I received this email last week: My son has completed  VL 1&2. Not knowing where to continue after that, he has been reading through Lingua Latina and (attempting to) translating Proverbs into Latin but without the exercises. I am hoping to have him take the NLE...

I received this question: Hello. My sister and I are taking your Lingua Latina course and are having trouble figuring out how to conjugate verbs. For example: The tree cant drink the water. How would we translate the word drink? Is there a paper or video or maybe even...

If you've been reading my ‘Τip of the Week’ email for long, you know I am a big fan of audiobooks.  (I missed almost the entire month of May, so I suppose I should call it the “not so consistent tip”). Whenever I am looking for a new audiobook, I always check Libby...

I made a mistake in Visual Latin, Lesson 18 Exercise B, question #4.  Here, I explain my mistake and what it should have been. https://vimeo.com/717179461

You are probably familiar with the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle.   According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes.  Put another way, 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.   Or, think of it this way.  Look at...

This week, someone asked me if many English words originate from Greek? Here is my reply: As best I can tell, the breakdown goes something like this. English is about 50% Latin and 50% German.  But, that is very broad. The real story is a real mess.  🙂 I’ve heard...

A few days ago, I discovered the site Chatterbug.com.   If you are attempting to learn French, Spanish or German, you may want to check it out.   Using live streams, and short videos, the hosts offer lots of opportunity to practice.   For the past few days, I’ve been...

I didn’t send a weekly email last Saturday.   I was on the road all day driving home from Colorado to Nashville. I had gone to hang out with my son in the Rocky Mountains.  He taught me to snowboard.  I am now, officially, the world’s slowest snowboarder. On the way...

While writing the Word Up series, I often consulted the book Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis.  (Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the book to students.  There are, oddly enough, too many innuendos in this book.)  In the introduction Mr. Lewis writes this:...

Last week I talked about French.  Even if you are older, you are likely not too old to learn French.  If you missed it, that tip (along with hundreds of others) is here: https://dwanethomas.com/tip-week-archives/ This week I am here to talk about German. I am not...

“Words matter. They help us define meaning. We think with words.  We learn with words.  Words are the fundamental tools we use for communicating.  If we use them well, we can cut and shape and polish our ideas precisely and beautifully.  If we use them sloppily we put...

Are you qualified to teach online?  Maybe.  Probably. What do I mean?  Maybe you have a degree in your chosen field.  Maybe you are certified in your chosen field. That's fine.  But, what if you aren’t? If you aren't certified, maybe you should consider certification....

Dr. Mary Hobson is one of my language heroes. Whenever I feel too old to learn a language, which is often, I read her story again.  It’s here: https://markrwayne.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-inspirational-story-of-dr-mary.html Dr. Hobson decided to take on Russian at age...

If I were starting over online, on the very first day, I would start with an email list. If you are starting out online, start building an email list.   Set up a free account with MailChimp, or Aweber, or with one of these guys:...

Spring break is coming up on my site. From April 4 through April 9 there will be no classes. I'm planning to drive out to Colorado to spend some time with my son.  I am also going to try, again, to learn to snowboard.  Because, I don’t want to admit I am getting...

Are you an AMC stubs loser? Sometime ago, my wife and I went to see the movie Reminiscence at our local theater. Since this post is not about the movie let me just say a few quick things about it. It was OK, I suppose. The movie did what it was supposed to do. It...

Last week, I received this note. Thank you thank you thank you!We are back to Classical Conversations after 2 years off.I hadn't expected to come back and your videos are a total life saver!I have a student in Henle 2 and Henle 4, and although it is too late for my...

“And so here we are, right on schedule. It turns out that, however you might wish otherwise, you eventually wind up wherever it was you were going. If you get on the plane to Chicago, and I would urge you to follow me closely here, you are going to land in Chicago. We...

Here’s a tip I learned years ago from Michael Masterson’s book The Pledge, which I read again this week.  (I do not recommend this book for kids, or teenagers, by the way.) Check your email last. I understand not everyone can do this. Some jobs will not allow it....

Lately, I've been getting more questions about the books I recommend.  This post is a response to that question.  I will update and add to this post as my recommendations change. As for the literature books I’d recommend…. a little background first. I was thrilled to...

A few weeks ago, a reader suggested I check out Hoopla. Here is what J.L. suggested:  Dear Mr. Thomas, I don't know if you have sent a weekly email about this yet, but I highly recommend the app Hoopla. You just install it and give it your library card number and you...

We are coming up on a new month.  If you are reading through Lingua Latina, or Le Français par la Métode Nature, here is a good way to review what you have already learned. https://vimeo.com/260363020

This is more of a head's up than a tip If you are thinking of teaching online, be ready to create tests quizzes, or some sort of assessment. When I started teaching online, I didn't see this coming. I write six tests a week. Two Spanish tests, two French tests, a...

If you are in the online classes I teach, we have a short break coming up.  I will be out of town for a few days. There will be no classes on Monday, February 28 through Wednesday, March 2. Classes will resume on Thursday, March 3. Also, there will be a week-long...

People frequently ask me, “How did you start making a living online?  And, do you think I could?” First, it wasn’t easy.   It was hard work.   Second, yes.  I think you could do this.    But, we really should re-frame the question.  We should ask… Should you become an...

In a recent service, my pastor reminded the congregation “When you ask God for something, be very specific..  God loves to answer prayer.  By asking him for specific requests, you make it easy for him to demonstrate his power. “ Though it is very difficult to do, I...

I sent this email out on April 12, 2020.   Well.  It’s been a while.  I sure hope you all are well. A few days ago, I received this email: Yep I’ll  I’ve recently joined the email list for your email list (Tip of the Week). And I wanted to ask: Are you still...

A few tips ago, I announced that I was going to give up sugar for a year. Then I shared a tip I use to combat sugar cravings.  I chew gum. (By the way, I should make something something clear.  I have decided to avoid white, processed sugar.  I still eat fruit and...

I know how to use a gun, but I’d rather not.  In a fight, I’d rather walk away.  I imagine you feel the same. The same rule applies to writing.  I know the big words in the English language.  I’ve taught Latin for decades.  Most of the big words in English come from...

Recently, I posted a quick start guide to getting started online. I listed twelve steps.   Here are three even quicker ways to get started online.   Any of these three would work.   The trick is to start. #1.  Start a blog, newsletter, podcast, You Tube channel or...

I sent this tip out on November 30, 2019   Last Thursday, in America, we celebrated Thanksgiving day.   Many of the first English settlers who came to North American shores went hungry and even starved during their first year in the New World. We celebrate that...

Last week, this note from a student made me happy. I wanted to thank you for teaching Latin. I’ve learned more in three months than in three years. And now Latin is my favorite subject! Thank you for all the time and effort you have put in to make this so much fun. -...

I sent this tip out on November 23, 2019: Here's this week's tip: Give yourself plenty of time. Next week, in America, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.   If you are driving to a relative's house, and you are supposed to be there by 1, simply plan to arrive twenty...

I know how to use a gun, but I’d rather not.  In a fight, I’d rather walk away.  I imagine you feel the same. The same rule applies to writing.  I know the big words in the English language.  I’ve taught Latin for decades.  Most of the big words in English come from...

Continuing to post old tips I failed to post way back when.  This one is from November 16, 2019. ================================================= Help your future self out. There are certain things you know are going to happen each day.  So, make your future self...

The question I most often get, still, is, “How did you start teaching online?” I am still trying to nail down the most simple way to start teaching online.   My story is complicated.  All the gurus out there sell very expensive, and as far as I can tell, complicated...

I am still plowing through old "tips of the week" to finally get this page up to date: https://dwanethomas.com/tip-week-archives/ I've got about 40 more tips to go. This one is from November 2, 2019 BC (Before Covid) =================================================...

So, I have a confession to make.  I am a big liar. But, first, a quick note on this week's schedule.   There will be no classes on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.  My wife and I are headed to Texas.  There is a class for people who have teenagers living in their...

Years ago, my wife and I worked in a fishing canary on an island in Alaska. This island, actually: https://llcruise4.blogspot.com/2015/07/historic-metlakatla.html.  If you scroll down six pictures, you will see the Metlakatla Packing Plant.  That's where we worked....

I received this question: Hello. We have been doing your dvd year 1.  Quiz 16 question 1 says “All prepositions are followed by ablative nouns“. True or False?  The answer says false. We have several charts  saying that ablative is the object of the preposition.  So I...

Some time ago, I received this message: Love the program so far. However, confused with Lesson 5 answers.  The charts in teacher’s worksheet do not match students’ and we are confused by answers for: #1 Why not ablative and vocative too? #2 Why just nominative...

Good morning! If you are looking for a used car, check out Kelly’s Blue Book.  My dad told be about this tip years ago.  Back then, there was still a book. These days, it’s all online.  Here it is: https://www.kbb.com/ If you are buying a used car, Kbb.com is a useful...

If you are going to launch online, I think you should become a chicken entrepreneur.  This is an idea I picked up from Michael Masterson in his book, The Pledge.   What is a chicken entrepreneur?   A chicken entrepreneur is someone who keeps his full time job.  He...

I didn't send a tip of the week out on Saturday because I couldn't find my way to the bottom of the the Black Friday emails inundating my inbox.  My message to advertisers is... Good grief, guys.  Calm down. Anyway... on to the tip of the week. I grew up in Europe,...

I once read that the average American reads one book a year. That statistic blows me away. If that's true, think about this.  If you decided to read one book a month in your field, in just one or two years, you'd be light years ahead of most of your competition. I...

From time to time, someone asks me to sign up as a vendor for a charter school. My reply is usually something like this. Unfortunately, no.  Too much paperwork.  Charter schools want background checks, insurance, licensing, and other bureaucratic paperwork filled out...