So here the the follow-up recommendations to go along with the other post about the findings of the audit:
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Issues of curriculum and pacing. As the Latin program has been working to
incorporate new research about CI into the curriculum and moving away from a solely
grammar-translation method of teaching Latin, it has opened up broad questions
about pacing, scope, and sequence of curriculum. The department has a relatively young group
of teachers who need time set aside for collaborating as they work to innovate
their curriculum.
Next year, the
Latin Department will be absorbed in the Modern Language Department. One danger in this is that the Latin teachers
may have less time set aside to do the work of collaborating and developing the
Latin curriculum. One teacher mentioned
that she felt that she needed more guidance in developing the curriculum for
the classes she is responsible for teaching.
It will be essential for the Latin teachers to find time and ways to
continue to work together to ensure the mentoring of less experienced teachers
and to work on curriculum alignment.
(Note: we have definitely experienced the problem of having less time set aside for collaborating with each other. This problem will continue to be an issue, especially as we work to incorporate a new member of our department.)
Recommendation 2: Professional development. The Latin teachers are experts in their field
and have shown a real willingness to innovate their teaching practices. Because of the way Latin has traditionally
been taught in this country with a focus on reading skills, it is important for
Latin teachers to improve their listening and speaking skills in order to
incorporate more modern techniques for second language acquisition. One of the Latin teachers mentioned that she
had been discouraged from attending a spoken Latin conference more than once
because of the financial commitment involved in sending her. As these spoken Latin colloquia are the most
effective places to hone fluency for Latin teachers, more money should be
allotted for the Latin teachers to attend immersion opportunities. Regular attendance at spoken Latin
conferences is important for maintaining and increasing fluency.
Additionally, the
Latin teachers can hone their fluency through other, less expensive means. Listening to some of the many podcasts now
offered in Latin would be a low-cost way to boost listening comprehension. The Latin teachers at St. Andrew’s can also
be leaders in helping the local and state organizations incorporate more
opportunities for both teachers and students to hear and speak Latin. The teachers should work to find creative ways
to use the Latin community in Austin to boost their students’ and their own skills
in hearing and speaking language.
(Note: this summer two members of our department were funded to attend SALVI's Rusticatio, and we are excited about that. Hopefully, we can follow up with a post on their experiences.)
Recommendation 3: Adding images and stories of diversity to the
curriculum. To many, the ancient
Greco-Roman world appears to be one full of white, marble statues. However, often the cultural artifacts that
teachers show students give them an incorrect impression about ancient statues
that were typically painted and colorful when ancient people viewed them. “Romans
had a great variety of skin tones within their Mediterranean world” (Bond,
2017). The teachers in the Latin program
should make an effort when possible to show students modern reconstructions of
ancient marbles and bronzes that have color reapplied. Additionally, paintings from the all over the
ancient world, including those from Roman Egypt, do a much better job of
showing the wide variety of skin tones in the ancient world. Finally, the teachers should seek out images
that depict other ethnicities from the ancient world, besides the Romans. As Bond (2017) points out, “[Classicists] have known for
a long time that we have a diversity problem, and one way to address this might
be to emphasize what an integral part people of color played within ancient
Mediterranean history.” The teachers in
the St. Andrew’s program might want to set up a shared Google drive folder to
collect and share the images they find to make sure a variety of skin tones are
reflected in the images they use in class.
The Latin teachers should
also deliberately work to bring other ethnicities, besides the Romans, into
Latin class. Whenever Dido, Hannibal,
Septimius Severus, Darius, or any of the other various non-Roman leaders can be
brought into the curriculum, they should, and the teacher should take special
care to mention their ethnic backgrounds.
Additionally, teachers should work to make sure they are bringing in
images that reflect the diversity of the St. Andrew’s student body and greater
Austin community regularly in class.
This could be through a regular “Quid non accidit hodie?” (“What didn’t
happen on this day?”) daily trivia quiz with pictures or through a unit on
important African-American classicists.
Students could be assigned to make children’s books in Latin based on
important figures in world history, which would give students the opportunity
to study the lives of influential people of color. Whatever strategy is used, there should be
deliberate attempts to bring more images and stories of people of diverse
backgrounds into the Latin curriculum.
(Note: I developed a unit on diversity and privilege in the ancient world for my Latin 3 class that was successful this year. I used some of these diverse images from the ancient world. The students seemed to be interested and enjoy it.)
Recommendation 4: Cross-curricular work. Latin is an area of study that connects
to almost every other curricular area taught in a school. One surveyed student mentioned that he wished
he had always been able to recognize the Latin phrases that come up in other
classes. The Latin teachers should work
with the other teachers at the school to identify instances of Greco-Roman
culture and the Latin language that pertain to other courses at the school. Then the Latin teachers should make an effort
to make cross-curricular connections for their own students and to plan lessons
to enhance the other curricula at the school that pertain to the ancient world
or to the Latin language itself. This
outreach would help both faculty and students understand the relevance of Latin
in the modern world.
(Note: this is an area of my focus for the 2018-2019 school year. I've already emailed the upper school faculty to ask for areas where I can support their curricula and where we might be able to collaborate more.)
Recommendation 5: Recruitment.
There is a clear need for incoming students to be better informed
about what the Latin program has to offer.
One parent stated, “The Latin program is the best thing about St.
Andrew’s. I can’t think of any other
program at St. Andrew’s that is so all-encompassing. The problem seems to be lack of interest
coming up.” The parent continued by
voicing concerns about how hard it was for students to make the choice to take
Latin knowing that it might isolate them socially. To some degree, this is an issue of making
sure that all students have equitable access to knowledge about the Latin
language. One administrator noted, that
the Latin teachers were “dealt a tough hand with Latin, trying to keep Latin
interesting with kids and compelling for kids in the 21st
Century.” He added that, “[Latin] is
compelling to lots of kids who wouldn’t think it would be so.” Because of the
fact that education in the Latin language used to be an exclusive privilege for
a few and because of the fact that Latin for so long was taught with a
grammar-translation approach making the language accessible to a limited group
of students, many families need to be educated about the fact that the St.
Andrew’s Latin program is both inclusive and compelling to a wide range of
students. The Latin teachers should
partner with the admissions team to find opportunities to educate parents and
incoming students about the reasons for and benefits of studying Latin as their
language choice. Special emphasis should
be made on the diversity of the ancient world and the connections between the
ancient and modern worlds in government, literature, language, and art. Raising awareness of the richness and
inclusive nature of the Latin curriculum should be a priority.
Conclusion
The
vibrant and active Latin program at St. Andrew’s does a good job of preparing
its students to be culturally responsive members of the global community. The teachers are committed to their craft and
to making Latin a place where all students, regardless of background or
ability, feel welcome and wanted.
Although there is work to be done in continuing to innovate the
curriculum and to broaden the reach of the program, the students who are in
Latin classes are served well. - Parva
References
Bond, S. (2017, April 27). Whitewashing ancient statues:
Whiteness, racism, and color in the ancient world. Retrieved April 30, 2017,
from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/drsarahbond/2017/04/27/whitewashing-ancient-statues-whiteness-racism-and-color-in-the-ancient-world/#5fead26375ad
