“They still teach Latin?”  That’s a response I often hear when people learn that I’ve been a career-long Latin teacher.  Other schools (some close by!) have periodically dropped Latin from their curricula, but not GFS!  We have remained committed to our Latin program throughout our 108-year history.  So,  why Latin?  The popular answer, of course, is SAT prep, and indeed, knowledge of Latin enriches vocabulary, but the benefits go far beyond vocabulary building.  Students in Latin develop a language awareness that helps them in communication and writing skills.  English teachers at GFS through the years (and a history teacher just recently in May 2018) have said that they can spot a Latin student by the sophistication of her sentence structure.  

You may assume (incorrectly!) that Latin class focuses on the proverbial dead white males, but our textbook series, Cambridge Latin Course, sets the language in a rich, diverse, cultural and historical context.  By way of a lively storyline, a Latin student travels from Pompeii to Alexandria, Egypt to Roman Britain, and then, finally, to the city of Rome, all the while learning about the diversity of the Roman empire and discovering lessons for the modern world along the way. 

No matter what the enrollment numbers, Latin infiltrates our school. Latin students share knowledge of word roots in other classes across the curricula, and non-Latin students develop an etymological awareness in the process.  Upper-level Latin students bring a finely tuned appreciation of literary and rhetorical devices to their study of English literature.  And there’s a special bonus:  Senior Latin students teach classmates how to read their GFS diploma (which is in Latin!) and help them to translate the Latin mottos of their colleges.  

At GFS we pride ourselves in striking a balance between the progressive and the traditional, and our Latin program reaches across this tension.  Our Latin classrooms are vibrant places where you’ll find up-to-date pedagogy and technological tools.  It says a lot about our school that we not only require Latin for seventh and eighth graders, but we also offer a full Latin curriculum through AP.  Whereas at some schools Latin is elitist, and at others it serves a remedial role, our goal has been to provide the benefits of Latin to all types of students.  We are proud of the success of our AP students, and equally proud of students who thrive in (and enjoy!) Latin when they could have invoked a language waiver.  Latina omnibus!  (Latin for everyone!)

Students from Asia form a new cohort in our Latin program.  When a native Chinese or Korean speaker is ready for a third (or fourth!) language, Latin works wonders in expanding English vocabulary and grammatical understanding.  And it works in the opposite direction, too:  Many of these Asian students have studied English with such precision that, through the framework of Latin class, they are able to educate their American classmates about the finer points of English.  Talk about language awareness! 

Countless moments of satisfaction come from teaching Latin -- such as when students 
eagerly report back on “Latin moments” (i.e. encounters with Latin in the wider world), when they independently appreciate the architecture of a Latin sentence, when they realize how privileged they are to read original Latin poetry and that a translation just doesn’t cut it. I recall a particularly poignant moment when a student from China became teary as she came to comprehend the magnitude and technical beauty of Vergil’s accomplishment in writing all 9,896 lines of the Aeneid in dactylic hexameter!  As students become alumnae, it is rewarding to hear that they have continued their study of Latin in college, and/or they have used Latin as they pursued advanced degrees and professional work.  Latin is ubiquitous! 

I am grateful that I was able to spend decades of my career as an Upper School Latin teacher at GFS. Connections in our school’s Latin community are spirited and run deep.  To witness the growth of passionate young scholars while working with a supportive team of talented, hard-working colleagues has been a gift. 

So, yes, at GFS we still teach Latin -- and now you know why!  Latina vivat!  (Long live Latin!)

 

GFS students shared their reflections with Ms. Smith on what Latin has meant to them. Read their own words about the importance of the language. 

"Latin has allowed me to write stronger essays, perform better on English vocabulary assignments, and read more advanced books. In addition, my understanding of grammar gained from taking Latin has allowed me to write formal essays in more elevated language. Lastly, it has bolstered my passion for history and the study of different cultures." 

"Now that I have taken AP Latin, I have gained an appreciation for the complexity of Roman poetry, the derivation of the English language, and the power of words." 

"Latin is very helpful in determining the meaning of unfamiliar words...  The rich figurative language of Vergil pushes the reader to examine the text more analytically and in depth."

"At first, I thought Latin would be helpful for studying science and modern languages, but after I got into more Latin, I enjoyed it so much, and realized that Latin is just too great to be auxiliary... In order to cultivate a flower, the stem needs to be well-grown first, and to me, Latin is that stem."

"Latin has allowed me to read some of the world’s most renowned pieces of literature in their original form, and I continue to be fascinated by their beauty even after the end of the course."

"Just as I enjoy solving problems in math, Latin is very similar in that way. I have developed a lot of critical and analytical skills while studying Latin. I also take Chinese and I like the fact that I take a language that is so modern and a “dead” language, but both have immense relevance in our world today."

"I explain derivations to my dad, which he enjoys too, so that’s created a special little bond between us." 

"I am able to decipher more complex words based on my knowledge of Latin. It has helped me with math and science vocab, and English as well." 

"Latin helped me a lot on memorizing English vocabulary. Also, the mythology I learned in Latin helped me to become a good storyteller for my little friends."

"When I was preparing for the SAT last summer, my Latin helped me to memorize a lot of vocab words."