Thanks Mom and Dad

So why is it that I continue to find reasons to thank my parents for things that I could have sworn created the core of adolescent conflict throughout the 90s? As a 7th grader I was sent to the Webb School of Knoxville, a school that I find a terribly difficult to talk about in positive terms. Still, I have found that my experience that only lasted a year at this school wasn't all bad. Sure, I remember fights, racism, snobs, and awkward youth, but those are all things I could find anywhere else. At least, I am convinced that these couldn't be particular to one school that I happened to suffer through.

Despite all the things I did not like about the school, not to mention the things that would inspire fights with my parents, I have come to realize that I have not suffered alone. One of the subjects that I hated most, a subject I could not escape by coming home, has begun to spread like a virus again. Like an epidemic that arises 50 years after vaccines have presumably done the job of eradication, the study of Latin is plaguing middle school children once again. For god's sake, they even use the same book that I remember painfully lugging around. Although the new edition doesn't look as bad, you cant trick me into thinking it's not still Latin by putting a shiny paperback cover on that thing! Ecce Romani! How can we allow children to suffer this illness once again?

Don't be fooled. There are some who will tell you that Latin is great for your SAT scores. I would argue against this, as most kids in school don't learn their Spanish vocab well enough to ask for a burger. And thats a language that you probably have the opportunity to use on a regular basis. Why, then, would you bother dedicating "puella, puellae; F" to your memory? Well, I remember it because of torturous years of forced learning. You'd have to be a trivia night type of guy to enjoy that sorta thing (some of you know exactly what I am talking about here). Now, if you can tell me why remembering how to say girl in Latin is going to help me on any standardized test, I will apologize.

To be fair, I will agree that learning other languages can be much easier after studying Latin. But wouldn't it just be easy to learn another living language instead of taking a pit-stop in a Latin class first?

If the kids like Latin, let them learn. Any responsible educator should be sure to tell the kids that there are options for them, should they decide to pursue their studies of the classics. It seems to be a pretty interesting field. You get to read interesting work, and it can be interesting to learn Latin and Ancient Greek, if it's your sorta thing. At the same time, the kids should be informed that classics scholars get less play than mathematicians. And thats something to think about.

Read the NY Times Article.