I know a lot of people around here are really confused about why I would want to homeschool when the schools out here, especially in my neighborhood are so good-- these are the best schools in the state after all!!-- so they say.
Well Utah education may not be as good as they think. I realized this when I was at BYU and would often not understand references people made to historical events and famous literature like the Odyssey for example. I had zero understanding of history and I graduated from high school with a 3.9 GPA with lots of honors classes and 4 classes worth of AP credit. I began to grasp how much I had never been taught and started wondering if those who told me I was smart and great knew what they were talking about. Thus the open mind to research homeschooling when I came across it. Many people I think, think they don't know things because they didn't apply themselves or pay attention as well as they should have, but for me I did my best and tried hard and did every thing they told me I should, and I got out and realized I didn't know much and it was because it wasn't taught. Utah schools don't teach Latin and Greek. They don't teach history very well. There are no formal logic classes. There are no rhetoric classes unless you count debate which is not true rhetoric. They are great at sports and dance competitions. Math was decent- I got through calculus. The music programs seem O.K. Science was O.K. But overall, my education was poor. I did not feel well read or educated. I did not even know what my deficiencies were, let alone how to make up for them. I felt cheated once I realized what I had missed. I guess that's the big reason I'm homeschooling now- to give my kids the education I wish I had received.
This week the Deseret News had an article about the the fact that when Utah test scores are compared to other states in the nation, Utah comes out somewhere in the middle of the nation, but when Utah is compared with other states with similar demographics of low poverty and high ratio of parents with some college education, then Utah is way at the bottom and often last.
That is very interesting for Utah. I don't fault anybody for sending their kids to the public school, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking they are receiving a superior education. I would really like to see the schools do better. I think we would all benefit from more people having a better understanding of history and the ability to think logically. And I would appreciate people understanding my position a little better. I'm not trying to one up anybody. I'm just doing what I think is best and there are valid reasons for it -- even in the best school district with the best schools in the state!
Showing posts with label latin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label latin. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Why study Latin and Greek?
I got this question in my comments-- here's the drawn out answer:
My husband had the unique opportunity of studying Latin as a high school student and one year at BYU. More than anything else he attributes his ability to think clearly and logically to his study of Latin. Also by learning Latin, he learned Grammar with a capital "G", most of us won't understand what he means until they study Latin. Grammar schools get their name from the schools where the kids attended to learn Latin, like in Anne of Green Gables. It was and can continue to be done.
Latin is a very organized language. The nouns, adjectives, adverbs and other parts of speech will have a different ending depending on what it is doing in the sentence-- subject, direct object, indirect object, possessive, or what word it is associated with etc. Therefore, in order to make a sentence properly in Latin, it must be clear exactly what it is you are tying to say. Same with the verbs and other parts of speech. I think the Grammar is what makes it so difficult. There is so much to keep straight which trains the mind very well. Also, by learning Latin, the student will learn English grammar as a by product and way better than they would by studying any modern language.
Another reason to study Latin is that many English words come from Latin, so it helps us understand our own language so much better. Latin is also the underlying language of our civilization. By learning Latin, we learn about history, art, science, and everything else Latin has touched which is just about everything in Western Civilizaiton.
So now why Greek? Greek has one less declension than Latin, so it is not quite so involved. So the Grammar is a little easier and that makes it a nice precursor to studying Latin. Many English words also come from Greek and how cool would it be to read the New Testament in the original Greek? And it is pretty fun to read in a different alphabet.
Tough subjects turning out disciplined minds?-- yes, just what I want. Do my girls like it-- yes when it's easy, and no when it's hard. They sure are pleased with themselves when they struggle through and finish what they thought was insurmountable.
Check out these articles from Memoria Press on studying Latin, scroll down to the bottom to see the Latin section. The section on studying formal Logic is also enlightening.
http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/
Need a short answer?
Mean Verbal SAT scores for 2006:
LATIN STUDENTS: 672
Spanish Students: 577
French Students: 637
German Students: 632
Hebrew Students: 623
Average for all students: 503
My husband had the unique opportunity of studying Latin as a high school student and one year at BYU. More than anything else he attributes his ability to think clearly and logically to his study of Latin. Also by learning Latin, he learned Grammar with a capital "G", most of us won't understand what he means until they study Latin. Grammar schools get their name from the schools where the kids attended to learn Latin, like in Anne of Green Gables. It was and can continue to be done.
Latin is a very organized language. The nouns, adjectives, adverbs and other parts of speech will have a different ending depending on what it is doing in the sentence-- subject, direct object, indirect object, possessive, or what word it is associated with etc. Therefore, in order to make a sentence properly in Latin, it must be clear exactly what it is you are tying to say. Same with the verbs and other parts of speech. I think the Grammar is what makes it so difficult. There is so much to keep straight which trains the mind very well. Also, by learning Latin, the student will learn English grammar as a by product and way better than they would by studying any modern language.
Another reason to study Latin is that many English words come from Latin, so it helps us understand our own language so much better. Latin is also the underlying language of our civilization. By learning Latin, we learn about history, art, science, and everything else Latin has touched which is just about everything in Western Civilizaiton.
So now why Greek? Greek has one less declension than Latin, so it is not quite so involved. So the Grammar is a little easier and that makes it a nice precursor to studying Latin. Many English words also come from Greek and how cool would it be to read the New Testament in the original Greek? And it is pretty fun to read in a different alphabet.
Tough subjects turning out disciplined minds?-- yes, just what I want. Do my girls like it-- yes when it's easy, and no when it's hard. They sure are pleased with themselves when they struggle through and finish what they thought was insurmountable.
Check out these articles from Memoria Press on studying Latin, scroll down to the bottom to see the Latin section. The section on studying formal Logic is also enlightening.
http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/
Need a short answer?
Mean Verbal SAT scores for 2006:
LATIN STUDENTS: 672
Spanish Students: 577
French Students: 637
German Students: 632
Hebrew Students: 623
Average for all students: 503
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