From Ancient Rome to Modern Minds

As Peck’s fifth graders step into the Upper School, they embark on an exciting journey through three world languages: Spanish, French, and Latin. Over the course of a trimester in each, students explore the foundations of these languages before deciding which to pursue further. 

But what makes Latin—a language considered outdated—such a valuable part of Peck’s curriculum?

“Latin always gets the moniker of a dead language, but it has never gone away,” explains Upper School Latin teacher David Marshall. “Schools value Latin because it forces students to pause and puzzle through things. You can’t just look at it and know what it says.”

Unlike English, which relies on word order to convey meaning, Latin uses endings and inflections to determine the role of each word. This structure encourages students to think critically, analyze grammatical clues, and piece together meaning in a way that feels like solving a puzzle.

At Peck, Marshall employs a blended approach to teaching Latin, incorporating grammar-translation methods (students learn grammatical concepts to decode texts), reading-focused methods (students immerse themselves in Latin texts to build comprehension naturally), and modern methods, where students practice speaking Latin to bring the language to life.

“Latin gives students the ability to read literature from 2,000 years ago—because it’s beautiful,” said Marshall. “It also strengthens their English writing skills and their capacity for analytical thinking, which carries over into every subject.”

At Peck, Latin is not just a study of the past—it’s a tool that prepares students for the future.