Hello, I am Mrs. Karen Strong. I am delighted to be the Latin teacher at Huron Academy. I hold a permanent Michigan teaching certificate, a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from U of M with two majors: Language Studies and Social Studies.
My husband, Bill, and I have been married for 28 years. We have two sons. My oldest, Robert, is married to the beautiful Jess. The two of them have given birth recently to my first grandchild, Ava Kay. Robert is an engineer and founder of a company called Strong Simulation Consulting. My youngest son, Jonathan is a junior at Oakland University majoring in the field of accounting.
One of my favorite things to do is spend time with my family especially when it involves Ava Kay. I also enjoy our two rescued dogs, Valentine and Junior. I have exciting plans for the summer of 2014. My husband, and son, Jonathan, will be traveling with me to Haiti where we will be working with underprivileged children, volunteering in a medical clinic, and doing some construction.
I believe a wise teacher makes learning a joy. My curriculum will be Rosetta Stone-driven with strong support from literature, writing, collaborative learning, games, and class presentations for the 2nd through 6th graders. We will discover things about Ancient Rome and look at some Latin roots and how they can help us understand our English language. The kindergarteners and 1st graders will be learning vocabulary through literature, art, movement, and music. They will be exposed to Latin words such as numbers, geometric shapes, colors, animals, people, and parts of the human body.
Many people ask why we should learn Latin since it is no longer a spoken language. There are several compelling reasons. One important reason is that studying Latin can heighten our students’ understanding of the English language. It is estimated that at least 60% of our English words come from Latin roots. For example: scribo is the Latin word meaning “to write”. When our students come across new words such as: scribe, transcribe, inscribe, inscription, prescribe, prescription, script, scripture, describe, description, etc., they may recognize the Latin root and then reason that the words have something to do with writing. A second reason to study Latin is to help us develop our brain, because it takes skills like logic, analysis, organization, accuracy, and observation*.
These are just two reasons why I am excited to be part of the Latin program at Huron Academy. You can reach me at [email protected].