Student Wins Prize for Teaching Grade Schoolers Latin

Cynthia Cheng ’16 has received a Classical Promise Scholarship from the Ascanius Youth Classics Institute, in recognition of the program she created to teach Latin to local elementary school students.
 
Through a Faculty-Sponsored Activity (FSA), Cynthia spent afternoons during fall term at the Florence Roche Elementary School in Groton, working with students in grades 1 through 4. Two afternoons each week, she guided the students on a journey to Ancient Rome, learning as much from them as they learned from her.   
 
“I learned how to handle young kids, and in exchange for the knowledge I provided them about the ancient Romans, they offered me their unwavering enthusiasm,” Cynthia says. The Classical Promise Scholarship program has provided Cynthia with a mentor as well as a small financial award. 

Cynthia thinks students today, who tend to study modern languages, fail to acknowledge the roots of Romance languages in Latin and Greek. "Latin works, such as Ovid's Metamorphoses, serve as the foundation for Western literature today, which my students have realized while comparing tales of Cupid and Psyche to modern day fairy tales," she says. "Seeing my students' eyes sparkle when they make the connection between a Latin word and an English word proves Latin's relevance to the English language."
 
Cynthia captured the children's attention with myths and hands-on building. Their enthusiasm drives her. “It was the zeal with which they memorized Latin numbers, drew bath houses, made models of Roman roads, and actively participated in every activity I assigned to them that motivated me to continue to spur their interest in Latin,” she says.

Next fall, Cynthia plans to continue her project. She hopes her students carry on their newfound interest in Latin too. "My hope is that they continue to learn the language and about the culture after the programs ends," she says.
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