海角论坛

April 29, 2019 鈥� Savannah Willard (C鈥�22) is one of two Georgetown students who have introduced a new Latin language tutoring curriculum to elementary school students through the Center for Social Justice Hill Hoyas Inspire Learners (HILL) program.

The  brings Georgetown students to a D.C. elementary school to tutor their students in different languages. This academic year, the program elected to include classical languages in its tutoring offerings, so organizers reached out to the 海角论坛鈥檚 Department of Classics.

Willard tutors for five to 10 Fridays each semester. At the end of the semester, her group of tutees gives a performance. This semester, they鈥檒l perform the song 鈥淟et It Go鈥� from Disney鈥檚 Frozen 鈥� all in Latin.

Willard has found that young students are receptive to learning classical languages in ways that many older students are not.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so funny, because since Latin is a dead language, there鈥檚 a tendency for people to be like 鈥榃hat鈥檚 the point?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淏ut these kids don鈥檛 realize that. It鈥檚 just another language for them. For them, it鈥檚 a cool thing to be able just to learn a language.鈥�

Each of Willard鈥檚 lessons has a different focus: One week they might work on numbers, and the next they鈥檒l focus on grammar. However, the goal is not only to teach vernacular and syntax, but also to help the students better understand Roman culture. That鈥檚 where Willard鈥檚 experience studying classics has helped.

鈥淚n high school none of my professors were as passionate as Professor Osgood is about how Latin reflects the Roman culture overall,鈥� said Willard about Classics Department Chair Josiah Osgood. 鈥淣ot only did I learn about grammar from him, but there was a lot of meaning and culture from it as well, a lot of imagination exercises. And I think I鈥檝e really tried to keep that approach in mind when I鈥檝e been talking to the kids too.鈥�

Willard also appreciates how the size of the department has given her opportunities to meet people at Georgetown and develop her own community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a small department, so you really get close to the professors, and they鈥檙e really passionate about what they do and about the students,鈥� Willard said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 [also] really cool because it has small enough majors that I鈥檝e gotten to know a lot of the upperclassmen, too.鈥�

While she hadn鈥檛 originally planned on studying classics in college, Willard found during her college application process that she was constantly referencing the material from her classical language courses.

鈥淚 just think that classics is such a building block for western society and explaining where we鈥檙e coming from,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving done both semesters of intermediate Greek, I remember finally getting a Greek text to translate 鈥� it was the most exciting thing. I felt like I was just unlocking the door to a whole other world.鈥�

Willard hopes to impart this view on her students in the HILL program, so they too can unlock that world. For herself, she is also considering major in classical studies here at Georgetown.

鈥淐lassics, everyone can relate to, to an extent,鈥� Willard said. 鈥淭he ideas the Greeks were considering are still ideas we鈥檙e working with today. And a lot of the problems they had, are problems we have today.鈥�