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We have had two boys take Latin with Mr. Martin. Both boys would easily say that Mr. Martin is one of their all-time favorite teachers. Our oldest boy is 26 now and still mentions him a decade later. Latin has helped tremendously with their vocabulary, and the actual class, while challenging, has been a fun relief during the school day.

My wife’s all-time favorite teacher was also her Latin teacher, so maybe it’s a Latin thing? Either way, we are grateful for the Latin program and for Mr. Martin!

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nicholas.martin@austinisd.org

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The class that opened my eyes to philosophy, history, and sociology.

When you take Mr. Martin’s Latin class at McCallum, you do not only learn this ancient language, foundational to many of the world’s most ubiquitous languages, but a beautiful introduction into the world of human thought, ancient history, and sociology.
What I learned over the just two of the four possible years of Latin at McCallum is invaluable and will be applied throughout my life.

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"Latin is a language, dead as dead can be; first it killed the Romans & now it's killing me." That was my (current McCallum Latin parent) 1st introduction to Latin, from my mother when I was a kid. But she didn't really feel that way, it was just a thing they said in Catholic school in 1960s D.C., and hey, it's  still funny! She actually thought the class was hugely helpful, so she MADE me take it in 9th grade even though I was already in 3rd yr Spanish. Yes, I took TWO languages through HS. I was even fairly fluent in Spanish in my 20s. But when it came time or my daughter to pick a language, it was obvious to me: Latin is a bridge to Spanish or French or Italian, while teaching roots of English. For the SAT-minded, this is INVALUABLE!!! And if you don't care about the SAT, etc., well, you still have the other benefits, plus it just so happens that Mr. Martin loves what he does, loves what he teaches, and it shines through. Although he is otherwise nothing like my HS Latin teacher, he is PRECISELY the same in this regard, and that's priceless. My daughter was less sure about taking Latin, then met Mr. Martin at McCallum "EXPO" night last year and was 100% sold and excited. She has never regretted it for even a moment.

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Latin at McCallum instills a love of learning

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Latin at McCallum instills a love of learning

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First, Nick Martin is one of those teachers that you look back on as being the one who influenced you most in high school. My kids have loved their Latin classes at McCallum, largely because Mr. Martin is such an engaging, talented teacher. He treats students like whole human beings, respecting their insights and ability to think. With good humor and a true passion for the subject, he instills in them a love of learning and a belief in their own capabilities as mature thinkers.

Latin as subject matter is equally important. It is at the root of the  romance languages. Understand Latin, and you're going to be able to work out words in French, Spanish, and Italian, not to mention English. As a result, Latin makes for better readers and scholars. If STEM is what you value, Latin has a lot to offer there as well, helping make quick work. of understanding scientific and medical words and terms, as well as legal terms. I've read that understanding Latin helps with mathematical reasoning and computer coding as well.

Long live Latin at McCallum!

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Latin Empowered My Kid Explain Words to Me. And to be a Better Writer and Communicator.

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Latin Empowered My Kid Explain Words to Me. And to be a Better Writer and Communicator.

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My son, a big fan of Latin at McCallum, had his confidence in language and writing explode from his Latin education. Despite being very STEM focused in high school and now, college, he has become an excellent writer and communicator. I correlate that directly to the deep understanding of words, their meaning and their use. He would not be nearly as an sophisticated or effective communicator without Latin.

I would also contend that Latin is a beautiful example of learning for learning's sake. While the opportunity to speak Latin on a daily basis, as one might speak Spanish in our community, is not a regular occurrence, the act of learning Latin makes a statement that knowledge matters, thinking matters and the ability to make connections across all disciplines one may learn in live matters. Not all knowledge need be practical to be useful or valuable. Rather, knowledge that empowers a person to learn in deeper and more intimate ways will serve a person well in all studies and in life.

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Study Latin so you can understand your money!

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Study Latin so you can understand your money!

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When I signed up for Latin in middle school, my plan was to sign up for a language just for the credit, get my required two years, and get out. But after the first year, I knew I wanted to stay in the class, and now, in my last year at McCallum, and in my fourth year of Latin, it's the only class I enjoy coming to anymore. And I really do enjoy going to Latin class.

Salvete discipuli et discipulae.

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In retrospect, my two years of Latin in high school assisted me in comprehending the written word, and using the spoken word, throughout my life.

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The benefits of studying Latin are immense.  It provides insight not only on English vocabulary and etymology, but on all Romance languages and even language construction itself.  It's the language of law, government, logic and theology, and provides the root words for all modern Sciences. It is the foundation of modern thought in politics and philosophy. Given how important the Humanities are to McCallum, I can't imagine the curriculum without Latin. Finally, Mr. Martin is a fantastic teacher and the highlight of my daughter's day. It is by far her favorite class.

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Latin for Languages is Like Ballet for Dances

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Latin for Languages is Like Ballet for Dances

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I grew up speaking Hungarian, so for me learning foreign languages, especially English, was a very practical decision.  It was a a way to establish contact with the broader world.  If you grow up speaking English on the other hand, like my kids did, learning a foreign language is more like an artistic choice.   Starting with a classical foundation in any art form is a really great way to ultimately achieve excellence and depth in any special genre within the art.  Learning Latin (and studying the history of the classical world in Mr. Martin's class) provides a reference point for studying many other languages and cultures.  Plus I hear he is great fun!

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It is always very engaging and supportive. When I make a mistake he is very nice about it and never makes me feel embarrassed. I have learned a lot and we move at a great pace.

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I really enjoy this class and Mr. Martin is super chill and fun to talk to. All of the lessons in this class are engaging and fun to participate in. Mr. Martin is also very good at making sure his students understand everything that they learn in this class. He has lots of stories and makes the class very entertaining. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who wants to have fun in high school.

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This class has always been fun to be in. You are challenged and given room to grow and make mistakes. You learn not only the language but the culture, and both are equally as engaging. The Latin community is also a lovely group of people. Everyone is there to learn and have fun. It's just such an amazing community to be apart of!

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I wish it was longer. Even though I hate school.

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Mr. Martin has a great attitude and has taught us so much more than just Latin. This class helped me come out of my negative head space and its overall fun.

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This is my third year taking latin in school and I always love the stories we translate and the deep history the language has. It's a fun class with dedicated students. Latin is the base of a lot of languages including English and for a lot of words it's helped me understand the origins of them and their meanings. I plan to continue to take Latin in high school because it is a great class!

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This class has all of the good parts of a language course. The history is interesting, the language is fun, and you learn much more than Latin itself. I'd recommend this class for all people, not just those interested in learning the language.

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you learn not only about Latin's grammar, but also English grammar. It's also good for the SAT.

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Even through zoom the class is very engaging and fun. Totally worth it if you're planning or even just interested in going into the medical or law fields as many roots are in latin and you will get a deeper understanding. All of these posts are very long and thats for a good reason! many benefits- much more fun than the other languages offered!

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Mr. Martin’s class is my daughters favorite. Latin is one of the main classical roots so learning Latin has helped my daughter understand the English Language in a deeper way as well as improved her spelling and vocabulary. This class delves into not only the latin language but Roman History. Roman history is exciting, strange and very funny if you have Mr Martin as a teacher. He brings the classical world to life !!! She says she has learned more in Latin than any other class and wishes she has stated earlier so she could take advanced Latin.
Latin improves SAT & PSAT scores!!!!!!
Mr Martin is that very special teacher your child will REALLY learn from . He is passionate, knowledgeable and really cares about his students.
Sign up for Latin!!!!!

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I have never taken an academic class that I actually  looked forward to, until Latin! Mr. Martin is such a pro at what he does and his expertise far surpasses any teacher I have taken from at any school. Many people assume that latin is boring an useless but they couldn't be more wrong. Mr. Martin's Latin classes are so fun, engaging and truly informative that I fully intend to take the class beyond my 2 required years of language! I have so many fond memories  of class and have met some of my best friends in Latin! Never,  in public school, have I ever had the pleasure of  a teacher with so much experience and actual care for his students. Above all, Mr.Martin's approach to Latin is rooted in so much love for education and passion that my year would truly be abysmal without the Latin in my schedule.

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Learning Latin at McCallum has been super interesting for me. It isn't as hard as you may think since so many of the words you learn are connected to the english language (which also makes what we learn in Latin helpful in English class). Latin is also connected to many other languages like French and Spanish. Class with Mr. Martin is pretty relaxed and fun, and you never know what is gonna happen that day. We read about funny and strange things that people did in ancient Roman times. Also, the amount of work is manageable. Overall, it is one of my favorite classes and I would recommend Latin to anyone!

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Latin is such an amazing class to take for English speakers, as a lot of our language come from Latin. Aside from how that helps you academically, you will get this feeling of pride whenever you deduce the meaning of a word from its Latin roots. Latin also has a great teacher, Mr. Martin, who has made this year of remote learning far more barrable with his flexibility in altering his class of online teaching and his commitment to not stressing us students out. I would highly recommend taking this class.

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Latin is very cool. In this class you get to learn about the culture as well as the language which can be very interesting. There was a lot of war and crazy people in antiquity. It even helps with your english classes!

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I had taken Latin in middle school and had originally taken it for the language credit but I had a blast. It is not just a language class, you learn about history and other aspects of ancient life. Highly recommend to take it.

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Although it may seem boring, Latin as a language can be very interesting and it can even help with other classes. In addition, learning about the history of Rome is great and there are some really cool and funny stories. As a bonus, Mr. Martin is a really fair teacher. If you take Latin you'll definitely enjoy it.

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How Latin Made Me Regain My Faith In The Public School System 

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How Latin Made Me Regain My Faith In The Public School System 

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Mr Martins Latin Class was the first class was the first class I ever took in high school and it has taught me more about not only latin but the english language than any other english class I've ever taken if you were to go through McCallum without taking at least one of Mr. Martins Latin Class you would be missing out on a plethora of knowledge not only about latin but english and roman culture as well

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Best Teacher and the Superior language!!

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Best Teacher and the Superior language!!

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Latin is a super fun class, usually the counselors will tell you not to take a language freshman year, but I think Latin was one of the classes that actually helped me in some other classes as well. I really enjoy Latin and I've been taking it for 3 years now. Mr. Martin is the best teacher and the class is definitely worth it.

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In class, we learn how to translate Latin, and we also learn about Ancient Roman culture and traditions. Mr. Martin is a really fun and easy-going teacher, and he doesn't assign a ton of homework. Compared to other language courses, Latin is definitely easier, although it may seem like it would be harder. Overall, the class is a lot of fun and absolutely worth taking.

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My daughter took two years of Latin in Middle School so I was excited for her to continue studying Latin at McCallum.  She loves the class and enjoys Mr.Martin.   She is getting a solid understanding of the root words of English which I know will help her in other academics.

I highly recommend this class!

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I first took Japanese and was really daunted by how hard the language was and I didn't understand it as well. I really like the atmosphere of Latin, even with it being online I love the class. It's fun and learn where a lot of English words come from.

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Latin class has this chill vibe that's really fun. There's not that much pressure during class, and Mr. Martin is a fantastic teacher! The workload is nothing big, the language is fairly easy to understand after a while, and the quizzes are easy if you study a bit! I was worried about taking this and it being hard, but it's not even close to being my hardest class. I encourage anyone looking to take a foreign language to take Latin!

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This class has taught me a lot but at the same time, it doesn't ask too much of the students.

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Seriously though, this is by far my favorite class because the stories are interesting, the teacher is amazing, and I feel like I have a better understanding of the English language. It doesn't have the same feel as the other classes because it is very enjoyable, even through zoom, and I can imagine that it would be even better in person.

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You learn not only the language, but Roman culture and history! Mr. Martin is a great teacher that makes the class fun! You also don't have to speak it

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With Latin class, you don't just learn about the language, but also the history and mythology from Rome. It does really help with understanding the English language and other languages as well, and is also just a fun class to take.

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My student loves this class. Mr. Martin is inspiring and funny and is one of their favorite teachers.

Latin is also INCREDIBLE for increasing PSAT/SAT scores.

Don't miss your opportunity to have your student take Latin at McCallum with Mr. Martin. It will be one of their favorite classes.

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With Latin, you not only get to learn root words of English (I guarantee it will help you on the PSAT/SAT), but also about the heartwarming characters of the Cambridge Latin Textbook and their hijinks. Not only is this a language class, it's an incredibly interesting look into classical culture and technology. If you want to learn facts that will make you go to people saying "You'll never believe what they used to do in ancient Rome!" then this is the class for you. Learn about using a mouse to treat spear wounds and much more!

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My son had zero interest in taking a language and put it off until his sophomore year, so began during the pandemic. It has been his favorite class! Mr. Martin is really engaging (even over Zoom!) and the topics they're discussing while learning Latin incorporate interesting aspects of life in ancient Rome. Translating stories about gladiators is pretty motivating : ) In the long term, being familiar with Latin will not only help his understanding of English, but could also be very useful in many professions including science, law and medicine.

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Latin inspired skills for logic and language

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Latin inspired skills for logic and language

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Both of our children experienced an awakening of language skills by taking Latin, even more than with other languages. As a result, their English language skills improved -- reading, writing, or just constructing a sentence while speaking.  They also began to approach language and thought in a more orderly, logical manner. Latin has been very important to our children's education.  (Mr. Martin, too!)