Why Teach Latin?

Personally, stemming from a deep interest in ancient history and philosophy, Latin was a natural choice when it came time to select a foreign language in high school.

I have always loved school and learning for its own sake, and this is the kind of philosophy and way of thinking that I try to cultivate with my middle school-aged students. I want them to learn to enjoy the process of learning, even when it is difficult and frustrating and when the material is challenging and not easily grasped on the first pass.

A common question for Latin teachers is, “why study Latin?” I choose to teach Latin and instill the joys of studying the Latin language so students can access the intellectual feats and fascinating culture of the Ancient Romans. Through engaging with projects, videos, articles, and intensive study of grammar, I aim to engage students as deeply as possible to show them a glimpse of what it was like to live and think as a Roman. Creativity, as it did in Ancient Rome, holds a significant place in my teaching philosophy. I encourage students to play with the language, trying to simultaneously free the students from the fetters of rigidity and concreteness and consider the Roman way of thinking and doing things. I love teaching Latin because it helps train the student's mind to pay attention to the little details because oftentimes the little details convey big meaning! Latin is a very precise and detail-oriented language, and students reap the rewards of understanding a difficult passage when they study the most minute of details.

In 6th Grade, students are exposed to the fundamentals of the language, including the basics of grammar and how Roman society was organized. Students engage with the Classical world by conducting an examination of the people, in tandem with the 6th Grade class theme. Topics of interest in 6th Grade include building a model of a Roman house and learning about Ancient Roman cuisine, culminating in creating a Roman menu and sampling foods the Romans would have consumed! In 7th and 8th Grades, students are encouraged to speak and write in the language, keeping pace with language acquisition research that shows when students use and engage with a language actively, they pick it up faster. They study Latin grammar intensively in order to read scaffolded texts covering topics such as history, geography, and mythology. Latin comes alive in the pursuits that the students engage in, whether it be creating a script in Latin based on a story read in class and performing the skit for the class or building scaled models of important landmarks in the city of Rome. As part of their many capstone experiences in 8th Grade, students also participate in the cherished tradition of running in the chariot races in the penultimate week of school. In preparation for this event, students study the different types of Roman gladiators, ludī Romanī, or Roman games, and make a “rally towel” with a Latin quotation that “speaks to them,” often reflecting their Latin class experience at GUS. 

To circle back to the guiding question of, “why Latin?” I would encourage you to ask a GUS student about the utility and joy of learning the Latin language, and they will probably be able to provide a multitude of reasons why they study Latin. One of the best parts of my job as the Latin teacher at GUS is to discover what students are interested in and get to know them on a deeper level. As I teach all three grades of upper school, I’m able to draw on this connection over time to help maintain and increase student curiosity and engagement. I work hard with the students to continually create and reinforce that we are truly a community of learners and lean on each other for support, especially when studying challenging topics, but also take time to enjoy those humorous moments that emerge from risk-taking and playing with the language. It is such a privilege to be able to teach a beautiful and timeless language like Classical Latin in 2025 at a place like Glen Urquhart School that values curiosity, creativity, and understanding. I could not feel more fortunate to be teaching Latin and working with such curious and community-minded students.