Keeping the Study of Latin Alive in the Hillsdale Community

Written by Katarzyna Ignatik

This past February, students at Hillsdale Preparatory School in Hillsdale, MI, designed colorful and neatly-lettered valentines that said, “Amo te amas me (I love you, do you love me)?” and “Da mihi basium (Kiss me).” On the back of the card, a note read, “This card was drawn by a student from the Hillsdale Preparatory School of Hillsdale, Michigan. All proceeds from the sale of this card go towards the purchase of resources for their Latin Program.”

Hillsdale’s Latin Teaching Program, run by Dr. Laury Ward, assistant professor of classics at Hillsdale, aims to keep the study of Latin alive in the Hillsdale community with little things like these Valentine’s Day cards. Under her leadership, the program was restructured, one change being the implementation of a curriculum based on the National Latin Exam standards.

In the Latin Teaching Program, Hillsdale students with Latin experience visit Hillsdale Preparatory School twice a week to do fun activities like this, in hopes of giving children an appreciation for the Latin language. Typically, participating college students pair up to co-teach a class of elementary or middle-school students about Latin vocabulary and ancient Roman culture.

Dr. Ward says she’s always amazed by the creativity college students use to bring Latin to their young students. Also amazing is the aptitude and interest with which young students pick up the information. “Little kids love to learn new words,” Dr. Ward says.

Besides lecture and recitation times, tutors use a variety of activities to help young students both remember what they’ve learned and have fun while doing it. Coloring maps is a favorite activity—kids learn the names of colors in Latin, then follow their tutor’s instructions with a map of Italy in front of them: “Color the island of Sicily purpura.” The Latin version of the hokey-pokey teaches kids vocabulary for body parts. Learning the names of animals gives kids and tutors alike a chance to rampage around the classroom impersonating bears and elephants. For older children, Latin Jeopardy invites friendly competition, and choice stanzas of the classically-themed poem “Horatio on the Bridge” are manageable to memorize and recite.

Besides the joys in themselves that come with working with children, student tutors acquire valuable classroom experience. They have enormous leeway in building their own curricula. They can also choose to do the program for credit or for volunteering.

Hillsdale’s Latin Teaching Program has won an award from the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, for its effect in supporting the study of Latin. From looking at the vitality of the Latin Program, it seems that Latin, the “dead language,” is very much alive.


Katarzyna IgnatikKatarzyna Ignatik is a 2020 Hillsdale College graduate. She spends her time binge-reading, binge-writing, singing, and laughing at everything and anything. Talk to her about Tolkien, the 50s, or abstract philosophical concepts, and she’ll be perfectly happy.

 

Published in May 2021