A Day in the Life of a Latin Language Teacher Back to Top

Overview

Latin is the fourth most popular language taught in American schools. Less than a century ago, Latin was a requirement for all schools and was the leading foreign language up until 1950 when Spanish took the lead. Latin is typically offered or required in private religious schools and is still offered in many public schools around America. The duties of a Latin teacher include creating lesson plans, planning activities, creating and grading tests or assignments, and engaging students. Latin teachers must immerse the students in the language by constantly speaking, writing, and reading Latin, and encouraging students to do the same. Most importantly, however, a Latin teacher must be fluent at Latin and English. A Latin teacher must often teach the history and culture of the language, so knowledge and interest of these topics is important as well.

Elementary and Middle School

In 2008, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) conducted a nationwide survey of elementary and secondary schools to collect data on foreign languages taught in the United States. According to the survey, the teaching of Latin in elementary schools that have language programs increased from 3% to 6% in ten years. Among elementary and middle schools, the most common foreign language program is the exploratory model, which provides introductory exposure to the language. Language focus programs are the second most common program for elementary schools, emphasizing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture. The remainder of elementary school programs usually use the immersion model, which provides students with the opportunity to attain high levels of proficiency in the foreign language. When a student reaches middle school, he or she is usually given the chance to choose which language to study. The middle school classes offer an introduction to Latin that will be built upon in high school.

High School

The survey also found that the teaching of Latin in high schools across the country decreased from 20% to 13% in the last ten years. A typical high school Latin course instructs reading, writing, listening, speaking, and culture. A Latin teacher can teach anywhere from level one to five, or even an Advanced Placement (AP) course. High school foreign language classes move away from the simple translation of middle school and begin to instruct students on writing, reading, listening, and comprehending. At each level of Latin, students will be more immersed into the language and are expected to retain each of the levels before.

Latin teachers must earn a Bachelor’s degree in Latin, and must be fluent in both English and Latin. They must also obtain a teaching certificate in the state they wish to teach in. It is also highly recommended to obtain a a foreign language certificate. Currently, only 31% of elementary level foreign language teachers have this certificate, so having one will certainly put you above the competition. The majority of high school foreign language teachers are certified to teach a foreign language. One quarter of elementary schools and nearly one third of secondary schools offering languages reported being affected by a shortage of qualified language teachers. The most affected schools were elementary schools in rural areas and high schools with a large percentage of students from a low-socioeconomic background. The need for qualified foreign language teachers is growing, and the average salary for the secondary level is slightly higher than that of the average teacher, $56,000.

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