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School children learning latin is very high on the list of pointless drudgery our school system imposes on our children. We do waste lots of money, teachers and

• ashtonkem 6y ago
  Learning a language is a skill; it’s been shown that you learn your second foreign language much easier than your first. Teaching students a years worth of Latin and then transitioning to another living language is actually a fairly effective teaching strategy.
  • corty 6y ago
    You might as well teach multiple living languages. Using a dead to teach language learning is a waste of a good opportunity.
    • ashtonkem 6y ago
      The first language is lost; there’s no need for it to be “useful”. In some ways it’s mildly preferable for it to be a language that no student is likely to return to, but that is incredibly unlikely no matter what the first language is. Then again, given the incredibly low level of bilingual native born Americans, one should probably examine the purpose of second language education given that it basically doesn’t stick.
      • corty 6y ago
        My first language at school was english, same as for the majority of german children. It stuck sufficiently for me to talk to you right now. My second language, Latin, didn't really stick, I couldn't order a meal if I were starving in latin...