Newcomer--lots of questions

[Marsha]

Hi, I'm so glad I found this website. I will be homeschooling my 6th grader beginning in the fall. He's expressed an interest in learning Latin. I was myself a Latin major in college (long ago!) but feel fairly competent to teach it.

Now I have questions:

1. How can you gauge a child's readiness to learn Latin? It's not as if he's beginning in Kindergarten or 1st grade; this will be new and rather difficult. I don't know whether it's right for him.

2. Do you find a concentrated approach to be best--i.e., teaching ancient Roman history and civilization along with Latin? And then, when the child is a little older, Rhetoric and Logic along with it?

3. Is it possible to do this alone--without a group? If not, how can I find a group in my area?

4. Has anyone had the experience of mainstreaming a child who's begun in this program? Our public middle school is awful, but the high school isn't bad. How can you ensure that the child will be appropriately prepared to re-enter public school, if that's what you decide to do?

I would love to hear from anyone with experience in this style of teaching.

Thanks in advance!

[blowe]

1. How can you gauge a child's readiness to learn Latin? It's not as if he's beginning in Kindergarten or 1st grade; this will be new and rather difficult. I don't know whether it's right for him.

Our general recommendation is to start Latin once your child can read and has mastered phonics. This is usually at 5 or 6 years of age. You can start some vocabulary, sayings, and music before he can read but the primary focus should be phonics until it is mastered.

2. Do you find a concentrated approach to be best--i.e., teaching ancient Roman history and civilization along with Latin? And then, when the child is a little older, Rhetoric and Logic along with it?
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Most (or at least many) people teach Latin and Roman History together. They fit well because you are learning the Romans' language, history, and culture at the same time. We actually include a short guide to Famous Men of Rome (http://memoriapress.com/descriptions/famous.html) in the Latina Christiana I Teacher Manual. We recommend Famous Men of Rome in the 3rd-6th grade range so you will probably wait a few years if your child is still young.

3. Is it possible to do this alone--without a group? If not, how can I find a group in my area?

Our Latin programs are taught both ways with great success. Prima Latina and Latina Christiana were both written for homeschool parents with no background in Latin. It is nice to find a group if there is one in your area because it provides support and takes some of the teaching load off of you. You might try www.cottageschool.net.

4. Has anyone had the experience of mainstreaming a child who's begun in this program? Our public middle school is awful, but the high school isn't bad. How can you ensure that the child will be appropriately prepared to re-enter public school, if that's what you decide to do?

We run a K-12 classical school in Louisville, KY (www.thelatinschool.org). We haven't sent many students back to the public schools but we have sent them to college with great success. I think you will find that your children with a classical education will be very well prepared in comparison to the average student moving through public schools. Perhaps someone else will post about their experience.

[Marsha]

Thanks for your reply:)