by Dwane | Mar 11, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Greek, Latin, Visual Latin, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Mar 10, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Greek, Latin, Vocabulary
I am sick and tired. Didn’t want to post the word of the day. Could not think about it. Then, one of my daughters said, “I’ll help you, dad. How about phillumenist?” I had no idea what a phillumenist was. I looked it up. So, here is the word of...
by Dwane | Mar 10, 2015 | Latin, Visual Latin
I received this inquiry on Facebook: Hope you’re doing well, and loving the classes! I’m about half way though the Visual Latin Series and had a questions. “Where do we go after?” Do you have any programs for students who complete the 60...
by Dwane | Mar 9, 2015 | Ebook, Education, Latin
I received this comment today. It made me happy. “I’m reading your book, Via, and I’m very impressed. It is a wonderful life-help book and not just for languages. I’ve never been a very disciplined person, so it will take lots of baby steps;...
by Dwane | Mar 9, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Semaphore: A signaling system. A semaphore uses flags, lights, or mechanical arms to send messages, usually to travelers. You might see a semaphore next to the railroad tracks. The word might also refer to a system of sending messages by holding the arms or flags in...
by Dwane | Mar 9, 2015 | Education, Latin, Visual Latin
I received this email: “Thank you so much for taking time to investigate and answer my questions. I don’t know any difference between Classical Roman vocabulary and Ecclesiastical vocabulary. Do you think a child will get confused if he learns both Visual...
by Dwane | Mar 9, 2015 | Education, Latin, Visual Latin
I received this inquiry on Facebook: “Any suggestions to conquer all those confusing Pronouns in chapters 22-24 (VL1)?” Here is my reply: Oh, man. This is a tough one. I am not always thankful for English. But, when it comes to pronouns, I am super...
by Dwane | Mar 9, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Admit: to allow to enter. There are so many definitions and so many variations of this word, it is probably best to begin with the etymology. Admit comes from the Latin verb admitto, which also has many definitions. Admitto means: to urge on to spur to a gallop to...
by Dwane | Mar 7, 2015 | Motivation, The Future
Here is a reminder I could use every day. One Step Program for a Better Life By Bob Irish A few years back, author and fitness guru Dr. Marcia Hootman was in a tailspin. She was headed for divorce, her health was suffering, and her teenage son had become increasingly...
by Dwane | Mar 7, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Pyrophoric: liable to ignite spontaneously when exposed to air. You know, like.. Charlie Sheen. While a pyrophoric chemical might ignite, a pyrophoric alloy will produce sparks when struck. Lighter flints, for example, are pyrophoric. The flintlock mechanism in...
by Dwane | Mar 7, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Admonish: To warn or notify of a fault; to reprove with mildness, to reprove without harshness. Admonish can also mean: To counsel against wrong practices; to caution or advise. To instruct or direct. The English word derives from the French admonester, which came...
by Dwane | Mar 7, 2015 | Education, Italian, Latin, Motivation, Tip of the Week, Travel
Think Outside the Border Tip #10 – Who wants to learn Italian? According to Frederick Bodmer, in his book, The Loom of Language, French, Spanish, and Italian derive directly from Latin. “The deeper we delve into the past, the more French, Spanish, and...
by Dwane | Mar 7, 2015 | Ebook, Education, Italian, Latin
The deeper we delve into the past, the more French, Spanish, and Italian converge. Finally, they become one in Latin, or, to be more accurate, in Vulgar Latin as spoken by the common people in the various parts of the Western Roman Empire. – Frederick Bodmer,...
by Dwane | Mar 6, 2015 | Ebook, Education, Latin
I received this inquiry on Facebook: “Is there a look inside anywhere? Table of contents?” I am still new to this world. Someone else asked for a Kindle edition. I know nothing about publishing on Kindle. Another mountain to climb. I don’t mind....
by Dwane | Mar 6, 2015 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Admire: To regard with wonder or surprise; to look up to; to look at with approbation, esteem, reverence, affection; to look at with wonder, or pleasure. From Latin admiror, which is a combination of the preposition ad meaning to, or toward, and the verb miror meaning...
by Dwane | Mar 6, 2015 | English, Greek, Vocabulary
Phosphorus: As a proper noun, an old name Venus, especially seen just before sunrise in the morning sky. Phosphorous is also a chemical element. It highly reactive. When phosphorous comes into contact with the air, it burns. It exists in white (or sometimes yellow),...
by Dwane | Mar 6, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Motivation
“Trying to focus all day is impossible. I learned early in my life that if I got up, ate right, exercised, had spiritual time and then spent just four hours working on my top priorities that it would drive my professional life forward. This has worked for me and for...
by Dwane | Mar 5, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Pheromone: Insect cologne. Well, sort of. Pheromones are substances secreted by some animals, usually insects. The pheromones affect other members of the species. Generally, insects secrete pheromones to attract members of the opposite sex. It does not always have...
by Dwane | Mar 5, 2015 | Ebook, Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Adjective: In grammar, a word used with a noun, to express the quality of the noun. An adjective gives attributes to the noun. It limits, defines, or specifies the noun. Thus, in the phrase, a wise ruler, wise is the adjective. I am sorry. If you are an...
by Dwane | Mar 5, 2015 | Education, Motivation
Seven years ago, I was foreclosed on. My family had wiped out financially. My wife and I are extremely frugal. We always have been. I taught in a small private school. I earned about $28,000 a year. She stayed home with the kids. No matter how hard we tried, we...
by Dwane | Mar 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
A friend of my wife texted this. For a long time my wife was staring at her phone. When I asked what in the world she was doing, she showed me this.
by Dwane | Mar 4, 2015 | Ebook, English, Greek
Periphery: the circumference, outside the boundary, the edge, the outskirts. If something is in your peripheral vision, you see it in the side of your line of view. From Greek περιφέρεια: moving around. The Greek word comes from two smaller Greek words. The...
by Dwane | Mar 4, 2015 | Ebook, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Adhere: to stick to. This is the primary meaning. For example: The stamp adheres to the envelope. (If you are under 20 years of age, look it up.) There are several other meanings for adhere. Adhere also means, to be joined. Figuratively, the word means, to hold...
by Dwane | Mar 4, 2015 | English, Latin
This would make for a fun summer course. The Latin is rather advanced… so, this would be for students who had completed either Lingua Latina: Per Se Illustrata, or Robert Henle’s First Year Latin. Astérix et Obelix Click to access asterix-gallus.pdf Just...
by Dwane | Mar 3, 2015 | Education, English, Greek, Latin
Since I did not have to join the forums, I am actually a bit confused by the process. How do students join the forum? Once in, how do they join the correct group? One of my online students sent this note. She says it actually quite simple. Mr Thomas, I did not have...
