Why Start Early?

As EG has raced through Lively Latin this year, I've come to regret starting Latin earlier with her. Yes, some of the vocabulary has eased her into LL, but overall, I'm not sure that the amount of time, at an age where other subjects should be emphasized, resulted in any sort of measurable benefit. I've also been contemplating her sequence for the remainder of her Latin studies. There are two big questions with regards to sequence - what is the end goal, and what is the time frame for reaching that goal.

I'm not entirely sure of our goal with regards to Latin. There are two possible standardized tests that could confirm a level of achievement in Latin - the SAT II test for Latin, and the AP Latin Virgil exam. While it is possible for EG to attain mastery of the material covered by the AP exam, it would require an enormous investment of time in an area that is one of her weakest. The SAT II test looks more realistic, and it's suggested that high school students take the test after "two to four years" of Latin study.

Regardless of which test I'd like to have her complete as an outside confirmation of her coursework, it seems to me that if a student begins Latin earlier than the norm (seventh, eighth, or ninth grades seem to be more common than others, with eighth grade the most common of all), then said student should also reach a level of mastery earlier than those who begin Latin during eighth grades or thereabouts.

In the newest magalog (catazine?) from Memoria Press, one of the articles had a sidebar that explicitly stated what their "ideal" progression is as far as curriculum and grade level. Their progression begins in second grade, which is just slightly earlier than other common progressions (which begin in third or fourth grade, for the most part). A course leading to the AP Latin exam is slated for eleventh grade.

It is not uncommon for students who begin Latin in eighth grade to write the AP exam in eleventh grade, though some may wait until twelfth.

And, frankly, while I am convinced of the value of Latin, I'm not convinced - by any means - that it's something that is so wonderful that it should be studied year after year after year when, apparently, the same level of mastery can be attained by starting much later. It's not a spoken language, so many arguments about starting a foreign language young are void here.

So what is the point?

Here's my own answer. After EG finishes LL, we're going to move into Latin Prep 1, taking it nice and slow (the remainder of fourth grade plus fifth grade to finish). She'll do Latin Prep 2 & 3 in sixth and seventh grades, respectively, and then So You Really Want To Learn Latin 3 in eighth grade. She'll take the SAT II Latin test at the end of her eighth grade year. Starting early gives her the ability to reach a certain point of proficiency in Latin and be done with that study before her high school years. Even if she elected to continue with the AP course, she would take it a full two years earlier than otherwise.

We'll follow a similar path with FB & PC, depending on their specific strengths; if one or both is particularly strong with regards to language, beginning a year earlier or starting with Latin Prep could be options.

I just can't fathom the point, though, of taking five to seven years to accomplish what eighth graders accomplish in just one. I suppose that the argument could be made for any number of subjects, but a great number of them are in fact used in a context separate from the classroom before the age of twelve or thirteen. Apart from that, I suppose that it's a matter of priority, but I simply haven't seen any arguments for the study of Latin that specifically state it in terms of the age of the students when Latin study begins. I recently listened to Jessie Wise's "If I Could Do It Over Again" talk, and she mentions that she's glad she had her children begin Latin when they did, when her two oldest were in third & fourth grades. They completed a high school Latin I course, she said, in two years (instead of the usual one). Extrapolating, one could imagine a second year course completed in grades five and six (six and seventh), and then a third year course, perhaps, in just one year - seventh (eighth) grade. That's farther than the typical student would be in eighth grade, and so I see her particular statements as dovetailing with my own plan. I always like it when I find people that seem to be saying I'm right. :)