By Jo Hayes
A SWELTERING summer afternoon in Brisbane, in the late 1990s.
School has finished for the day. The school grounds are unusually silent.
And I am sitting in a stifling hot classroom, sorting out my Latin declensions.
I wasn’t being punished – although it did feel like it at the time.
I had signed up for this class, albeit, at the insistence of my father.
As a 14 year old, “forced” to stay back after school, it is fair to say I was a reluctant student of this classical language.
Especially as none of my friends had to do it. It was me, and, two other students – who, bless them, actually loved it.
But, a couple of decades on, I am incredibly grateful for the foresight, wisdom, and fatherly discipline, of my dear old dad, who knew what I did not know at the time – the opportunity to study Latin is an incredible gift.
And, was it ever.
This was Kedron State High School, in the 90s, early 2000s.
I do believe it was one of only two Queensland schools, at the time, to offer Latin as a subject.
The other, being Brisbane Grammar School.
Thanks to the selfless dedication of the school’s Head of Science – Mr Wheatley was an absolute whiz at physics, and ancient languages– any student, from year 8-12, had the opportunity to study Latin and/or ancient Greek.
My father was determined to seize the opportunity for as many of his six children, as he could.
If only I had known, then, how Latin could serve me in later years, I would have paid more attention, and gone far beyond my “amo, amas, amat” basics.
One of the common, and rather ignorant, modern arguments against teaching Latin in schools, is because it’s not a functional language – as no one speaks it anymore.
Dear friends, that is not the reason we study – although many do speak it.
Latin is the universal language of western civilization.
It is the root and foundation of the five romance languages – French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian – and has largely influenced the development of the English language.
A basic or, better yet, an advanced grasp of Latin sets us up for greater success in a vast range of subject areas.
English vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, writing and expressive language, to name a few.
Not to mention the benefits to our understanding of literature, history and art.
My after-school language lessons were supplemented by a stint, with my father, at his alma mater, St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe.
On a Saturday morning, for several months, my dad and I would be taught the history of Latin, by an old, retired teacher, and priest.
It was incredibly boring, and my teenage self did not enjoy it, but there were bribes, and they worked.
If only I had realised the value of Latin, in aiding all my studies, across all subjects.
If only I had realised the value of Latin, in formulating a winning QDU debate.
I was the public speaking/debating type – give me the mic at a school event and I was in my element.
If only I had realised the value of Latin in helping my future career/s – all steeped in the knowledge of words and language.
If I had realised all this, I would have been far less of a reluctant Latin student.
I finished school, and completed my undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology at the University of Queensland, followed, a few years later, by a Masters degree in Journalism – my research thesis focused on the history of modern etiquette – again, not unrelated to the study of classical languages.
As a broadcast journalist, I’ve spent the past 15 years working for Australia’s leading media networks – as a radio newsreader, and as a TV reporter.
I am acutely aware that the ability to use words creatively, and powerfully, doesn’t just fall on people – it comes with immersing oneself in words.
Reading them, writing them, hearing them, speaking them. Immersing oneself in language.
Studying Latin helps us do this.
In the past seven years, I’ve taken the plunge into biblical Greek and Hebrew – again, not functional languages, but incredibly beneficial in gaining a better understanding of biblical texts, world history and language in general.
I can’t help thinking back to those foundational days in that sweltering Brisbane classroom.
While I’m not certain I ever got my Latin declensions sorted, I am supremely grateful to my father for his wisdom in forcing/coercing/bribing his reluctant teenage daughter to study a language that has such wide-ranging benefits.
Long may the classical languages continue.
Jo Hayes is a TV journalist and evangelist. See her work at johayes.com.au
