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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...
You win.
I have confused too many people. Let's see if I can clear this up. You do not need to study Latin. It is a luxury, not a necessity. If you do it the traditional way, it may not even be a luxury. It will likely be torture. Why would you pay thousands for torture? I...
I hope I finish before I lose it.
I spent most of Christmas break writing tests and quizzes for my website. In particular, I wrote tests and quizzes for Henle Latin. At this point, I truly feel like I am about to lose my mind. This is one of the toughest episodes of self-torture I have ever taken on....
Write a list.
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope 2015 was good to you and that 2016 will be even better! Before life gets crazy busy again, I suggest you sit down and write a list. What would you like to accomplish this year? Is there something you...
The backup plan.
In 68 days, my family and I are moving overseas. We will be gone at least four months. I am going to start writing about the process here on my blog. I typically don't write about private affairs, but so many people are asking. It would actually save me a little...
Recession proof Latin continued…
After changing the tuition structure for the 2016 - 2017 school year, I received this email: Dwayne, This is awesome! As a mother of many...7 and counting, I was not really sure how I was going to afford to have more than one enrolled in your courses at a time....
Happy New Year!
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope 2015 was good to you and that 2016 will be even better! Before life gets crazy busy again, I suggest you sit down and write a list. What would you like to accomplish this year? Is there something you...
Major changes.
Καιρός (Kairos) was the Greek god of opportunity. He was the god of favorable moments. He was the god of fortune. According to the Greeks, he only had hair on the front of his head. This gave rise to the saying, "If you happen to see Kairos passing by in the street,...
Recession Proof Latin.
They say there is a recession coming in 2016. I hope not. I have bad memories from the last recession. I’d rather not do that again. I’ve been thinking. If there really is a recession coming, I might as well offer some recession pricing for my online classes. ...
Latin students! You must try this.
I have been teaching Latin for almost 20 years. I spend about 4 hours a day grading Latin and Greek homework. Want to know what trips up all of my students? If you know anything about Latin and Greek, you already know the answer. My students constantly trip up on the...
Is that site safe?
Is that site safe? I didn't send a tip last Saturday. Instead, I drove all day. Holiday travel. So, here I am on a Monday morning. If you are like me (and I know I am), you may prefer to shop online. However, you may feel a twinge of fear each time you enter your...
Learn another language…
"Language learning deserves special attention. It is, bar none, the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking." - Tim Ferriss in The Four Hour Work Week.
Homeschooling and Math…
I received this comment and question: I would love to tell you that your class knocked it out of the park. My son was engaged and excited each Monday night for his Latin class. He loved when you called out his name and answered his questions. Please consider doing...
Struggling through Visual Latin?
I received this comment on my site: Hi, I'm 12, and I'm taking Visual Latin 2 this year. I'm struggling a bit with the Reading and Translation parts (Section C of each lesson), do you have any things that could help with that? Thank you, Here is my reply: Hi! I...
Errata: Visual Latin 38
I received this inquiry: In Visual Latin 38, it has "Die tertio" translated as, "On the third day." Shouldn't it be "In die tertio"? It has recordabat and recordat. I always thought that Recordor was the passive endings but only used in the active. So wouldn't it be...
Thank you!
Merry Christmas! It's the last Saturday before Christmas. It's also late o'clock. Not many of you will read this. That's fine. You are spending time with your families. So am I. Maybe that is what makes this everyone's favorite time of year. Anyway, I just wanted to...
Errata: Test 8: 24
A Visual Latin user has brought a mistake to my attention. In test 8, question 24, you will find this multiple choice question: Die sol est lux terrae. A) light of the earth B) light of the moon C) light of the town The correct answer is A. However, this is not...
Learning to do this…
“Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.” – Robert J. Sawyer
Errata: Visual Latin 7
I received this question: My daughter is working on Visual Latin Lesson 7B and it states "translate into Latin the words in parenthesis, use the chart on page 43 to help you." We can not find a page 43 anywhere with a chart. Can you help, please? Here is my reply: The...
Some other good resources for Spanish.
Here are some other good resources for Spanish. Audio course: http://www.languagetransfer.org/#!complete-spanish/c1313 SpanishDict: http://www.spanishdict.com/learn/courses Study Spanish: http://www.studyspanish.com/ Lyrics Training: http://lyricstraining.com/ News:...
My replacement
I am looking for my own replacement. I will be leaving New Hope Academy in March 2016. If you are interested in working with the kindest, most self-sacrificing staff I have ever encountered, let me know. I am happy to begin training you immediately. You will need at...
Logo-maniac
Logo-maniac: One who is obsessively interested in words. From Greek λόγος (logos) and μανία (mania), meaning: madness. I think this is me. I am not sure that is a good thing....
Are we cheating?
I received this question: I have a question about Visual Latin. I have three children taking the course and I need to know if 1. ) it's considered ok for them to use charts for cases and declensions on the quizzes.? We're REALLY struggling with memorizing these and...
Errata: Visual Latin 37 and 38.#
I received this comment: Comment: In Visual Latin 37c the worksheet has "Piscerna dicit," It should be "Pincerna dicit," In Visual Latin 38b the worksheet has #12. Patres filios eius monebant. Translated in the answers as The father was warning his (someone else's)...
Errata: Visual Latin 38
I received this comment: Comment: In Visual Latin 38b, Sentence 42 has "Equui currabant..." I think you meant Equi currebant. Am I correct? Here is my reply: Yep. You are correct. Spelling mistake on my part. - 1 Here is the corrected version: Equui currebant per...
Matthew chapter 1
https://youtu.be/r4ob331YU6g
Harry Potter Forum
There is now a Harry Potter Forum! I am not opening it the general public, though. Just keeping it open for the fans. 🙂 Request permission, and I will be able to let you in. P.S. Available for students in the live seminar or students who have access to the...
How to get the Harry Potter recordings…
You will need to register as a new user on my site: https://dwanethomas.com/ After you register, I will be able to let you into the “course” pages where you will find the recordings. Once you have done this, let me know. It’s a little annoying, but I have to go in...
Trouble
Technical problems on my side. Test webinar not loading... Working on it right now...
Let’s connect…
Let's connect. I will be online tonight at 4 central time zone, and again at 5 central time zone. If you are in the Harry Potter seminar, let's test our connection before class begins.... If you are not sure how to do this, watch this one-minute instructional video:...
How to register for Monday’s Webinar
https://youtu.be/RdZrwz6LLgk
Poverty
Working on the Harry Potter series this morning, I discovered this quote: "Poverty entails fear and stress and sometimes depression. It meets a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts... that is something on which to...
Lingua Latina Vocabulary
Looking for a vocabulary list for the famous Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg? You can also access the vocabulary on Quizlet. Just type in Lingua Latina. Or, you can find the vocabulary in alphabetical order here: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/ll1/MasterVocab.pdf Or,...
Logos
The Greek word, Λόγος (lógos) means: word. Sort of. Logos is a bit complicated. There is a lot to it. It can mean any of the following: 1. That which is said: word, sentence, speech, story, debate, utterance. 2. That which is thought: reason, consideration,...
Verbiculture
Verbiculture: the production of words. Yep. It's really a word. From Latin verbum (word) and the Latin verb colo, colere, colui, cultus: to live in, inhabit; till, cultivate, promote growth. Verbiculture, which shows up in almost no dictionaries, was coined in 1873...
Verb
Verb: In grammar, a part of speech that expresses action, motion, being, suffering, or a request or command to do anything. A verb may also show state of existence. The verb affirms, declares, asks or commands; as, I write; he runs; the river flows; they sleep; we...
Cruciverbalist
Cruciverbalist: Someone skilled in the making of, or completion of crossword puzzles. From Latin crux (cross) and verbum (word). And, yes. This is a real word.
Words
This week (and probably next week) my etymology students and I will study the Greek and Latin words for, well, word. I find it fascinating to take a look at every word we study in about ten different languages. All of these languages are somehow related to our very...
Adverb
Once again, I am going to try to bring the word of the day back... Adverb: In grammar, a word used to modify the sense of a verb, participle, adjective or, another adverb, and usually placed near it; as, he writes well. An adverb will answer the following questions:...
Vocabulary trouble…
I received this question: Do you have any recommended ways of memorizing the Lingua Latina Vocab. I've been doing the flashcards on Quizlet and that helps a little bit. But I still struggle with the vocabulary a lot. Here is my reply: Good morning! This is a common...
High school level?
I received this comment about Lingua Latina online: This is a high school level class, right? Just checking. I'm pleasantly surprised as well. Henle was such a struggle for him that I'm wondering if it was the curriculum or the way in which it was presented. He did...
The struggle
I received this comment yesterday from the mother of an online student: I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your encouraging comments that you send along with my son's corrected homework. He has worked very hard over the past couple weeks. Since this is his...
Get out of school!
According to author Tony Buzan, "Learning how to learn is life's most important skill." Oh, I don't know. I think learning to duck is life's most important skill. Helps you avoid stray gunfire. Still, I understand what Mr. Buzan means. I have been in the classroom...
Stuck in Latin? Get help quickly.
Yesterday, while I was teaching, I received this email. What does ‘agere’ mean? That was it. I knew immediately what the student was struggling with. After all, this word is one of the early tripwires in an online Latin course that I teach. It is now Saturday...
Be yourself.
So true. "I find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I have? The one most vehemently recommended by teachers has no doubt been pressed on...
Textbooks of tears
I received this comment: I have switched to using Visual Latin for my freshman. It is going so well. I have some questions though: Are there cumulative tests available after lesson 30 and 60? If not, what do you recommend I could do to replace cumulative tests? What...
The Hidden Meaning in Harry Potter
I have finally decided to do what my students have been asking me to do for years. This winter, I will be teaching a three-week course on the Harry Potter series. When? The Three Mondays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. November 30, December 7, December 14. 7...
Hey… Why Can’t We Speak Latin?
Yesterday, during class, one of my students asked this question: "Mr. Thomas. We've been studying Latin for three years. Why aren't we fluent?" I stopped class. "Let's do some math on the board." Here is what I told them: We are in school for 40 weeks. Subtract one...
The End of the World
Some of my friends, disturbed by trouble in the Middle East, think the world is about to end. Well, if so, here is a video to comfort us all. (John Oliver is usually not family friendly, but this video would pass the test.) https://youtu.be/UC_gXD5OE88
Passive Verbs and Active Verbs
My students in Lingua Latina classes just learned the difference between active and passive verbs. My students in Henle Latin are about to learn the difference. Hopefully, this video will help a little: https://youtu.be/Xu1TXs-mUeE