PRIMA Winter/Spring 2022 | Página 3

Editor ' s Note

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As I drove to school this semester , I listened to a report on the significance of " Twosday ," or February 22nd , 2022 . It was no surprise that several middle school students were excited about the palindromic date . Some students told me they woke up early to screenshot the time 2:22am , and others bragged that they would stay awake until 22:22 to see the most two ' s possible on the clock .

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I am not usually interested in the novelty of these dates , and yet this time I found myself considering February 22nd , 2022 significant . The enthusiasm of the students felt a sharp contrast with the fatigue of educators entering their third spring of a pandemic .

On a date defined by symmetry , I began to contemplate the disorder that educators experience . What have we learned ? What remains to be resolved ?

To process what we are going through , it is important to remember how far we ' ve come . Over twenty years ago , PRIMA published their first issue of the 2000- 2001 school year . This was also a year with an interesting date . I recall my mother neatly writing " 01-01-01 " in her checkbook on New Year ' s Day , and the elegance of the zeroes and ones on the page .

PRIMA reported in their 2000-2001 issue that ETC had adopted a name change : from " Elementary Teachers of Classics " to the current " Excellence Through Classics ." There was talk of utilizing a new book series called Harry Potter when teaching Latin . The Julia K . Petrino Memorial Award was first announced . And ETC announced , in print , that they now had a website .

Quite a contrast to our world of classics education today . While teaching and communication methods might change , the dedication classics teachers have for their craft remains strong .

In this issue of PRIMA , we see teachers and students utilize technology and creativity in exciting ways -- continuing to move forward during a difficult time . It is the work of our colleagues and students that inspires me to see the beauty in the work we do . Where I once noted the elegance of zeroes and ones , I am reminded to look forward to twos .

C Hayward

C A T H E R I N E H A Y W A R D Editor

The combined Winter / Spring issue of PRIMA highlights innovation in the Latin classroom .

On page 17 Kimberle Gray shares her review of a new album by They Might Be Giants artist John Linnell , and how " Latin Songs " can enrich instruction .

We are reminded on page 19 that innovation does not always require technology as Amy Barker discusses integrating Neo-Latin works into the Latin curriculum .

On page 23 , PRIMA Editor Catherine Hayward shares how the online tool Formative has improved her middle school Latin classes .

We hope you enjoy these feature and more in this Winter / Spring 2022 PRIMA .

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