Studying English better than Latin

I do not share the Monday letter writer’s enthusiasm for Latin, “Dead language very much alive.” I was fortunate to receive a fine education, but the one regret I have is that I followed the advice of high school counselors in the 1950s and took three years of Latin.

It is fine for students to study Latin, or any other foreign language, if they are truly interested in it. However, it is a mistake to promote Latin as a way to raise SAT scores or as a method of teaching students the Latin roots of many English words. I think the best way to improve one’s knowledge of the English language is to study English and to become an avid reader.

Judy Kessinger

Mill Creek