Seven Reasons to Learn Latin in Your Catholic Homeschool
Why Learn Latin?!
Latin is the one subject I’ve always had to seek out help to teach. I know the importance of teaching it to my children, but I have a mental block when it comes to foreign languages, especially Latin. If you’d like some help teaching Latin, Homeschool Connections offers a series of high school and middle school Latin courses for summer, fall, and spring. But first, let’s talk about Why Latin? with this top-7 list…
1. Latin is the official language of the Church. As Edward Peters has said, “A working knowledge of Ecclesiastical Latin affords one direct access to nearly two millennia of accumulated Christian wisdom.”
2. Higher SAT scores. Latin students score 160 points higher than non-Latin students in the verbal section of the SAT. They also have significantly higher scores in math. An investment in Latin can translate into college scholarships!
3. Builds character. Learning Latin can be challenging. It takes perseverance and dedication.
4. Builds vocabulary. At least 60% of words in the English language are derived from Latin, often through middle French, 30% of English words are of Anglo-Saxon origin, and 10% from Greek and other languages.
5. Scientific and medical terminology often come from Latin. Did you know that most, if not all, of the 206 bones in your body are Latin words?
6. English grammar. To learn Latin well, you must learn the grammar. In Latin, the word order won’t help you as it is a highly inflected language with lots of endings to learn.
7. Logic skills. Latin trains your mind and memory. Translating a Latin sentence is an exercise in logical thinking.
To learn more, please visit our website or drop us an email. Our LIVE online courses are interactive — the student sees
and hears the professor. The student easily communicates verbally or through chat. Homework is graded for you or an answer key is provided. Plus, the professor is available between classes for help. The summer camps are a great way to keep Latin alive during the break so you don’t spend weeks in review come fall.
If you’d like to continue this discussion, I invite you to join me and other Catholic homeschooling parents at our Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group.
