Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Grammar: why it is so hard?

A tough day of classes leaves me wondering why grammar (both English and Latin) is so hard for people to understand. I remember a quick comment one former Latin professor made to me--an aside, really: Were you and I really just different from [these students]? That is, did we get it because we were better grammarians in the natural, or do they not get it because they are not trying?

This issue, commonly faced in my teaching, is my current knot I'm trying to untie. Perhaps my immaturity believes it can be solved. After all, good teachers have the attitude, to paraphrase St. Paul, of not considering that they have reached it, but continuing to press on to lay hold of the prize. But I am doubling down to reduce the number of I-don't-get-its in class.

Where to start?

Monday, January 3, 2011

Getting back to beginnings

Well, I'm finally getting back to this blog. Unlike previous incarnations, this time I plan on blogging about Latin and the things that go on in my classroom. I will from time to time include podcasts or links to videos, but that is not the current focus.
I want to explore how I can use this venue (and other on-line resources) to support teaching Latin and engaging my students.
Currently I have created a Twitter account (link at the bottom of the page), a YouTube account, and a Picasa account to use in coordination with this. And of course, my oft neglected FaceBook account may make an appearance too.
So, here we go...