by Dwane | Apr 30, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Circuitous: the indirect path. I made a mistake. My son asked to go out West. I told him that I just did not have time to plan such a trip, but, that if he would plan the trip, I would take the family. He planned the trip. And, to make sure my ships were burnt, last...
by Dwane | Apr 29, 2015 | Education, English, Greek, Latin, Vocabulary
From the Greek word κύκλος (kuklos), a circle, a wheel, English derives several means of transportation. From swiftest to slowest, there are motorcycles, bicycles, tricycles, and unicycles. The motorcycle is a self powered two-wheeled vehicle. The first part of the...
by Dwane | Apr 29, 2015 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Circumspect: cautious; wary; unwilling to take risks It is good to pay very close attention to details. To be circumspect, however is to take it to a fault. The circumspect person is afraid to make mistakes. Meticulous is a closely related word. A meticulous...
by Dwane | Apr 28, 2015 | Education, Greek, Latin, Q&A
I have been teaching advanced Latin classes online since 2011. Before you join an expensive online Latin class, you should check out the most affordable live online Latin classes with the strongest guarantee! Just click the video and you are...
by Dwane | Apr 28, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Circumscribe: to limit, or restrict; to place a boundary around; to encircle. Your activities are likely circumscribed by your parents. In the ebook, Via, I recommend you circumscribe television use in order to free up more time. Use the extra time in your life to...
by Dwane | Apr 28, 2015 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Epicycle: A little circle, whose center is in the circumference of a greater circle From Ancient Greek ἐπίκυκλος (epikuklos), from ἐπί (epi), on, or upon and κύκλος (kuklos), a circle In astronomy, an epicycle is a small circle with its center on the circumference of...
by Dwane | Apr 27, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Okay. Late today. Today’s word is circumference. Circumference is the distance around something. Usually something circular. Circumference derives from the Latin words circum (around) and fero (I carry). Oh, and Circumference was the most rotund knight at King...
by Dwane | Apr 25, 2015 | Education, Grammar, Latin, Q&A
by Dwane | Apr 25, 2015 | English, Latin, Vocabulary
There a several Latin words for circle. Orbis, circulus, and circlus. Sometimes the Romans would even use the word, circus. Usually, though, the word circus referred to a race course, or a celebration of games performed in a round arena. Related to circulus,...
by Dwane | Apr 25, 2015 | Greek, Latin
An online student asks: I was wondering what classes you’ll be teaching next year and whether you are going to Henle 2? I would definitely be interested in going through the summer with Henle 1. What would be the dates and times going through summer? Hope...
by Dwane | Apr 25, 2015 | Education, Latin, Tip of the Week, Visual Latin
If you are learning Latin, you know all about those complicated Latin endings! Need some free help with Latin? I actively teach Latin and Greek for over 20 hours a week, every week. I spend another 10 hours a week grading. My students constantly trip up on the...
by Dwane | Apr 24, 2015 | Education, Latin
I received this question: I’ve been checking out your site and have a couple of questions as I am sorting through your options for classes. My son, who will be 14 by fall, has had 2 years of Henle Latin through Classical Conversations. He is at Lesson 25 in...
by Dwane | Apr 24, 2015 | Latin
A reader wants to know if 13 years old is too young for an online Latin class: How is it that I did not know about you and your classes until last week? I ordered the Word Up video after a FB recommendation. My kids laughed so hard they cried through the first lesson....
by Dwane | Apr 24, 2015 | English, Motivation, The Future
I struggled in school. I was not a good student. I failed English grammar and had to repeat several grades. I graduated from high school one month before I turned 20. I thought I was doomed to a life of mediocrity. Then, in my twenties, I discovered the...
by Dwane | Apr 23, 2015 | Education, Latin
I received a note from one of my online students today: “Thank you so much for class and for your dedicated, patient, yet fun teaching style. I have really thrived in this class. I also really enjoy it, some times my mother walks by wondering what I could...
by Dwane | Apr 23, 2015 | Education, Latin
I received this question about Lingua Latina: I plan on using Visual Latin and Lingua Latina per your recommendations for High School (9th and 10th grade). Can you tell me what Lingua Latina books you recommend? If I get the exercise book, do you know if it includes...
by Dwane | Apr 23, 2015 | Motivation, The Future
Early to Rise printed this article by James Altucher today. I found it interesting. I should probably work on the friend suggestion. How to Prepare for Death By James Altucher The oldest living person ever was Jeanne Clement, who died in 1997. She was 122 years old....
by Dwane | Apr 23, 2015 | Education, Latin, Visual Latin
I received this comment: My daughter can’t seem to get past Lesson 16. (We have had a lot of family/personal/computer issues going on this year so we had to put Latin aside for a few weeks off and on.) My daughter can not seem to grasp Lesson 16 with the ablative and...
by Dwane | Apr 22, 2015 | Education, Latin, Visual Latin
One frustrated Visual Latin user contacted me. She felt she was not getting enough review. Here is my response: First of all, I apologize for the frustration I have caused. Just so you know, we offer an ironclad money back guarantee. If you find that Visual Latin...
by Dwane | Apr 22, 2015 | Education, Latin, Q&A, Visual Latin
I received this question this morning: Please explain why animalia laeta sunt is correct. Animalia appears to be plural but laeta is singular. Also on the same 10C lesson: Deus complet opus. Why isn’t opus a direct object and hence opum? Thanks! Because I just...
by Dwane | Apr 21, 2015 | Errata, Visual Latin
A user pointed out a mistake I had made in Visual Latin test 39. In question 23, students are to give the correct translation for the italicized words: Ii videbantur. A) I will be warned B) I will warn C) You will be warned D) We will be warned E)...
by Dwane | Apr 21, 2015 | Motivation, The Future
Every few months, I edit, or add to this post, and then re-post it. Here we go again. College, for me, was a waste of time. I naively did what I was told. I did what every high school graduate was supposed to do. I went to college. It was a four year delay of...
by Dwane | Apr 21, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Latin in Literature, Motivation, Q&A, Visual Latin
Yesterday was a long day. Just before I fell asleep, I posted a quick note about alternative Latin reading material. Here it is: https://dwanethomas.com/instead-of-caesar/ A few days ago, I publicly declared that reading Caesar’s commentary on the Gallic Wars...
by Dwane | Apr 20, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Latin in Literature, Visual Latin
On Saturday, I took a whack at a hornet’s nest. I suggested that perhaps there was something better to read than hundreds of pages of history of hundreds of headless Gauls. Several people contacted me. Among other things, they wanted to know… well, what...
by Dwane | Apr 18, 2015 | Latin, Latin in Literature, Motivation, Visual Latin
Last night I watched the new Penguins of Madagascar movie. I have five kids. I watch a lot of kid movies. In fact, I have four daughters. I have seen all of the princess movies. Anyway, as I was saying, I watched the new Penguin movie last night. It was okay. The...
