LATIN
Taking the Time to Translate by Jessica Watson
G
rowing up, I loved to help my grandfather put together jigsaw puzzles. I remember how daunting it would seem when I first glanced at the thousands of tiny pieces and wondered how they would ever all fit together to form the picture on the front of the puzzle box. Yet, slowly but surely, as we sorted and arranged the various pieces, they would form a scenic landscape or a beautiful work of art. It was a satisfying feeling to finally survey the finished puzzle—all of our labor and patience paid off. For a grammar school student, translating a sentence—either into Latin or from Latin to English—has a similar effect. Students spend hours memorizing vocabulary and grammar forms and, Jessica Watson has been involved in education for more than twenty years, first as a homeschool mother and currently as a teacher at Highlands Latin School. She is the author of several study guides and the instructor for many Latin instructional videos for Memoria Press.
4
Taking the Time to Translate
no doubt, there are times when those efforts feel disconnected and disjointed, like scattered puzzle pieces. Then, they are presented with an entire sentence and they must work to fit together all of the various pieces they have been learning into a coherent structure. Their hard-earned knowledge no longer looks random or isolated, but like perfect parts of a larger whole. Little by little, they are able to use this knowledge to bring order and meaning to the Latin language, and this provides them with a genuinely rewarding academic experience. So how can you maximize the moments when your students achieve such gratification in their Latin studies? First, do not skip over recitation and review. In order for something to be retained by our memories, it must be repeated. Our Latin students will lose the knowledge they have worked so hard to gain if they are not constantly, consistently practicing it. Once a week, make it a priority to work through all of the grammar forms your students have learned. Have a MemoriaPress.com
