Latin: The Most Efficient Foreign Language For Your Child
Because I read The Well Trained Mind early on my homeschool journey, the one subject I had no insecurity about choosing was foreign language.I was pretty much set on my kids learning Latin.
Everything the book said about why kids should study Latin just made sense to me and my own observation of other people and their foreign language studies only underscored my decision.
My Observations
Every single I person I knew had studied a foreign language during their student years. But I only knew two people who could actually speak the language as adults and that was only because one worked and studied abroad for one year and the other had moved overseas for three years. They had been completely immersed, which is how I believe the only way a foreign language can really be learned.
What was the purpose of studying something for 5 plus years and then forgetting everything?
It just seemed like a colossal waste of time.
If you are able to study the language and somehow cement the knowledge in your head and use it to enhance your life, go for it.
We need people to know multiple languages so that they can bridge the various cultures in this world.
But I wasn’t going to attempt anything when I knew that the failure rate was high and homeschooling was hard enough for me as it was.
So, Latin it was.
Why It Worked For Me
There were several reasons why it made complete sense to me.
Latin is the root to about 50% of the English Language. The ability to deeply understand and throughly communicate is very high on my list. I wanted my kids to have complete command and control of the English language. This has been the greatest reward coming from their Latin studies.
They are very verbal, able to communicate their thoughts and feelings well and are confident readers and writers. They are able to read textbooks and books very fast because when they come across a new word, the majority of the time, they can figure out what it means without looking it up. And when it comes to writing papers, they don’t struggle to find the perfect word to convey their thoughts.
Latin is the root of the Romance Languages, the most common of which would be Spanish and French. I figured that by learning Latin, if my kids wanted to learn a different language later on, they easily could. This has proved to be correct because after my kids had studied Latin for a few years, they began to understand bits of Spanish they would come across. It was quite fascinating for me to watch this happen.
I also figured that by studying Latin, it would only improve their vocabulary and reading comprehension, which would be needed for upper level studies and standardized testing. This has also proved to be true. I’ve never had to have my kids study vocabulary lists for the SATs or any other test. I will add that we did read all the time, which I am sure is a big reason their comprehension is remarkable, but Latin enhanced and deepen their reading.
I wanted my daughter to go into the medical field. I figured that studying Latin would help her excel in her future studies because she was going to have to do A WHOLE LOT of memorizing medical terms. This has also turned out to be true. She must have memorized thousands of terms and body parts for her year long anatomy class. After her freshman year, she did thank me for having her study Latin!
Bonus
Then one huge bonus that I wasn’t aware of when we started but reaped later on. As their command of English grammar grew, we were able to stop regular formal grammar studies. My kids studied grammar during the elementary years, but Latin took it to levels that traditional grammar books didn’t. This alleviated so much stress for me.
The second big bonus was that because their standardized scores were good, all three were exempted from further foreign language studies in college. Being exempted from the foreign language requirement has the huge benefit of freeing up space in the schedules for them to graduate earlier or dual major. This alone can save thousands of dollars and optimizes your kid’s college education.
If you are homeschooling, I urge you to try out Latin, even if your child studies a living language. The benefits are numerous and I don’t know anyone who regrets it.
My kids had a Latin tutor for their studies, but if we did not have that option, I would have used online classes, as many of my friends have with excellent results.
There are online classes that teach Latin exceptionally well. Research them and find one you like. And if you have any questions about Latin studies, don’t hesitate to ask me!
Good luck!
