What does it say about your child when he, having grown weary of the old-school teaching style of his Mandarin teacher (Mandarin being a required subject at his school as part of the TDSB’s integrated International Languages program), decides to try to convince his parents to write to the school excusing him from further Mandarin lessons, such a concession by the school to be made possible on promise that his mother will home-school him in her free time in another language of his request? And he continues this campaign for a couple of days straight?
And what if his language of choice is Latin?
Despite his pleas, and much to his chagrin, eldest child has not been excused from ongoing attendance in Mandarin class. He is now, however, the possessor of the first four chapters of Latin for Children, which he shall start working through over the March Break.
All of this is to say: be careful what you wish for, especially when – surprise! – your mother studied Latin in high school. You never know when a request like this might bite you in the nates.
4 Mothers 