by Dwane | Dec 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter four: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ What...
by Dwane | Dec 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
Not long ago, in a German class, we learned the German word for iron, Eisen. Railroad, for example, in German is Eisenbahn. Eisenbahn, a combination of Eisen (iron) and Bahn (road, or way) is the iron road. I thought of the name of one of our former presidents,...
by Dwane | Nov 27, 2023 | Uncategorized
Confetti: small pieces of paper thrown into the air during celebrations. This word came up in a Latin class this morning. A student wanted to know if confetti came from confitieri, the Latin word for confession. It does not. Instead, confetti comes from the Italian...
by Dwane | Nov 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
Today, in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving, a time we use to reflect upon all the blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude. Gratitude: thankfulness; a feeling of appreciation. The word came to English via Medieval Latin. The word for...
by Dwane | Nov 22, 2023 | Uncategorized
Quixotic: Idealistic, yet impractical. Visionary. Quixotic comes from the name Don Quixote in the famous tale by Miguel Cervantes. I try to post a word a day on my site and on Facebook. Judging by my record, this may be a quixotic goal on my part. Oh well. ...
by Dwane | Nov 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
Like most of you, I love learning. I spend much of my free time learning. Over the years, I have subscribed to the site formerly known as The Great Courses. These days, the site goes by the name Wondrium. I still call the site, The Great Courses. Honestly, the...
by Dwane | Nov 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a word of the day. Back. At least for today. This morning, in a Latin class, we learned the word Vita. Vita, in Latin, means life. From vita, English gleans multiple words. A bunch of them showed up in Word up: Volume...
by Dwane | Oct 7, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Dwane | Oct 6, 2023 | Education, French, Italian, Latin, Motivation, Spanish
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...
by Dwane | Oct 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Dwane | Oct 5, 2023 | Education, Motivation
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...
by Dwane | Oct 4, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Oct 2, 2023 | Education, English, German, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Dwane | Sep 27, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Dwane | Sep 27, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Dwane | Sep 25, 2023 | English, German, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 23, 2023 | Tip of the Week
I recently finished writing a book about working online. I hope to show other teachers how to make a living online. While writing the book, I researched dozens of ways to make some extra money online. I have been earning my living online since 2011. After all this...
by Dwane | Sep 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
I recently finished writing a book about working online. In it, I hope to show other teachers how to make a living online. While writing the book, I researched dozens of paths. I have been earning my living online since 2011. After all this time, I believe one of the...
by Dwane | Sep 23, 2023 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Pram: a stroller, a baby carriage, a small vehicle with four wheels designed for a baby to lie in while you push it around. I was born in England. I remember stories of my mom pushing me around Bicester, England in a pram. Back then, says my mom, the British moms...
by Dwane | Sep 22, 2023 | English, French, Vocabulary
My local French students and I (I am not fluent. We are learning together.) have been watching the language learning series Extra. In Episode three, one of the characters uses the phrase ça ne me dérange pas, meaning, it doesn’t bother me. This threw my...
by Dwane | Sep 22, 2023 | Motivation
The other day, I ran across my new favorite French proverb. Not that I had a favorite French proverb before. But, that’s not the point. Qui s’instruit sans agir laboure sans semer. Whoever learns without action, plows without sowing. For a while, I have...
by Dwane | Sep 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
Cheeseparing – Saving via extreme frugality If someone cuts for you a rather thin piece of cheese, they are cheeseparing. Perhaps because they are frugal. Cheeseparing comes from the Old English word for cheese (case) and the Old French word for trimming,...
by Dwane | Sep 18, 2023 | English
Karmageddon Karmageddon is like, when everybody is sending off all these totally bad vibes. And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer for all. Karmageddon comes from Sanskrit Karma, the sum of a person’s actions. This sum determines a...
by Dwane | Sep 16, 2023 | Tip of the Week
I teach and work online. I am also easily distracted. Not a good combination. To combat distraction, I write everything by hand. I have notebooks filled with tests, books, blogs, and tips I have written. I find I am much less distracted when I write by hand. Once...
