I was first offered to journey into the world of Classics in sixth grade. A group of teachers stood in front of sixty twelve-year-old girls who refused to sit still. They presented the possibility of taking up an additional course in Latin, Chinese, or computer science. In this day and age, most would jump at the idea of taking computer science, as it is clear that this field is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, does that notion ever make you stop for a moment, and think, how did we get here? Why is our society the way it is today? Why is it headed in the direction that it is? The key to those answers along with the future is stored in box with the Ancient World written all over it. In sixth grade, as I’m sure you can imagine, my mind did not make this conclusion. I was more inclined simply to say “sure” to my parents’ gentle suggestion that I should take this Latin course.
In seventh grade, my Latin teacher was vehemently enthusiastic about anything that was even remotely related to Classics. I vividly remember her longest speech defending the study of Latin and the Ancient World. She pushed up her glasses, tightened her ponytail and started bouncing around the classroom, ranting about the importance of Classics. I remember letting my eyes widen as she her speech went on. I was already interested in Latin, it was a class I looked forward to, but this speech fed a new hunger of mine that would refuse to be satiated as time went on. My teacher, famously known in the hallways as Magistra, is incredibly passionate about the subject matter she teaches. Furthermore, Magistra cares for each of her students immensely. She will go to immeasurable lengths to ensure the greatest success of her students. She brings her fiery fixation of Latin to every class, and for two years, she drew me further and further into Latin and the world around it. Since seventh grade, I have consistently yearned to delve deeper into the language, culture, art, tradition and history of Ancient Rome because that is the example which Magistra set for me.
When Magistra had once mentioned in class the hypothetical idea of taking Greek at a later point in our educational careers, my mind refused to let go of its firm grasp on that idea. Soon after, I approached Magistra in her office the and tapped her on the shoulder to ask her a question that would accelerate my fascination in Classics. Magistra and I each woke up at an obscene hour twice a week to come into school early for a Greek lesson. Our informal thirty-minute Greek sessions soon turned into an official independent study that presented itself as a blue block in my schedule once I entered high school. Latin and Greek act as sources that feed my intellectual curiosity and keep my week highlighted with vibrant classes.
The rewards reaped from learning the languages reach far beyond the classroom. My writing has significantly improved with the rigorous grammar education I received from taking classes in these languages. I am increasingly aware of the way I write, meaning that I pay more attention to how my sentence syntax influences the style and tone of my writing. I am more aware of my diction. Latin and Greek have multiple words that translate the same way at surface level, but differ greatly once they are analyzed and read in context. Learning ancient literature, rhetoric and speeches in the classroom provides insight on public speaking skills and life lessons that can be extracted from didactic poetry and prose. A classroom’s worth of knowledge can be translated into lifelong strengths and introductions to future careers.
My ninth grade Latin teacher, Mr. Owesny, is known for his copious knowledge. He could tell you why a certain letter is in a certain place in any word. He also knows the history of the Ancient World forwards and backwards. He takes his students’ knowledge far beyond any textbook ever could. By the end of a lecture, blue marker covers the whiteboards detailing the extensive connection between the one historical figure and another, and every event and person that passes in between, all coming from his own brain. It is this remarkable, obsessive knowledge that sets high expectations for his students and motivates me to learn more as a burgeoning classicist. Classics remains a highly important aspect of my life, but it is a looming and crucial aspect of society today.
Ancient Greek and Latin, and the cultures that surrounded these languages influence our own present languages and cultures at an incredible scale. The studies, scandals and advancements that the Romans and Ancient Greeks produced not only strike an outstanding resemblance to our own today, but also can inform us as participants of an evolving society. I do not believe that history is cyclical. What I do believe is that if there are societal outbreaks in the Ancient World of similar or larger magnitudes than our own, the response, whether it was for the better or for the worse, can be used to inform society today. In the present, we have the incredible tools of hindsight and the utmost useful information of the past in our very own hands. If the discoveries and tools at our disposal are not taken advantage of to help the state of our society, it is a waste of resources.
I am currently reading Susan Mattern’s book, The Prince of Medicine, Galen in the Roman Empire. This book could not emphasize my point more. The world has viewed Galen as the single most influential figure in Western medicine, even up through the twentieth century[1]. The reason that medicine today is as advanced as it is, largely can be credited to Galen
If we can look to the past as an informative reference point, we can guide society through tumult in a more fruitful way. The study of Classics covers all the bases: past, present and future. The humanity of our past consistently predicts our present. Moreover, it aids our efforts to create a more resilient and thoughtful future through our scrutiny of past societies and their influence. There are not many fields of study that have this ability, and it is what makes the study of Classics exceptional and necessary.
[1] Susan P. Mattern, The Prince of Medicine, Galen in the Roman Empire (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2013), 1
More November 2017 Newsletter Content
Check in on the SCS Initiative to update the K-12 Latin teacher certification requirements.
Read about the state of K-12 Classics teaching in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) area.
Learn more about the Seal of Biliteracy endorsement by the SCS and what that means for Classical languages.
