Blog
Tip of the Week #281: Night School
Recently, I discovered the book, The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. I recommend the book. Among many other good suggestions, Mr. Schwartz recommended taking college classes for the rest of you life. Schedule it in. Plan on taking at least one class a...
Latin. Something to Consider Before You Are in Too Deep
I received this question. It sparked a short correspondence between us Good afternoon and thank you for your resources! What is the most important/significant material to glean from Virgil's Aeneid, from a grammar and/or rhetoric perspective? I am leading a class of...
Word of the Day #100: Thrift
Just found out today that the Old English/Anglo-Saxon work for wealth and prosperity is... thrift. From now on, I refer to thrift stores as wealth stores. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Almost every...
Just don’t quit.
I received this comment from an online student: Hi Magister, This was triggered by "If you come to Latin class every day for 30 minutes you will learn Latin..." I heard an interesting quote on a different definition of intelligence. The speaker did not believe in a...
Word of the Day #99: Ultracrepidarian
Ultracrepidarian: someone giving opinions on something beyond their knowledge. The habit of talking constantly about subjects you know little or nothing about. From the Latin word ultra (beyond) and crepida (slipper, or sandal). According to legends, a famous Greek...
Word of the Day #98: Grammando
Grammando: someone who frequently corrects the grammar mistakes of others. I just discovered this word in a series I am watching on Wondrium (formerly known as the Great Courses). The series, if you are interested, is English Grammar Boot Camp. The fact that I am...
Tip of the Week #280: Your Money or Your Life
Not long ago, I finished reading Your Money or Your Life by Vicky Robin and Joe Dominguez. For years, I have read financial books. Not sure how I missed this one. The authors published it years ago. These days, during times of high inflation, we need all the help we...
Word of the Day #97: Sententious
Words change over time. We know that. Sententious is one of those words. Sententious once meant full of wisdom. These days, it kind of means full of it. (Hint. The it in full of it is not wisdom.) In Latin sententiosus meant full of meaning. This word came from...
What I am reading these days: Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War
I read a lot. Comes with the territory, I suppose. During the school year, I try to focus on Latin, German, Greek, French, and Spanish. But, I often get distracted by English. To combat this, I divide the day by languages. In the morning, I focus on French and...
Word of the Day #96: Penny
Penny: a small coin worth one cent. In German class this morning, we learned the word for penny: Pfennig. Clearly related to English, my students and I went off to find out where this word came from. In Middle English, the word was peni. In Old English, pening, and...