Doctura te saluto

[sovay]

Tomorrow afternoon, for the first time in my life, I am going to teach a class. I have summer-taught Latin. I have TA'd literature classes. I have tutored Latin and Greek. I have never been responsible for the full-semester education of eighteen young minds in the grammatical basics of Latin, with an eye toward further advancement in Classics. This will be interesting.

I must remember to buy colored chalk.

Comments

And one poor tiger didn't get a teaching fellow

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

"Amo amas, I loved a lass, and she was tall and slender..."

Colored chalk is good.

Nine

Re: And one poor tiger didn't get a teaching fellow

[sovay]

". . . and she's of the feminine gender."

At the moment, I am worrying more about "Latin is a dead language . . ."

Re: And one poor tiger didn't get a teaching fellow

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Caesar adsum iam forte,
Pompey aderat;
Caesar sic in omnibus,
Pompey sic inat.

Nine

Re: And one poor tiger didn't get a teaching fellow

[sovay]

My sympathies are firmly with the driver of the omnibus.

[kraada.livejournal.com]

Look, if you can get drunk on language without losing control, you can teach a class on language.

[sovay]

Thank you: I do appreciate it.

(*hic*)

To be honest, I am not so much worried about teaching Latin as I feel that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. On the other hand, that hasn't necessarily stopped me before . . .

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Think of it as performance. Storytelling.

Nine

[lesser-celery.livejournal.com]

Yes, performance, that's the ticket. You have a script, and if things break down, improvise. Sing in Latin! Just make sure you have actual, not possible chalk.

[kraada.livejournal.com]

I want possible chalk!

It'd be great for when I'm eventually teaching metaphysics, and quite possibly philosophy of physics (quantum theory anyone?).

Besides possible chalk should actually write some of the time. If it couldn't write ever, it couldn't be chalk, right? You'd just have to try a whole lot.

Hrmm, perhaps instead of calling my pen "out of ink" I should start calling it a "possible pen" . . .

[sovay]

"Damn you, quantum physics!!!"

[kraada.livejournal.com]

Okay, I tried to avoid doing this, but I've been up all night, so I can't stop myself anymore . . .
[Extended bad D&D joke to follow -- be warned]
Since we all know Sovay is a 15th level expert with maximum ranks in storytelling, that gives her a +18, performance is charisma based, so with a charisma of 17 or so, that puts her at +21. Perform(Storytelling) should probably get synergies from at least two knowledge skills, that puts it at +24. Considering she's an attractive female teaching a class, she gets a +2 circumstance bonus for +26 overall.

Thus if she took 10 (tried to do an average but not outstanding job), that would be an overall score of 36. Enough to draw attention from any nearby lords and castles, also earning 3d6 gold per day. However, a maximum roll of 46, if Sovay elected to roll would put her very close to the Epic level of results . . . the first of which I believe puts a charm spell on people who watch the performance . . . which is what happens to people who watch her anyway, so I clearly must have underestimated some bonuses somewhere . . .
[end bad extended D&D joke]

[sovay]

*blinks*

*blinks

You are one hundred percent insane and I love you dearly. : )

[sovay]

That is indeed my plan. That, I know how to do.

Arma virumque cano . . .

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

"I feel that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing..."
This is normal. But best of luck! And yes: no one (well, exc. in England) takes Latin reluctantly.

[larryhammer]

This is normal.

Indeed yes.

---L.

[thomasfreund.livejournal.com]

If I can teach music appreciation to reluctant arts camp kids, you can teach Latin at a leading university. One would assume (perhaps foolishly) that most of them want to be there.

If I can coach vocalists in American art songs who have essentially no grasp on the English language... wait... I kind of suck at that. Never mind.

[sovay]

If I can teach Latin to kids who have essentially no grasp on English grammar . . .

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Do you really still use chalk? Or is it figurative chalk?

Anyhow, you've already done the hard bit, you've done the teaching. Now you get to do it with a class who know you are their real teacher.

How much do they already know? Can you use grammatical terminology, or do you have to start with the naming of parts? Or is it that stange but interesting conversational Latin which came after my time?

[sovay]

Unless I am fortunate enough to get a room with a whiteboard, it's real chalk all right. Five minutes in, I am going to look like a miller.

How much do they already know?

"This course is designed as an introduction to Latin for students with no prior knowledge of the language. No background needed. The focus is on morphology (the forms of the language; declesions of nouns, conjugations of verbs) and syntax (grammatical functions and constructions), not on reading texts; although as the semester progresses we will begin to look at short examples of real Latin to supplement the exercises that Moreland and Fleischer have nicely written out for us. This is an intensive course. It moves quickly. On the assumption that you would like to be capable of reading the language as soon as possible, the idea is to read one unit per week—up through Unit 12 of Moreland and Fleischer's Latin: An Intensive Course—so that at the end of this semester, you will be prepared to take Latin 111b and start in on longer Latin texts."

I love my lesson plans. : )

[kythiaranos.livejournal.com]

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do a great job. :-)

Babilayyu ana bitim alka!

[hans-the-bold.livejournal.com]

Just remember that Latin derives its case system for nominative, accusative, and genetive from Akkadian (Hans' crackpot theory #473), and you'll be fine.

And remember that you can always come to me for help if you need it.

Re: Babilayyu ana bitim alka!

[sovay]

Not if that help is going to include the other 472 crackpot theories . . .

(Thanks.)

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

*patpatpatpatpatpatpat*

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

One of my best teachers in high school was my latin teacher, who as far as I know didn't have an official teachign degree (don't know how she got the job), and was one of the few academic teachers who got a mixed level class. I imagine you're just as clear, just as imaginative, and probably just as inspired.

If they're being odd, you can always dig out those declension songs that my sister taught me. Unfortunately all I remember is that first declension goes with "Tea for Two".

And I Still owe you a meal in the location of my childhood or some reasonable facsimile. I do hope you're not charging interest on this one....

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

THe other thing I learned from her- when teaching parts of speach, throwing things really helps.

[sovay]

Whoa. Parallel evolution! The first time I summer-taught Latin, I learned that all you really need to teach a class about declension is a roll of aluminum foil. "I in the nominative case throw the aluminum foil in the accusative case to you in the dative case . . ."

[jlundberg.livejournal.com]

Good luck, Sonya! You'll do fine as long as you prepare. I got two classes dumped in my lap last minute a few weeks ago, and though I was frantic and unprepared at first, once I made up a syllabus, I was fine.

Just remember that you know way more about Latin than your students do, and they are there to learn from you. You're there to help them.

And hopefully, the school will provide you with chalk, even if you have to scrounge it from somewhere.

You'll be awesome.

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

This, and also: there's a decent chance that the students want to be there, which cannot be said of all beginning courses, language or otherwise....

All best, as they say. :)

[greyselke.livejournal.com]

Those eighteen young minds don't yet realize how lucky they are to have signed up for that Latin class.

Share with them your love of the language and of Classics and I'm sure you will do splendidly.

Does Dr. Fiveash know you are going to start teaching Latin? I'm sure he would be immensely proud.

[sovay]

I'm not even sure he knows I'm at Yale—I think the last time I saw him, I was still at Brandeis. I really should tell him one of these days. Especially since I am planning to steal his concept of "Fiveash English" for translation . . .

[yukihada.livejournal.com]

suddenly wishes she was a card carrying member of the dead languages club...Everyone makes it seem so...lovely. First though..more mastery of my own basic language.

And of course you'll do great, but after reading Tam Lin by Pamela Dean...You're not going to spirit away your best and brightest to the faery hunt?

[sovay]

You're not going to spirit away your best and brightest to the faery hunt?

We never have to spirit anyone away. That's the beautiful part. They come all of their own accord . . .

[yukihada.livejournal.com]

shivers* and creeps very quietly back towards the *so she thinks* somewhat safer English Dept.

[armonie.livejournal.com]

Hey, if I can manage teaching English (what exactly is the "genative" and why do we have so many irregularities? Does our language need fiber pills?) to a bunch of kids (class size from 7-32) who speak no English while I struggle in their language. And I can do that for 2 years given less than a month of training. Well, you can do this. I survived and so will you. You may even turn out to enjoy it. At least your students signed up for the class, so they WANT to be there...

Oh, and use dustless chalk! It makes a huge difference...although I don't think we have crumbly chalk in this country. It's great being allergic to the only chalk in a country that actually writes...

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

See above, re: storytelling. You will do well. Because you are one of a the people I know who is best at going into lecture-mode in casual conversation and making it interesting and entertaining, with all the memorable details in the right places. And if you can do that when talking, I'm sure that with the advantage of a role, you'll do even better. My mom said that one of the things she liked best about teaching was realizing that her students would follow her, even when she felt like she had no idea what she was doing, because she was The Teacher. Lo, you have power. Which is scary, but enjoy it! Have fun.

Colored chalk seems an excellent start. Grin.

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

Heck, after one English Legal History class, part of my brain has decided that I must learn Latin as soon as is reasonably possible. I don't know where it expects me to find the time...

[sovay]

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 1:30—2:20. It's not that much of a commute, right . . . ?

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I have Copyright during that time slot on Wednesdays and Fridays.

[sovay]

What do you need Copyright for? I'm quite certain you're the original.

[justbeast.livejournal.com]

Craziness! :)

Good luck with it!

[larryhammer]

BTW, to prepare, you may want to read this (via).

Also on the same page, "English is what you get from Normans trying to pick up Saxon girls" and "Mycenaean was essentially Greek written in katakana (apart from pigs and vases, which were written in kanji)." Both of which made me fall over in my chair.

---L.

[sovay]

Mycenaean was essentially Greek written in katakana (apart from pigs and vases, which were written in kanji).

That's brilliant. Thanks!

[larryhammer]

What's scary is that it's almost true.

---L.

[greyselke.livejournal.com]

I scrolled down to Afroasiatic, Ancient . . .

Peripheral Akkadian is essentially bad Akkadian.
--John Huehnergard

"Amorite" is essentially everything written in Akkadian which isn't Akkadian.
--John Huehnergard

Biblical Hebrew is essentially Canaanite as spoken by Zoroastrians.
--Charles Häberl

I am very amused ( :

[sovay]

Huehnergard!