you join any of my classes, you will learn...
But…, what does the fox say?
Have you ever wondered why animals make different sounds in different languages? Here's the answer: https://youtu.be/Qq94Vcb6atU
Another Henle Latin victim….
Sigh. Another one: Thank you so much! From your links, I was looking at your Visual Latin program (the homeschool bundle). Even though we have done Henle Latin with Classical Conversations, I have found it to be confusing and frustrating. We are thinking of...
Family subscription…
I received this email: I am so EXCITED! I totally misunderstood - I thought for both of our daughters to continue in Latin, it would be $1,000 or more. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I now see it is a family subscription. Apparently I am doing my best to confuse...
Frugal February
Every week I send out a 'Tip of the Week'. It could be about languages, but it does not have to be. Usually, the 'Tip' is something I have found helpful. My life is a little easier as a result. If it helps me, I figure it might help you. Why not make your life a...
Totally lost in Latin…
I received this note: Hello There, I am having a lot of confusion about Latin. Basically, I am totally lost. I am telling you this because I thought you might be able to give me some tips. I need to figure out where I stopped understanding. As you may know already I...
Class from Greece…
This was in one of the forums: Did I hear something about Mr. Dwane moving to Greece?????! I’m a few weeks behind and I’m having to watch the recorded lessons because I’m in a play and we’re always practicing during class. Another student helped her out: Hi, The other...
Latin for younger students…
I received this question: What you recommend for Latin for younger kids? We have heard from other moms that their older Challenge students really struggle having little to no Latin background. Our kids soak everything up right now and we would love to give them a...
Buying Right
I am pretty tired this morning. I was up 'till midnight sledding with my kids. Truth is, the hills were not fast enough, so I was dragging sleds full of laughing children behind my old chevy pick-up truck. Abandoned parking lots are fun. Tennessee doesn't always get...
Docendo discimus.
One of the fastest ways to learn anything is to teach what you want to learn. There is an old Roman proverb, docendo discimus. It means, "We learn by teaching." I live by this motto. When I decided to learn Latin, I volunteered to teach Latin. When I decided to...
Discounts?
I received a grab bag of questions: I am aware that you offer next level options, but I don't know which to put them into or how it works; should both simply start in the first year, Lingua Latina, Chapters 1-19? Do you have a scope and sequence that can be used for...
Dump Henle, Date Lingua Latina?
I received this question: I am inquiring for some advice regarding my son's Latin experience. He is a senior in high school with about six more months of school left. We are about one-third of the way through the Fourth Form Latin series by Memoria Press. There is...
Access to recordings?
I received this question: I have a Henle I and II students at home. They both have reached a point where they need additional support. I don't need you to grade their work, I'm keeping up with that and as you say it makes me better at Latin, too. I am a tutor with...
Help?
I received this question: Would you mind guiding our family in the direction we should go next? My daughters are currently in Visual Latin II, lesson 43, and have read comfortably to Chapter 12, in Lingva Latina. I am in the process of planning our 2016-2017 home...
Latin imperatives
I received this question: After working through the final test together yesterday, we had to look up some answers because we could not figure them out from what we learned. On questions 8&9, you ask us to find the imperative of amo and venio. I went to part B,...
Online classes from overseas?
I received this question: I hear you are moving to Greece soon! That's exciting! How will that impact the end of this course? Here is my reply: I hope that my move will have no impact at all on the end of the course. I had two weeks scheduled for spring break in...
Tip of the Week – Your town.
If you own a small business, or if you are thinking of starting one, you may find this information helpful. Simply plug in your zip code and you will get all kinds of information. What is the average income for your community? What percentage of your community has 3...
Can I do more with Lingua Latina?
I received this question: What else can I be doing to apply the book other than pronunciation and translation? Here is my reply: With Lingua Latina, there is always more you can do. Tackle all of the Pensa at the end of each chapter. If you really want to go to the...
Schedule
“A schedule defends from chaos and whim.” – Annie Dillard
Discounts?
I received this question: Can we receive a discount? Here is my reply: I am sorry, the only discount I offer anymore is the 8% discount built into the annual subscription. I once charged an average of $300 per class. Last year, Henle Latin was $350 per class....
What you get.
I received this question: To be clear - subscription, pay fee - get access to on-line classes that have been recorded. Lingua Latina or Henle? Pay by the month or year? Here is my reply: Any subscription opens every class I teach. Come to the live classes (any of...
Abandon Latin
I received this sad email from one of my students: I wanted to talk to you because I feel like I’m having more trouble this year compared to last. I’m able to figure out a sentence, but the fluency of being able to read or hear a sentence and understand its meaning...
Latin for the younger guys.
I received this inquiry: I am a mother of 2 homeschoolers (age 6 and 3). I would like to include Latin in their syllabus. Could you recommend which products are best to teach Latin for young children? =================================================== Here is my...
Help with classical pronunciation?
I received this email: In your Visual Latin, you explain the difference between classical and Ecclesiastical pronunciation. Which do you use in these courses or do you continue to differentiate? We use classical and finding courses that don't make learning the...
Henle Latin… do I start over?
I received this email: My son was taking your Henle 1 class on Wednesdays at 3pm. He started getting very overwhelmed when you started covering new material (he's currently in Challenge B with CC) and he felt like he didn't have time to keep up and memorize the new...
Can we join Henle Latin mid-year?
I received this question: My daughter has had Henle Latin for a year and a half through Classical Conversations. We are currently moving to another state and so we have to withdraw her from the Classical Conversations class she is in. Since I am no Latin scholar,...
Lingua Latina 29 question
I received a brainy question from one of my Lingua Latina students... ================================================== Hi, Mr. Thomas - I hope your week is off to a great start! I had a question from chapter 29. I know the difference between gerunds (verbs that...
Help with Henle?
I received this comment: Hi! My dd started classical conversations this year as a freshman (challenge 1). We had no prior exposure to Latin. We quickly realized we could not keep up with her class that had been doing Henle for 2 years. We started over on our own. We...
A rare Sunday post.
I generally do not post on Sundays. However, I teach Sunday School, and this morning, I told my class that I would post the following videos on my site. We have been talking about the book of Acts and the beginning of the spread of the gospel. Like it or not,...
Can we catch up via recordings?
I received this question: First of all, thank you for the new subscription option! This will make it possible for my kids to take the classes you offer. I hope you get(almost) more subscribers than you can handle. My kids have completed Visual Latin 1, and they have...
Can I join late?
I received this question: My son is 12 and in the 8th grade. He has been taking Greek since 1st grade, but only started Latin 2 years ago. Because of a family move and circumstances of life, his Latin has not been as consist as I would have wished. I was thinking of...
Keep those videos
Have you ever watched a video and thought to yourself, "I have got to show this to Ricardo later?" Only if you have a friend named Ricardo. Of course, you may have other friends you want to show the video to. If you are using Firefox as your browser, there is an easy...
An excuse for my wanderlust.
My favorite travel writer is Rick Steves. Maybe that's because he focuses on Europe, my second home. Maybe I like him because he really does think outside the border. In his latest post, he tosses out an interesting theory. Makes sense to me. If I don't go...
Reading the Latin classics…
I received this email: I am in need of assistance with something I read in your Via book, and that I hear often when ‘learning Latin’ verbiage is in the air and the focus is on pronunciation. I am literal, so when the words ‘read the classics’ pop up, I naturally...