The first thing that struck me about my students when they came into my room for the first time is how much they care, both about our class and about each other. In high school, it is so rare that you get a group of 20-or-so students who ask each other about "that race you had yesterday" or "I heard you got cast in the school play!" when they change classes all day long.
However, Latin class is special.
My students stick together through four years of Latin and build an incredible community of learners and humans. They ask thoughtful questions, get excited to explore new topics, and are always on time and optimistic. They know that they have the support of their peers and, though the subject can be difficult for some, they are safe in this space to experiment and make mistakes. They inspire me constantly to continue learning and improving because they hold me to the same expectation I have for them.
My Project
The traditional Latin classroom gets a bad rap for having students sit and listen to dry grammar lessons all day long. The good news is, more and more Latin teachers, myself included, are making strides in the way we teach the language so that students feel empowered to actually use Latin to express ideas, ask questions, and talk about themselves.
A key aspect of being able to write and speak a language is knowing the words that you want to use.
In our classroom, we have only 2 copies of Latin-English and English-Latin dictionaries to share among 20+ students. This often leaves them feeling as if the task is hopeless because they do not have the resources to support them. I am asking for 25 Latin-English dictionaries so that my students can have the resources at their fingertips to use their language for literacy.
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