What are your absolute best reasons - personal or otherwise - on Latin...

[Kate CA]

Why do you choose to do Latin? What keeps you convinced of its place in your homeschool? What keeps you going?

 

I am evaluating why we are doing what we are doing and Latin is the only thing I am wondering about. I would appreciate all your honest insights. :)

 

Thank you!

Warmly,

Kate

[Mama Lynx]

It's hard.

 

It forces my dc to pay attention to detail.

 

Every sentence translation is an exercise in logic.

 

It boosts the vocabulary.

 

It will aid in learning romance languages.

 

We hope to eventually read texts in Latin, for the cultural/historical value, as well as for direct experience with the author's words.

[Laura Corin]

It's the thing that stretches Calvin the most. He really has to work hard to tame the complexity of English-to-Latin translation. I also like the vocabulary building and the connection to modern Romance languages, but it's the brain-training that's most important to me.

 

Laura

[ArwenA]

It's a mental workout for my dd.

It will help when learning other Romantic languages. This is already showing in our French studies.

It reinforces our grammar and vocab lessons.

It is a historical language and history is the main focus of our learning.

It has created new goals for my dd, she wants to be fluent in Latin. Her current goal is to read Harry Potter in Latin.

[dangermom]

What converted me to Latin was seeing how much I was learning from it. Suddenly I was making all these connections, getting things about my own language that I had never gotten before. I'm a baby beginner, but the more Latin I learn the cooler I think it is. (And hard. That rhyme about Latin killing the Romans is true!)

 

So I think it would be great if my kids were able to make those connections before 18 instead of after 30. :)

[Patricia in WA]

All of the above. Really.

 

And I happen to like learning it also. :-)

[Kate CA]

Thank you so much for your insights! I am always open to more, but you have all brought up some very good points. Thanks for the encouragement. :)

 

Warmly,

Kate

[buddhabelly]

I would just add that the time we spend on Latin each day feels like a mental massage. One's brain feels all bright & shiny afterward!

[angela in ohio]

I credit Latin in large part with my own strong grasp of grammar, large vocabulary, and high SAT and ACT scores (leading to scholarships - Latin saves money, LOL!) Even if there weren't great resources available to homeschoolers to teach Latin, I still would. Considering the choices, though, I think it is crazy not to teach Latin! :D

[Jenny in Atl]

I agree with all above!! I even feel a little smarter after we are done with our daily Latin w/o ;)

[Karenciavo]

I'll ditto Stephanie too. Also, I am hoping my dc will go on to major in the Classics. Everything I have read about that indicates that most Classics majors go on to excel in all they do, often surpassing those who have majored in the field they eventually wind up in, e.g. law, medicine, business, etc.

[Mad Jenny Flint]

My kids are both very verbal people. They love to fool around with words. That said, I think Latin instruction really nourishes this skill set.

 

They learn how to think and reason their way through their tranlations.

 

They learn to identify word roots in english.

 

They learn grammar rules more cleanly.

 

They will have an easier time with Spanish, when it begins in high school.

 

They hone their ability to pay attention to detail, and their patience.

 

They learn how to look things up.

 

They learn how to forge ahead when they are stumped.

 

We used Latin Primer 1-3 with my first child- second child is in Primer 1 now.

 

My older child is knee-deep in Henle now. He enjoys it, as do I, but it is not a cake walk. It takes concentration and persistence.

 

My son keeps thinking Henle is going to run out of things to say about the Romans fighting the Gauls.

 

It is also interesting being a secular family in the midst of all the church talk in the Henle book. That in itself is educational.

[z2_mom]

My dd asked for it! She is obsessed with Ancient History! She realized by her own studies that most modern day languages were based on Latin. She begged me for a year to learn. I did not quite understand it or why. I followed her desires and she made me see the light. Once we started working with Latin, I saw the benifits for vocabulary, grammar, and basic language skills in general. I wanted her to continue for these reasons, she just wants to read Latin.

 

I will introduce Latin and teach it to my other children. If for nothing else than the vocabulary skills, grammar, the critical thinking, and basic language skills. It will be up to each child as to how far we take Latin. :p

 

lynda

[Plaid Dad]

My reasons are in this article.

[Baseballmom]

We have only done Prima Latina, but it has really helped my son who struggles with vocabulary. He is noticing deriviatives everywhere. That is the main reason we are studying Latin, plus it is fun!

[Mama Lynx]

I'll ditto Stephanie too. Also, I am hoping my dc will go on to major in the Classics. Everything I have read about that indicates that most Classics majors go on to excel in all they do, often surpassing those who have majored in the field they eventually wind up in, e.g. law, medicine, business, etc.

 

At this point, I would like to go on to major in classics myself!

[Heather in Neverland]

ditto, ditto and more ditto.....

 

Plus, it isn't all that outrageous that so many of us are teaching Latin to our kids. When I was in school Latin was a course offering and most kids took it at least for a little while. It's only in the last 20 years that it went "out-of-style". The old ways are still the good ways.

 

The other day some boys in the neighborhood were talking about some gruesome videogame (that my ds is NOT allowed to play) and they were describing all the disgusting details. One said "Yeah, and this one guy gets decapitated!" My son's response? "That's from the Latin word caput which means head." They just stared blankly. I couldn't have been more proud. :D

[Guest Lorna]

I studied Latin at school and it has contributed to my life in many ways:

1. I can see a completely new word in literature and in science and know what it means by working out it's Latin roots (the same can be said for Greek but it happens more often than not to be a Latin origin).
   
2. I took a year long course in Italian whilst studying for more major exams. I didn't do any revision for it and the class was very disrupted by several pupils. Despite this I had no trouble doing all the translation and this got me through the exam.
   
3. Our school didn't teach any formal grammar at that time and so I learned everything I know from my Latin class.
   
4. My French was vastly improved by my knowledge of Latin.
   
5. I feel a part of the learned world when I read inscriptions over doors or older classics.
   
6. It also taught me a lot about the Classical World which was essential in studying Fine Art later on. I went onto study Classical Literature and Classical Archaeology as my outside subjects at university
   
7. I love plant names!

I really value Latin as a key to understanding so may other subjects. It seems like a dead language but it is, in a way, a common language of the Western World and can get you far in understanding many modern languages, scientific language and religious language.

I hope this is encouragement enough :)

 

Lorna

[dangermom]

My son keeps thinking Henle is going to run out of things to say about the Romans fighting the Gauls.

Bwahahah! This made me laugh out loud. I did some Henle last summer and I sympathize!

It is also interesting being a secular family in the midst of all the church talk in the Henle book. That in itself is educational.

We just aren't Catholic (or Protestant), but I felt kind of the same way.

[mcconnellboys]

I think more than learning word roots, facilitating other Romance languages, aiding in understanding grammar, etc., Latin is so logically organized that studying it is like a mental workout for the brain. So if the complex lyrics of some composers, such as Beethoven, are good mental stimulation and help improve brain functioning, then I think Latin helps in the same sort of way.

 

Regena