Katie Swinford

Teaching philosophy

Important skills I want to teach my students

Though much of a traditional history class focuses on important people and dates, I want my students to learn to actively read a primary source, analyze it critically, and then be able to articulate their thoughts about that source either orally or in writing. This ability will allow my students to react thoughtfully to any kind of print or visual media they encounter throughout their lives.

 My goal is to introduce the foundational concepts of the Latin language and the cultural and historical context in which it was written and spoken. I want my Latin students to learn about Latin’s influence on English grammatically, morphologically, and culturally. Like learning any new language, Latin is mastered little by little, over time. To that end, my students learn fundamental study skills through the daily work of memorizing Latin vocabulary and terms.

Teaching methods that reach these goals

My history students read primary source documents and are tasked with placing them in their historical context and evaluating the bias of the author. By the time these students are assessed on these documents, they are able to make persuasive arguments in their essays, drawing upon the breadth of documents we’ve analyzed together.

 In my Latin classes, students are constantly reinforcing the concepts and vocabulary they are learning through Latin stories, conversation and composition, and peer reviewing one another’s work. In order to put these skills into context, we spend time during each week discussing Roman daily life, mythology, and history.

My favorite projects

During my history course’s unit on Ancient Greece, the students simulate debates that took place in the fifth century Athenian Assembly. Each student takes on the persona of fictional, but plausible, ancient Greek, and presents their case from the perspective of their character. The students get very passionate about their faction’s position, which leads to heated debates.

Myth Friday! At least once a week, and usually on Friday, my Latin class focuses on learning about Roman culture, history, or mythology.

What I like best about teaching at Seven Hills

The student population at Seven Hills is exceptional. I love that my students are enthusiastic about learning, and not just about earning a certain grade. At Seven Hills, I am excited to come to work every day and share my expertise with students who delight in hearing it!