On the First Day of Summer Greek


There was a letter on the LTSG website from the professor of Summer Greek, which will be my first seminary course. Think of the tune to "The Twelve Days of Christmas." "On the first day of Summer Greek the professor's giving us, a quiz on the Greek alphabet." But that's only the beginning. This is quoted from the letter:

"The assignment to be completed prior to the first class session is:


  • Read Lesson 1 in Croy and the Introduction in Lamerson.
  • Memorize the Greek alphabet (small case letters only)
  • Memorize Greek vowels, diphthongs, breathing marks, punctuation


The quiz on Friday morning will be on the alphabet, vowels, diphthongs, breathing marks, and punctuation. Do not worry about the rules for Greek accents (pp. 3-4 in Croy). We will cover this material at a later point but not on the first day."


OK, I'm officially nervous. Somehow in my mind I thought those first couple weeks on campus before Greek would be a time to familiarize myself with the area, get settled etc. Oh well, I know it will all be fine, but I just didn't expect having to hit the books quite that soon.



Picture from flickr.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Better get used to it, you will hit the books hard and often, have quizes until they come out of your ears, and eat, sleep and dream Greek. Oh...and in the end you will discover that you loved every minute. Well, maybe not every minute.....

Prayers for all those in our seminaries during Summer Greek.
Ivy said…
That's what I've heard. I just didn't expect it so soon. Thanks for the prayers.
BRC said…
As someone in your shoes a year ago, Yes, it is scary. Yes, you will have a lot to do and a lot to learn in that time. But, everyone survives.
Some advice, buy index cards. You will need flash cards to learn vocabulary. Learn the Greek letters in lower case as soon as possible. Don't worry about trying to pronounce anything; it's extra if you can.

Dr. Carlson is a great instructor, a little bit off, but in a good way. He is a lot of fun.
During Summer Greek, you will have an exam each Friday. You will have homework from the AM session that needs to be done for the PM session after lunch. But it is do-able.

Heck, I survived. I had to resort to primal screams a few times, but everybody copes their own way. Your tutors really know their stuff, and your social coordinator is a joy.

It's a rite of passage, and it's not _that_ bad.
Ivy said…
Thanks for the tips and encouragement. My husband says he remembers the primal screams from his undergrad days. Peace.
I was pondering a summer Greek class, but it didn't happen. It will soon I hope. Maybe in the fall. Enjoy! ;-)
Anonymous said…
and speaking of flash cards....you will find, as coach probably has, that you will hang on to them well after summer Greek. They are a valuable tool, one that I continue to use as refresher four years after making them.

LTSS also requires Hebrew, so there is yet another set of flash cards.
Ivy said…
Singing Owl, I trust you will be able to take a Greek course in the near future. Thanks for visiting.
Ivy said…
David, that's good to know that the flash cards are useful even after the course is finished. LTSG doesn't require Hebrew, but I would like to take it. Peace.
Anonymous said…
Don't sweat the Greek. My experience of Greek at LTS Saskatoon was that the second career students were usually the best students. They were the most stressed, but also put us young pups to shame!

Good Luck as you begin this crazy journey!
Ivy said…
Thanks for your encouraging words, revcowboy. And thanks for stopping by. Peace.

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