th wonderful intellectual opportunities that are challenging and serious. Latin class should be made interesting through a teacher's broad background and not with gimmicks."
"For me, the study of Latin was focused in three arenas: the language, the literature, and the history. The language helped me to become a more articulate person, with a deeper understanding of how to manipulate language and to better communicate my ideas. ....The literature helped to broaden my imagination. Additionally, because I was exposed to epic poetry, myth, satire, and early novels, I am better able to understand literature in general, to see the interconnectedness of story themes across time and how they relate to the human condition, and to understand what artistic frameworks in literature foster greater productive creativity. The history helped me to understand my place in time, the eternal challenges that face humanity, the heritage that modern culture owes to the past."
Another of Sienkewicz's former students, Kelly DiDonato, is a reference librarian for Lake Villa District Library in Lake Villa, Illinois.
"As a reference librarian, I draw on my knowledge of Latin frequently. I often get calls from people who have come across a word in a book but don't know what it means. Either I can figure out the meaning from breaking down the Latin roots of the word, or I can find it more easily in the dictionary because Latin has given me a better grasp of English spelling. Latin is also invaluable when patrons are inquiring about medical conditions with lengthy names. I feel like I can better appreciate the English language because of Latin. For example, the word conspiracy takes on deeper shades of meaning for me because I can mentally break it down into con -- 'with or together' [and] spir -- 'to breathe.' So conspiracy is literally "breathing together." Thanks to Latin, I can better appreciate the richness of the language in the books that surround me."