Blog
Age for the Vocabulary class?
I received this question about the vocabulary class: Do you have a target age for this class? Here is my reply. Warning. It gets a little weird. I apologize for the delay. On the road for weeks. Home now. Catching up. This class is more for high school/college...
Visual Latin and Lingua Latina
I received this inquiry: We are looking to use Visual Latin 1 this Fall for 9th grade. I have a question about your online class, Lingua Latina. If we'll be doing Visual Latin 1, will we need to coordinate the lessons with the Lingua Latina course? How does it work...
Audit option
Many of you have asked, "What do I do I want to join an online class, but have a schedule conflict?" This morning, I created an option for you. When checking out, choose the option: "I am auditing this class." This option will still grant you all the log-in...
Tired Mom, New Latin teacher.
I received this comment: Hi, Dwane I am a tired, overworked, homeschool mother who is also going to be the Challenge A director this year for the first time. Whoop. Since I am Latin clueless, and frankly, not feeling very motivated to learn it by myself, I am very...
Physiognomy
Physiognomy: The art of judging human character by facial features. I know how to do this, actually. Allow me to demonstrate. You have a nose on the front of your face. Ergo, you are the type of person who sniffs from the front of your face. Physiognomy comes from...
Find your happy place.
I don't know how travel writers do it. I just spent five weeks working from the road. If I were to grade my performance, I would give myself a C -. Maybe a D +. I fell behind on emails, blogs, the word of the day, and new YouTube videos. As I said, I do not know how...
Find your happy place.
I don't know how travel writers do it. I just spent five weeks working from the road. If I were to grade my performance, I would give myself a C -. Maybe a D +. I fell behind on emails, blogs, the word of the day, and new YouTube videos. As I said, I do not know how...
Declare your freedom… from advertisements.
From time to time, I show my students videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, this can be a bit risky with advertisements. I never know what is going to pop up. They have likely seen the advertisements anyway. (I am repeatedly surprised by the amount of pop culture my...
Third Declension I-Stem
I received this comment: I am currently in my first year of Visual Latin. I'm confused... how do you tell if a 3rd declension neuter noun is i-stem or not? Gratias ago. Here is my reply: This is a tricky issue. These extra videos may help: Third...
Questions about the Henle class.
Short answer: I no longer personally grade the work of students. This applies to all new subscriptions. If I was grading your work last year, and if you are still paying me to grade, then I will continue. Longer answer: I received a series of questions about the...
Ready for Visual Latin 2?
I received this inquiry: I have a question about VisualLatin2. I am 12 years old and have just finished VisualLatin1 this past year. My final/total score was about 87% for the year. Do you think I would be okay taking VL2 on my own next year, or would it be a big step...
Can I join the Henle 2 class?
I received this inquiry: My son only completed up to Henle Latin 1 lesson 26 - He will be starting Ch 2 in the fall (Henle Latin 2) - can he enroll in your class???? Here is my reply: Hi! I am afraid Henle Latin 2 would be over his head. There are 42 chapters in...
Visual Latin, online class, or both?
I received this inquiry: I want to sign my son up for Latin I-Visual Latin and am a little confused about what to order. Do I need the DVD set, Visual Latin as well as the on-line class? If I am reading correctly that is what is included in the price of the class?...
Happy New Month!
Happy New Month! July: The seventh month of the year, during which the sun enters the sign Leo. It is so called from Julius, the surname of Caius Caesar, who was born in this month. Before that time, this month was called Quintilis, or the fifth month, according to...
How to drastically change your life.
I haven't sent a "tip of the week" for nearly three weeks. Turns out, I don't work very well from the road. It's all going to hit me when I get home. My family and I have been on the road for three weeks now. Without much of a plan, we ran away for the month of...
Run away. Change your life.
How to drastically change your life. I haven't sent a "tip of the week" for nearly three weeks. Turns out, I don't work very well from the road. It's all going to hit me when I get home. My family and I have been on the road for three weeks now. Without much of a...
Van on the run. Part 2.
We arrived in California about a week ago. So... California is expensive, guys. Across the West, we have camped for as little as $10 a night. Average. We never had any trouble finding a campsite. Then, we made it to California. There were no campsites available....
Errata: Test 14
I received this input: Hi! In Visual Latin 1, test XIV, I think the answer the answer to question number 44 should be c) shout. She's right. I have changed the answer. It should be: Puer et puella clamant. A) sing B) stare C) shout D) strum If you spot...
Van on the Run.
I have not been around much lately. I apologize for the complete lack of posting on the site here. Two weeks ago, my son and I were on a high-adventure Boy Scout trip. We were out at sea for a week. Not sure I am cut out to be a sailor. If you ever need to...
Online class time conflict.
I received this inquiry: I’m really interested in taking Lingua Latin 1, but the time doesn’t work with my schedule. Would you be able to offer more times for Lingua? I’m only able to take it if it’s after 3pm MST on Wednesdays, as I take a classical course before...
Flow with disorder.
I didn't send a tip of the week last Saturday. I spent the day adjusting to setbacks. They consumed my mind for the day. I did not recover until the next morning. One of my childhood friends joined the U.S. Marines after college. He is a Major now. To put it...
Flow with Disorder.
I didn't send a tip of the week last Saturday. I spent the day adjusting to setbacks. They consumed my mind for the day. I did not recover until the next morning. One of my childhood friends joined the U.S. Marines after college. He is a Major now. To put it...
Write it down.
This one is going to be quick. It's 11:30 on Friday night, and I am tired. Packing for a seven-person, six-week expedition is exhausting. In fact, it is so overwhelming, I toyed with the idea of cancelling the entire trip. Then, my wife informed me that she had...
From Visual Latin to Greek?
I received this question:Hi! We are currently in Visual Latin 1. Can we go from the full Visual Latin course (both 1 & 2) into Greek or should we take one of your online Latin courses before Greek? Are you thinking about adding Spanish in the future? Here is...
After Latin?
I received this question: Our first son was in your class this year. We have not been involved in language study before, can you give me an idea of what might be a next step for him in regards to language study? He really enjoys it, and from what I can tell, is...
Expectations and mistakes.
"Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: Is this the condition that I feared?" - Seneca 4 BC - AD 65 I went to college right after high...
A bag of questions from Asia
I received these questions: Hi, we just signed up for the Henle class and I'm noticing there are only 31 webinar classes. Your site said it was a 41-week class. Are you no longer covering the entire book (42 lessons)? We have already worked through the 36th video of...
Lingua Latina, Henle, Visual Latin?
I received this question: Hi Dwane, First of all I have to say after watching your sample lessons of Visual Latin, I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I am so happy I stumbled upon your website last night! My question is this... I would like to order your Visual Latin 1...
I will disappear in June.
We moved often when I was young. Dad was in the U.S. Air Force. Back then (in the 70's and 80's), redeployment was common. Until moving to Franklin, Tennessee, I live in no location longer than four years. Two years, actually, was the average. We lived for four...
Another time conflict
I received this question: Mr. Thomas, My son has completed one year of HS Latin with a local magistra, and took your VL 2 this past year. He did well on the Intro to Latin, Latin I and Latin II NLE's. My question/concern is what to do for Latin 3 since most colleges...
Horses and Hondas.
For years, my old Honda's were my financial Achilles heel. Whenever I broke away financially and managed to save a little money, my car would break down. The savings would repair the car. I would go back to work, in my car, to save more money to repair my car so that...
No time for Caesar.
I received this question: My daughter would like to take the Henle II class, but she happens to have orchestra practice during your class time on Wednesdays. Is there any chance that you might add another day/time for Henle II? Here is my reply: Hi! I am so sorry....
Summer Latin Course?
A reader asks: Do you think you would ever consider doing some sort of summer intensive for students learning Latin? Or even a supplemental online class during the summer break? Thank you! Here is my reply: Hi! You are the fourth person this week to ask this question....
Learn Latin without going broke.
Years ago, my family was foreclosed on. We ended up living with my wife’s parents for some time. I was a school teacher, earning a teacher's salary. This is not such a bad thing if you work for the government, but I was a teacher in a private school. We had a...
Thee, Thou, and all that (Part 2)
Yesterday, I blogged about the English pronoun "you." Here is part of the post: Often you will hear people say things like, “I can’t read the King James Version of the Bible. I get tired of the formal ‘thee’s’ and ‘thou’s.'” Funny thing is, those words are not...
Thee, thou, and all that.
Words change. Languages change. English shifted dramatically over the years. Here is an interesting lesson on the development of you. http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/history-of-you.html Often you will hear people say things like, "I can't read the King...
Natality
Natality: the birth rate. In philosophy, natality is human innovation. Natality is the human ability to create new ideas out of nothing. Natality comes from the French natalité, which derives from the Latin word natal. Natal means "birthday." Since today is my "natal"...
The National Latin Exam
I received this question: To get “credit” for a foreign language, my daughter needs to take the National Latin Exam and pass. Do you have any experience preparing kids for this exam? My daughter will take your Lingua Latina this fall. Hopefully, she will take the...
3 Years in Latin 1? Sigh.
I received this call for help: We are currently in Classical Conversations. My daughters have been in Henle Latin 1 for 3-4 yrs. This year, we completely lost interest and decided to pull back (plus we had some family health issues). So, now, we are STILL not thru...
Word Up and the S.A.T.
I received this question: Would this and/or your Word up program be good for SAT prep? If so, would the Word Up alone be adequate as my son is taking the SAT in the fall. Here is my reply: I do intend to head that direction with the online Vocabulary class. I will be...
Latin 2 time conflict…
I received this question: Ok, I know we haven't actually finished this academic year yet, but I'm beginning to plan for next year now. I'd love for my daughter to take Latin 2 with you online, but we've got a time conflict with the Wed 4-4:55 CST Henle Latin 2 class...
Skip Class
For me, the school year ends on Monday. Well, it almost ends. I will still teach online for several more weeks. I have been in the classroom for nearly 20 years. During those years, I have discovered one of the best ways to learn another language. Skip class. I'm...
Skip class!
For me, the school year ends on Monday. Well, it almost ends. I will still teach online for several more weeks. I have been in the classroom for nearly 20 years. During those years, I have discovered one of the best ways to learn another language. Skip class. I'm...
Cognoscente
Cognoscente: Someone possessing superior knowledge in a particular field, usually the arts; a connoisseur, an aficionado, a discerning expert. I get the feeling a “cognoscente” is likely a member of the Illuminati of the art world. Or, based on modern art purchases,...
Reconnoiter
Reconnoiter: to view; to survey; to inspect. Particularly in military affairs, to reconnoiter is to examine the state of an enemy's army or camp. To survey the bad guys for military purposes. Reconnoiter comes from the French reconnaître, which comes from Latin...
Do you want to enjoy Latin?
I received this inquiry: "Which of the two "Latin 1" courses you teach would you recommend for a high school credit for a young man? Henle Latin or Lingua Latina." Here is my reply: The short answer: Lingua Latina. The long answer: Two of my girls just finished a...
Connoisseur
Connoisseur: A person well versed in any subject; a skillful or knowing person; a critical judge or master of any art, particularly of painting and sculpture. From French connaisseur. The French word derives from the verb connoître (acquainted, to know). Father of...
Greek will eat your lunch.
One of my favorite students emailed me today just before class. Read it before you join the Greek class. Greek will eat your lunch. If ten of you sign up, three of you will make it to the end. I am not kidding. If you think Latin is tough.... You have been...
Cognizance
Cognizance: having knowledge of something. When you possess cognizance, you possess knowledge. As G. I. Joe says, “Cognizance is half the battle.” Or, something like that. Cognizance can also mean perception, awareness, the ability to notice things. Cognizance...
Errata: Visual Latin Test 30
I received this comment: "We are on the test for lesson 30 and beginning in question 16 some of the sentences on the test and the sentences in the answer key don't match. Number 16 on the test says: Illa lux clarrisima est and the answer key says: Illa lux clarior...