How necessary is Latin?

[cams99]

Hi,
That's probably not the best title, but I think it sums up the essence of my concern. Our family attempted "Latin for Children A" with our daughter in 4th grade. She just was not ready for that intense level language study at that point. We are now working on a French program that is a great fit for us. DD has no interest in starting Latin again, ever, and I've been wondering how much I need to worry about trying to fit Latin into our already very full schedule in the coming years if she is enjoying and doing well with French? I know one of the greatest benefits of Latin is the solid grammar skills it teaches, but DD is doing great with Easy Grammar so I'm not worried about that. So, how necessary do you believe Latin study to be? Do I need to make it a priority or can I just let her off the hook? Thank you!

CA

[CoastalGal]

I'm no expert...LOL...but here are my "two cents":

I'm not that worried about Latin -- all my children are learning solid grammar without it.

I did think it was important to know Latin and Greek roots so we're using "Vocabulary from Classical Roots".

Also, my middle child told me the other day that she has learned a lot about English grammar by studying Spanish -- which I think would be the case when studying any foreign language.

Does that help??

[cams99]

Hey another Mainer!

Thanks for your thoughts! I forgot to mention that we too started Vocab from Classical Roots. Everything we are doing seems like "enough", so it's very nice to hear that somebody else is doing something similar!

I wish we could fit in Latin but there just doesn't seem to be the time or interest.

CA

[CoastalGal]

I always get excited when I see another Mainer using TOG... LOL

Where are you located?? (you can send me an email if you're not comfortable saying on a public forum...just use the email address in my public profile)

[TheTruthWins]

We are just getting started with Latin - I am curious to see how it goes. I just read over 50% of all English words have Latin roots...I hope this helps our kids. Our main motivation in doing 2 yrs of Latin is to make Spanish easier!

[HSMom2One]

We are just getting started with Latin - I am curious to see how it goes. I just read over 50% of all English words have Latin roots...I hope this helps our kids. Our main motivation in doing 2 yrs of Latin is to make Spanish easier!

I'm posting to this old thread because I hope others read it as it applies to them today. Studying Latin is one of the very best things a student can do, and the younger they begin, the better. At least in middle school students should be working on as much as possible because if they do, they will master the English language much better. They will have a huge head start on learing many other languages that are considered the "romance" languages as well (i.e. French, Italian, Portugese, Spanish, and quite a few others). Latin enhances a student's grasp on grammar concepts over all, and it is used as a common language in the international worlds of science, medicine, and law. At the very minimal, students should study vocabulary from the original roots (i.e. Vocabulary from Classical Roots), but if you take the time to work in the subject of Latin you will be doing your children a world of good. They may or may not love it as young people, but as adults they will thank you over and over again. Many families study Latin simultaneously with other language programs, but ideally it should be started first before adding in any others.

I hope this helps and encourages someone else. I have become passionate about this because I've been learning along side my own child and see how beneficial it is. I also have a son who is studying linguistics at university level while majoring in international studies. We have had many discussions about Latin and language, and all I can say is this: If I'd only known then what I do now! I wish I'd studied Latin as a kid, and my older son wishes he'd had that opportunity as well. Learning languages as an adult would have been so much easier for him.

Blessings,
HSMom2One

[Marcia]

My $.02 from teaching Latin for years to all of my kids and several co-op classes is as follows:

1. It really IS beneficial for all the the reasons HSMom2One lists above. All of my kids/students were glad that they had taken it, in hind sight.
2. It really CAN be hard for moms who don't know Latin to learn/teach it. LFC is a good program,
3. I am on the fence about early Latin memory work. While I believe it CAN be beneficial, all the students that I taught quickly grasped vocabulary because I did weekly quizzes over that work. Sometimes, you get what you test for (i.e. hold them accountable to). My position on this is therefore as follows: if moms of young kids have the time and energy to do Latin vocabulary memory work, have at it! If not, don't beat yourself up over it! They can/do learn it quickly and well in about 8th-9th grades. (I found that learning a full Latin grammar was harder for most students much younger than this.)