Latin is Alive!

We are picking up where we left off with Middle School Latin teacher and Foreign Language Department Chair Nancy Scoville. For those new to the school or new to the blog, each week we will feature a different faculty member from one of the campuses. Hopefully we will provide you with some fun new information that you didn’t know before. Let’s get started…

Q: Just coming off of Summer Break, what are some of the things you are excited about this upcoming School Year?

A: I am always excited to reconnect with my colleagues and all of the students – I miss seeing everyone each day! I’m excited to work with my classes, and I’m very excited about working with the MS Drama productions as this is a wonderful way for students to learn to work together, to take risks  (acting, singing, and dancing in front of peers and learning the behind-the-scenes technology of the theater) by trying something they perhaps have not tried before, and to see them experience “Aha!” moments of personal growth and success. I’m also looking forward to hearing Sir Ken Robinson in February.

Q: What are some fun things that you did on your summer break?

A: My summer was very busy! In June,  I visited family in Florida – my dad is 85 and still one of the smartest people I know! I also attended the American Classical League Institute in Minneapolis. The ACL meeting is always great because you are learning/collaborating with peers who love Classics and who share their expertise with you. This year’s keynote speaker was Fr. Reginald Foster who worked in the Vatican for 40 years as the pope’s “Latinist.” His sessions were amazing – no technology, no books, just the pure joy of exploring Latin as the ancients did! In July, I traveled to Europe for two weeks.   I  spent time in Italy, France, Spain, and Tunisia. I visited some places  I had never seen before, and it was exciting to turn a corner and to see vestiges of the Roman Empire EVERYWHERE! As I traveled, I also worked on the Christmas pillows I needlepoint for my four children each year.

Q: You teach MS Latin, which is considered a dead language, what are some of the ways you get students interested in learning?

A: Ensworth has afforded me professional development opportunities to study in Italy with Baylor University and to travel to other Roman ruins in Europe over the years. I am truly grateful for this support of the work I am doing in our Middle School. I have unparalleled first-hand  experience of what it’s like to see a archeological “dig” in progress at Pompeii or to walk on the Appian Way, or to stand in the Roman Forum. Roman history and the study of Latin are personal to me, and I try to make it personal for my students. I think that the students love the “puzzle” that is Latin. It is empowering for them to put the vocabulary, grammar, history, and culture pieces  together in unique ways. They have ownership of what they are learning, and this makes it exciting for them.

Q: How did you become interested in Languages? How many languages do you speak?

A: I have always been a “language” person. I love reading, and I love the intricacies of language itself. My parents traveled all over the world at the end of World War II on a Merchant Marine ship, and I was always intrigued by their stories of faraway places. I studied German and French in high school and was lucky enough  to spend a summer in Austria living with a family to improve my German and  I also spent a semester abroad  in Waterloo, Belgium where I continued to develop my proficiency in French. I majored in both  languages at The University of the South. I am always excited to have the chance to speak either language, and my French was especially helpful when I was in Tunisia this summer.

Q: Where is your favorite place you have traveled and why?

A: This is a very hard question for me to answer! I have been so fortunate to travel to many wonderful places, and to some places many times. I especially love Vienna and Paris – the food, the architecture, the music and art, and the people are fascinating. It feels as though I am “coming home” when I visit these cities.

Q: Who would you like from the HS to see featured on the blog next?

A: Joe Brady