<p>D started with the first lesson of Wheelock and gave me my first Latin lesson last night. I have homework to do this afternoon upon my return from meeting with a client. I’ve picked up smatterings over the years but never in any systematic way.</p>
<p>When put together with my Elementary Drawing class and the violin practice, I’m feeling stretched, both in time and otherwise. I can see that I’m not as quick on picking up completely new stuff as I was 20-30 years ago.</p>
<p>Much of education is in the process…at least you are still interested.</p>
<p>I am home schooling my rising 10th grader in Latin using Wheelock’s this summer! (He is due for a quiz today, as a matter of fact.) I am hoping that working on this with him will help keep my brain cells from dying off too quickly. </p>
<p>I have some weird affection for the language – love how doing a translation is like solving a puzzle. After four years of hs Latin took more in college just for fun. </p>
<p>My son does not (yet) seem to share my enthusiasm. </p>
<p>Back when I was an education editor I once visited a classroom where a very cool Latin teacher had translated Beatles songs into Latin. She did wonderful things with her program - a Roman circus, etc.</p>
<p>Enjoy and I hope the D isn’t too tough a grader!</p>
<p>Impress your D with your command of useful phrases, including “The dog ate it.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A218882[/url]”>http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A218882</a></p>
<p>My D really wanted to take Latin, but it wasn’t offered at our high school (probably she couldn’t have fit it in even if it were offered, with everything else she took). At one point, I even looked for a summer course for her but it didn’t work out and she did something else. My brother-in-law was a Classics major (Latin) and is an attorney, and his son took Latin at his h.s. and loved it.</p>
<p>You should get the Artes Latinae books and cds for the car. (they also have the Beatles songs, and Elvis in Latin on CD.)</p>
<p>(I’m speaking again down your way again, Thousand Oaks on Sept. 23, and possibly Santa Barbara the 24th - perhaps we can play violin duets together. You may want to alert your wife to go to a motel…)</p>
<p>S gave weekly Latin lessons to an older lady in our town. She had advertised in our local paper for a Latin teacher. She gave him a Harry Potter book translated into Latin as a graduation gift.</p>
<p>Thedad,
Don’t tell your daughter… but <a href=“http://catholic.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe[/url]”>http://catholic.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe</a> is a good, on-line Latin dictionary. <a href=“http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm[/url]”>http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm</a> is another one, not quite as large, but this one also translates English to Latin.
Good luck!</p>
<p>My 7 year old brother, believing that Latin is the language of magic spells (Harry Potter), begged my parents to teach him Latin. My dad caved and ordered “Latina Christiana” by Cheryl Lowe, so we now spend a 1/2 hour a day after dinner on Latin. My brother loves it.
I started French at 7 and because of it completed French through the AP level by 10th grade. We were both also raised speaking Persian (Farsi); I believe language has come easier to us because of it.
Way to go TheDad.</p>
<p>Latin is a wonderful language to know. </p>
<p>My teacher never used a text book, but I’ve heard good things about Wheelock. Good Luck!</p>
<p>I took it in high school and all I remember is the conjugation of amo-amas-amat, lol!!! It’s a wonderful language - great for scientific minds because it is so logical.</p>
<p>Back in my drinking days I actually came up with a creedo in Latin: “Semper sorbeo fermentum.” Someone translate that, because I never did know if it meant what I intened it to.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>“I always swallow beer.”</p>
<p>Magistri pueris parvis crustula saepe dant.</p>
<p>That’s about right. It meant to say “Always drink beer” loosely translated :)</p>
<p>Wheelock has a nice quiz book available at Barnes and Noble. We had a local evening class that used Latin made Simple which is full of typos.</p>
<p>FountainSiren, My son, who just finished his first year of Latin, (using Wheelock as one of his textbooks I might add) was THRILLED to discover that he could now read all of the spells in the new Harry Potter book. :)</p>
<p>“Always drink beer” would be something like “Semper fermentum sorbete” or “Semper fermentum sorbe”, depending on how many people you were addressing.</p>
<p>Nunc bibendum est!</p>
<p>I tried teaching my son Latin with Wheelock but lasted about a week. We just didn’t have the stamina. We did come up with a Coat of Arms and motto for our dog: Non Cogito Sed Sum (I don’t think but I still am).</p>