James Stark (Collinsville High School)
As a participant of this panel, I will be offering insights from my perspective as a practicing Latin teacher in a diverse public school. While the current standards are quite comprehensive, my purpose is to explore opportunities for improvement during the revision process. I identify these opportunities as related to the following two realities.
First, Active Latin and Comprehensible Input instructional methods are increasingly valued, embraced, and, with some administrations, expected. While speaking in Latin will rarely, if ever, be the ultimate goal of any Latin program, a deeper proficiency in spoken Latin is necessary for teachers who will sometimes be required to model and teach it in their classrooms.
Secondly, Latin teachers are ambassadors of classical studies to children and community members who may otherwise have no interaction with the academics of our field. Some recent incidents reveal that knowledge of ancient cultures must accompany knowledge of how to engage with such content in a culturally and socially responsive manner. These are aspects that the revision of the Standards for Latin Teachers can address.
Moreover, in this presentation I will offer my views on the importance of organizational preparedness, especially when a lone Latin teacher (as frequently happens in schools) is left to structure and pace their curriculum without input from colleagues teaching Latin. I will also discuss the need for basic program marketing skills, skills that now are now the difference between a thriving Latin program and one that is selected by administration for termination.