Thoughts on Foreign Languages

Every once in a while I make a PLAN.  Like a math PLAN.  Or a science PLAN.  Or an English PLAN. These PLANS start wherever we happen to be and extend through twelfth grade, always with the assumption that the particular subject outlined in the PLAN is the most important subject and deserving of every hour in the day.  Of course, they're all deserving of every hour in the day, but we have to eat and sleep and play Rock Band 2, so we will not see every PLAN through to completion.  That's okay.  The PLANS are just something to keep me occupied while The Goobers finish math - instead of chanting, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up..." and tearing at my hair, I jot down all the beautiful possibilities.  It's better for everyone that way.  

Before I share the newest PLAN (made just this morning!) I'd like to share a few vague thoughts on foreign languages:

1. Latin is awesome.
2. So is Greek.
3. And Hebrew.
4. As is Spanish,
5. French,
6. German,
7. Italian,
8. and Japanese.
9. But we're only human.
10. And my brain is dying.
11. So we're only doing Latin and Greek.
12. Plus one other language if The Goobs want to.
13. The third language can be a modern language.
14. I don't insist upon it.
15. This is because I took years of Spanish.
16. I am not fluent.
17. In fact, the only time I approached anything resembling fluency is when I had a Peruvian professor who spoke only Spanish.
18. I had to communicate in Spanish six hours a week, and I learned more during that semester than I learned during all my years of Spanish classes combined.
19. I can't provide my Goobs with a Peruvian Spanish professor.
20. It bums me out.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, I can share the PLAN.

JellyMan isn't interested in modern languages, so his foreign language PLAN looks like this: 

8th: Latin (Henle 1); Greek (Elementary Greek 2 and 3)
9th: Latin (Henle 2); Greek (Athenaze 1)
10th: Latin (Henle 3); Greek (Athenaze 2)
11th: Latin (Henle 4); Greek (Xenophon); Hebrew (Hebrew: A Language Course) 
12th: Latin (Vergil); Greek (Homer); Hebrew (Hebrew: A Language Course)

Anemone wants to learn French, so her foreign language PLAN looks like this:

5th: Latin (Henle 1)
6th: Latin (Henle 1); Greek (Elementary Greek 1)
7th: Latin (Henle 1); Greek (Elementary Greek 2)
8th: Latin (Henle 1); Greek (Elementary Greek 3)
9th: Latin (Henle 2); Greek (Athenaze 1); French (Rosetta Stone)
10th: Latin (Henle 2); Greek (Athenaze 2); French (Rosetta Stone)
11th: Latin (Henle 3); French (Rosetta Stone)
12th: Latin (Henle 4); French (Rosetta Stone)

Poor Anemone was supposed to start French this year, but she bogged down at around lesson 5 in First Start French and I just don't have what it takes to help her through it.  I felt incredibly guilty about it and bought her the Instant Immersion French computer program, thinking she could just play with it whenever she wants to.  So far she hasn't wanted to.  Ugh.  I hate when I let my Goobs down!

Have you really read this whole post?  You're amazing.  You deserve a nap.  Just remember that I'm sharing this foreign language PLAN with you for kicks.  Don't hold it against me, okay?  I don't want anyone (that means you, Mom) coming to me when Anemone is in 11th grade and saying, "I thought Anemone was supposed to have completed Athenaze 2 by now!" when she is only just getting around to learning the Greek alphabet, because I won't hear you.  I'll be too busy being thrilled that she finally got around to learning the Greek alphabet.  

Rock Band 2 is just so time consuming.