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The study of these two ancient languages is sadly not a normal part of high school curriculum, as it was in the past. The benefits of studying both of these "dead" languages are truly staggering, and prepare students for just about any vocation or college major. If you are interested in adding a strong classical component to your curriculum, consider taking Latin I, and then following it with Latin II and possibly Greek I the following year. The two are strongly interrelated. Much of the first year is devoted to mastering the basic mechanics of ancient language - cases, verb tenses, prepositions, unusual word order, etc. - and gaining comfort in reading. Once these are familiar territory in Latin, learning them in Greek is very straightforward.
Latin I and II are designed as a comprehensive two-year introduction to classical Latin, and as such we recommend that students plan on taking Latin for two years. The textbook we use, Ecce Romani ("Eh-kay Ro-mahn-ee"), uses an inductive reading approach, meaning that we learn Latin by reading Latin. The goal of each chapter is to master the Latin story and then dig into the grammar and exercises. Roman history, culture and mythology are incorporated throughout the course, as is the relationship between Latin and English. There are no official prerequisites, though a good grounding in English grammar will be very helpful. Latin reinforces English grammar and vice versa, so taking Latin will help a student immeasurably with English.
The uses of Latin are myriad:
English/foreign languages: About half of our vocabulary derives directly or indirectly from Latin words. Deconstructing seemingly complicated words in English can be made much simpler by a knowledge of Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes. What is a "puerile" person? Someone who is childish (Latin "puer" means "boy"). What is an "occidental" attitude? One that is Western (Latin "occidens" means "west") as opposed to Eastern (Latin "oriens" means "east"). Beyond simple vocabulary, though, studying Latin (or Greek) is learning "how languages work." Latin forces students to think about good grammar and syntax, and it is in this respect that the aid to the study of English is perhaps greatest.
Medicine/science/law: Here the study of Latin roots pays huge dividends, for the foundational terms of these disciplines are all Latin and Greek. Having a true knowledge of the Latin language puts one head and shoulders over someone who simply tries to memorize various Latin roots, as many do once they realize how valuable they are to know.
Liturgics/ecclesiastical Latin: For well over a thousand years, Latin was the language of scholarship and remains today the official language of the Vatican. Why study classical as opposed to ecclesiastical or "liturgical" Latin? It is simply that classical Latin will give you a much stronger foundation for studying these other branches. A student of classical Latin can move very easily to ecclesiastical and liturgical, but not vice versa.
The tutorial meets twice a week for 90 minutes each, and students can expect to spend about an hour at home for every hour in the tutorial.
The students will need Ecce Romani II (single volume, hardcover) and the corresponding Language Activity Book (both available here). Please get the fourth edition, which is brand new this summer. There's also a phone number on the website if parents would prefer to talk to a representative to order.
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