Learning a Latin Lament

Latin has been confusing students long enough that certain poems have been passed from one suffering Latin student to another.

"The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren" by Iona & Peter Opie document students as far back as the 16th century bemoaning their Latin study (page 173) with poems such as this well known lament:

Latin is a dead tongue,
Dead as Dead Can Be,First it Killed the Romans,Now it’s Killing Me.All are Dead who wrote it,All are Dead who spoke it,All are Dead who learnt it, Lucky Dead they’ve earnt it.

So we can gather students have been struggling to learn their Latin vocabulary, declensions and conjugations for quite a while now! 

While Latin is a struggle, but we can also say this is a worthy one. 

To me this means that there is not much about Latin learning that is intuitive. As we learn Latin's vocabulary and complex grammar there's not a lot of room for opinions and feelings.

This tabula rasa means that everybody arrives at Latin with the same lack of knowledge. 

How you arrive at Latin knowledge plus one depends on how much time, concentration, questioning, review you put into your studies. For each of us the ratio of these ingredients is different. What have you found that works best for you?

In a way it's refreshing to know that we all have the same things to accomplish. 

Another thought about the poem above, if you're struggling with Latin you are not alone! 

What's one thing we can do about the struggle? Continue to work at it consistently. 

To help I offer my students my bad of tricks to make the Latin learning process as painless as possible. Please be sure to take a look at the new Course Tabs "Staff Information" "Office Hours," & "Course Documents"

Also know that if your mentor sends me written approval

I am available to receive text, AOL AIM messages Monday -Friday
 from 8 am to 8 pm Pacific Coast times. 

 Being able to contact me directly allows us to work together to keep fighting the good fight to master Latin. 

Do you like this poem? What do you think about the fact that even 16th century students had a thing or two to say about their own Latin studies?

Please let me know by reaching me inside our course Message Center. 

Bene Valete, 

~Magistra Craig