Why Not Latin?
Classics - the study of classical languages, history, and culture - are the defining factor of a classical education. That is, they are what makes an education classical in the first place, as opposed to a modern liberal arts education or vocational training. However, I would never go so far as to say that an education without Latin is not worth having. There are reasons not to teach Latin, or not to teach it from an early age with the goal of reading literature in the original. For the sake of balance, I'd like to share what I understand as some of those reasons.
But before I do, I should come clean and say that, anti-relativist zealot that I am, I don't believe that every reason I've heard is equally valid. "It's boring" and "it's hard" are not legitimate reasons to avoid Latin. Math is boring to some students and not a few find it difficult, but we wouldn't consider ejecting math from the curriculum on those grounds. Better to be honest and say, "I can't be bothered" or "I'm intimidated by Latin" or whatever the real reason is. After all, there are no Roman legions on the march who will come and force you or your kids to decline mensa at spearpoint!
That said, here are the valid reasons I can see for families choosing not to study Latin:
- 1. Latin does not fit into the parents' philosophy of education. This assumes, of course, that the parents have thought carefully about their vision of an educated person and that they use that vision as a touchstone to determine which subjects and curricula are suitable for their children in their homeschool. Some parents object to a focus on classical materials on religious grounds; others view education primarily as a means to paid employment; still others refuse to ask a child to study anything that isn't immediately appealing to the child himself. Obviously this covers a very wide swath of the homeschooling world: the overwhelming majority, in fact. Some may overlook Latin out of ignorance of its benefits, but many others have heard the call and replied, "No, thanks." Fair enough. One may argue about the relative merits of different pedagogies, but at the end of the day, we parents have the final say. And that's exactly as it should be.
2. The parents do not have the time or inclination to learn Latin themselves nor the resources to outsource this particular subject to others who have the necessary skills. There are lots of wonderful Latin curricula out there that make the language accessible to teachers who haven't studied it before. Still, I have yet to see one that is truly self-teaching, and it would be a remarkable child indeed who could take herself from amo, amas, amat to reading Vergil with no outside help. The rest of us need a teacher. For most homeschoolers, that will be a parent who either knows some Latin or who is willing to study in advance of, or at least alongside, the most advanced student in the family. If that's not possible, tutors, classes, and co-ops provide alternatives.
3. The student is struggling with basic literacy or has other pressing needs. Here we are talking about children with modest learning delays, children with major physical or developmental disabilities, and many in between. Some children may benefit from a later start in Latin, while others need to focus exclusively on basic skills. Learning to speak, read, and write one's native language adequately takes precedence over Latin. If ASL is your child's first language, it takes precedence over Latin, as it does for other members of the family. If your child needs therapy or intensive coaching to function in social situations, deal with sensory integration issues, handle basic self-care, etc., all this takes precedence over Latin. It doesn't mean that such children cannot learn Latin at all, but it may be that a full-scale traditional Latin-centered curriculum is not the best choice for them. If you're in this situation, God bless you, and please don't worry overmuch about Latin.
4. The parents value Latin but do not choose to make it the center of the curriculum. The question here is not "Latin, yea or nay?" but how much and when. This is the perspective of many neoclassical homeschoolers. They're not out to save Western civilization from certain doom; they just want a solid, modern liberal arts program for their children, preferably one that will get the kids into a decent college or career. In this group we also find people who want to expand their children's English vocabulary, improve their standardized test scores, or give them a few years of a foreign language on their high school transcripts. For them, Latin is one option among many: roots programs, vocabulary curricula, modern languages. There is even one military academy I've heard about that insists on a modern language and won't accept Latin credits toward their foreign language requirement. If your child's dearest wish is to attend that academy, and there is not time in the student's schedule for both, then it would be foolish to teach Latin to the total exclusion of a modern language. My motto remains: "Any Latin is better than no Latin!"
When all is said and done, the truth is that most homeschoolers fall into one of the above categories. And that's okay. As much as I love Latin and think the world would be a better place if more people studied it, I accept that it is unlikely to regain its former position as the basic subject. Failing that, I hope to get the word out that Latin remains a valuable subject--far more valuable than many people realize. But if you're going to do it, know why. Don't teach Latin because the cool kids on the block are doing it. Teach it because you believe it to be a subject worthy of your children's time, attention, and effort. If you walk that talk, and your child works hard, your family will enjoy the benefits--and the pleasures--of Latin. Excelsior!
Drew Campbell is the author of The Latin-Centered Curriculum. He and his family of Latin zealots live in western Massachusetts. "We recruit!"