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Students only worked on the project while in class . Often , we workshopped a section together , or one student would look at another ’ s and provide suggestions . Through this process , students learned to collaborate as they confronted the daunting challenge of working on a task that has no answer to be Googled , one to which their teacher might not even know the answer . Students also learned how to research answers to problems and find other sources online . They were intrigued and excited when they figured out what a particularly difficult section said .
We were able to celebrate student work and highlight the Latin program . [ They ] feel proud and motivated to keep working in Latin .
As Tom experienced , I also saw the enthusiasm and eagerness of these students to work through what was , to them , a great mystery to be solved . They went home and told their parents about it , and I would hear them telling their friends about it in the hallways .
They were excited to be trailblazers and to have a great story to tell on their college applications .
As part of this project , we held a Zoom presentation with several members of the Folger Shakespeare Library and our Latin class , which was open to the entire school .
In this way , we were able to celebrate these students ’ work and to highlight the Latin program . I spoke to our middle school Latin students about the project and even brought in a section of the text to work through with them . This attention certainly makes these students feel proud and motivated to keep working in Latin . It has the added benefit of showing the school and parent community how exciting and dynamic Latin can be .
How might you be able to do something like this ? Reach out to colleges and libraries to see if their collections include Neo-Latin documents waiting to be translated . There is no shortage to be found .
Amy Barker ( abarker @ cranbrook . edu ) has a B . A . in classical archaeology from the University of Michigan . She worked as a writer for many years and earned her M . A . in Latin from the University of Michigan in 2018 . She enjoys running , traveling , and spending time with her husband , two children , and her Jack Russell terrier , Juno .
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