A Satisfied Customer in Georgia
Friday May 9, 2008
I got this email today from a homeschool mother in Georgia. I have posted it here with her permission.
My 11 year old son mysteriously requested to learn Latin a month ago. I was completely perplexed and know nothing about Latin. After discovering that his future high school (I am homeschooling him through his middle school years) does indeed teach Latin, I agreed to find a curriculum. What an experience that was!
And then I found your site. Thank you for being affordable. Thank you for having such a pleasant voice. Thank you for making the lessons short and simple. My easily frustrated son has been working on the lessons steadily since we got the book. He carries it around with him everywhere and has been teaching Latin to his friends! The friends are so interested that I wouldn’t be surprised if you sell a few more books here in [city withheld], GA.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kim [last name withheld] (grateful mother and new Latin student)
Getting Started with...Spanish??
Sunday March 23, 2008
Well I must admit that Getting Started with Latin has been a much bigger success that I had ever imagined. People seem to like the simple, one-thing-at-a-time format. So...I am now working on a Spanish book, to be very similar to Getting Started with Latin, except, uh, Spanish. So I guess you can guess the name of the book. I already have a website up and running, so take a look if you get a chance.
Commentary Recordings Complete
Thursday March 20, 2008
The lesson-by-lesson commentary recordings are now complete.
Here at the Getting Started with Latin corporate headquarters, we are always hard at work creating extra resources to aid you in your study of Latin.
Our huge staff of linguists, web designers, and recording engineers work around the clock to provide you with the most cutting-edge Latin materials available today.
Um, actually it's just me here...the stuff about the corporate headquarters was just a joke. I guess you already knew that, right?
Almost Done
Monday March 17, 2008
I'm almost completely done with the lesson-by-lesson commentary recordings. Only a few more to go, and I should be done with them by the end of this week.
Lots O' Recordings
Wednesday February 8, 2008
I have finished recording the remainder of the lesson-by-lesson commentary recordings, but I have not edited them yet. In their raw, unedited form, they are not ready to use. So as I finish deleting the coughing and long periods of silence when I can't remember what I was trying to say, I will post them for download on the Downloads page.
The Message Boards Are Toast
Tuesday January 8, 2008
Put some butter and jam on them, because they are toast. Instead of becoming a place of learned discussion, they became a magnet for spammers and other naughty people. So goodbye, message boards.
Don't forget to take a look at the lesson-by-lesson commentary lectures. You can find them here on the Downloads page.
New Lesson-by-Lesson Commentary Recordings
Sunday December 8, 2007
I am in the process of creating some lesson-by-lesson lectures to accompany Getting Started with Latin for those who need a little extra help. You can find them here on the Downloads page.
Still Plugging Away
Friday October 5, 2007
It's been a while since my last Bloggus Maximus entry. I have been hard at work preparing the recorded lectures for my online Latin class called Linney's Latin Class.
Eventually, there will be lectures for all 72 lessons. But for now, I am only up to about lesson 10. My goal is to finish one lecture per week as time permits.
Many of you have asked what to do to continue your Latin studies after finishing Getting Started with Latin. I believe that Linney's Latin Class is the perfect follow up for homeschoolers and self-taught students to continue their Latin studies after finishing Getting Started with Latin.
And, as always, feel free to contact me if you have questions or anything to share.
Linney's Latin Class
Monday July 23, 2007
I have been developing my new website called Linney's Latin Class. There, you can study Latin the way you would in a traditional Latin class. It's not done yet, but you can order the book and start studying the lectures that are there now, with more to come in the near future.
New Latin Bible Lectures
Wednesday June 27, 2007
I just posted two lectures in the Reading the Bible in Latin series. Those are the last ones I will be doing for a while so I can focus on finishing up the lectures for my new online Latin class called Linney's Latin Class.
Redesigned Website
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Some of you may have noticed that the website looked a little funny if you were viewing the site with your screen set to a very high or very low resolution. I have revamped the site to help fix that problem. Now, no matter what your screen resolution is, the site will still look pretty much the same.
I am still working on the Linney's Virtual Latin Class recordings. More on that later.
Sharp Moms
Sunday April 15, 2007
Yesterday we had another free beginning Latin workshop in Raleigh, NC. About 8 moms came out, and boy were they sharp! They wanted details! Sometimes you run into a crowd like that.
Now that the ecclesiastical recordings are done, I can turn my attention to some other tasks--like Linney's Virtual Latin Class. I got an email today from someone who wanted to know when the free Latin class MP3 recordings would be ready. So, I will get to work on that ASAP.
Ecclesiastical Recordings Complete
Thursday April 12, 2007
The ecclesiastical recordings are all done. Download them to your heart's content. And remember to roll the "R."
More About the Recordings
Monday April 9, 2007
The ecclesiastical recordings are almost all finished. They should all be posted within the next few days. Also, I have made a lot of improvements to the classical pronunciation recordings, too. I fixed the recording level and replaced a missing lesson, too. So if you downloaded the classical recordings before today, delete your old ones and download the fresh ones.
Ecclesiastical MP3 Recordings
Tuesday April 3, 2007
By the way, I am now working on the ecclesiastical (church) pronunciation MP3 recordings. I will post them as they become available. Just wait till you hear my cool accent.
Enthusiastic Moms
Monday April 2, 2007
This past Saturday I held another free beginning Latin workshop in Roanoke, VA. This workshop, as before, was sponsored by the local chapter of Classical Conversations. About 12 enthusiastic moms (and one grandmother!) turned out. This bunch of ladies really went went the extra mile to get equipped to teach their kids Latin. I thought that by lunchtime, they would be ready to quit and go home, but they wanted to keep going! I was inspired by their committment to education. We need more moms like that.
Another Good Workshop
Saturday February 17, 2007
Well, we had another free Latin workshop with the local Classical Conversations group. We are making our way through the book, albeit with lots of "side trips." I am also scheduled to conduct a workshop with the Classical Conversations group in Roanoke, VA, and another group in Raleigh, NC. These homeschool moms really seem grateful for the help that they and their children are getting.
New Goodies
Monday February 5, 2007
I have now posted the first two lectures of the series Reading the Bible in Latin. More on the way. Let me know what you think if you get a chance.
Upcoming Resources
Friday January 26, 2007
As I said before, I am cooking up some more free resources to offer on the website. First, several Catholic homeschoolers have mentioned to me that they prefer the ecclesiastical pronunciation to the classical. So, I will soon be offering both classical and ecclesiastical pronunciation recordings in MP3 format. It's going to be a lot of work, but I want to offer readers the choice of those two pronunciation styles so that Getting Started with Latin fits into anyone's curriculum.
Also, I want to teach through The First Year of Latin, a public domain textbook that I offer on the Free Resources page, so that everyone can have access to Latin instruction regardless of income level. Also, it gives you someplace to go after using Getting Started with Latin. You do want to continue to study Latin, don't you? I thought so. You had me worried there for a second.
Maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew here, but I also want to do some lectures on the Latin Bible (the Vulgate, as its called) simply because I personally enjoy it so much and would like to expose others to some Latin Bible texts. Also, it's great reading for students because of the short sentences and broad range of subject matter.
Keep checking back, and hopefully by the time your kids graduate from college the MP3 files will all be posted.
A Special Email
Wednesday January 24, 2007
I got an email today from one of the homeschool moms that came to the workshop this past Saturday. It really touched me, so, with her permission, I thought I would share it with you. See below.
Bill,
I bought your book Saturday following your talk in Alexandria!
And I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us moms. I started your book yesterday with my kids (we did 4 lessons). They love it! They asked to do it today! When, we stopped they begged for more. We are enjoying this book. I have already recommended it to a few friends. It will go at the top of my list for Latin recommendations to the moms at my Classical Conversations campus.
We have tried many things (too many to admit). We have found [name withheld] to be our favorite, but I am struggling with it! The downfall is always Mom. I have struggled to teach Latin because I don't know Latin! I have been studying and trying, but there are several things I haven't been able to fully grasp. I have a passion for learning and teaching my children Latin, but I have struggled so much. So many things connected on Saturday, and I felt like I finally got it! And I am looking forward to moving forward in my studies and teaching my children thanks to your book.
Thank you! And thank you for the free resources. Those are wonderful!
Stephanie [last name withheld]
Beginning Latin Workshop
Wednesday January 24, 2007
This past Saturday, I conducted a free beginning Latin workshop at a local church sponsored by the local chapter of Classical Conversations. I was very pleased with the turnout. Approximately 30-35 homeschool moms came. They were a very enthusiastic crowd! I spoke for a few minutes on reasons we study Latin, educational values, and the like. Then, we jumped right into the Latin grammar! We took it nice and slow, and got to about lesson 20 in the book. I think they liked it, because they asked me to come back next month and continue. It was refreshing being around people who want to study Latin.
Help Spread the Word
Tuesday January 23, 2007
Writing this book has been a truly gratifying experience. After hearing from some of you, I know it's helping your kids to learn Latin. But getting the word out about this book has been a challenge. Even with all the advantages of computers and the internet, it can be hard to get noticed. So I would like to ask a favor of you: If you like Getting Started with Latin, tell your friends. Email your homeschool buddies. Recommend it to others on your local homeschool email list. Call Aunt Martha. Also, what helps is if you leave a review on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. That way, whatever you say about the book can be read by others who are shopping for something like that.
A big "thanks" to all my readers for your support and positive feedback.
Oh, yeah. And keep checking back to the website because I am cooking up some fun lectures for you to listen to and work through with your kids. I think you will like them.
Big News! New Blog!
Monday January 22, 2007
Welcome to Bloggus Maximus, the new Getting Started with Latin weblog. Here I will try to put useful things for you to read such as news, current events, and other things that are on my mind. Also, if you have something you would like to share with me, or other readers, send me an email.
