Schools
Andrew teacher attends Classics Advocacy Day
Gathered in Washington, DC to meet with their members of Congress and legislative staff to discuss the state of Latin and Greek education
Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus!
Classicists from across the country gathered in Washington, DC to meet with their members of Congress and legislative staff to discuss the state of Latin and Greek education. Jennifer Jordt, of Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park, was a part of this delegation of advocates.
More than 30 educators attended meetings in over 60 Congressional offices to promote their message. Classics Advocacy Day, the first lobby-in day of its kind, was co-hosted and co-organized by the American Classical League (ACL) and the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) to celebrate 100 years of service and learning of the classics. Participants met in the nation's capital in the morning to discuss meeting tactics and their legislative agenda. Then, they made their way to Senate and House offices buildings to share their message.
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"ACL represents a wide range of professionals and research backgrounds," said Sherwin Little, Executive Director of ACL. "During this event, I felt we really showcased our members' contribution to American education and the continued importance of a classics education for the 21st century."
A key component of ACL's advocacy was to highlight National Latin Week. ACL and JNCL have authored a Senate and House Resolution that would designate April 21st as "National Classics Education Day" to culminate the week's activities. Both groups are seeking sponsors to introduce it in both chambers.
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Also part of the group's request was an official letters of congratulations addressed to ACL in recognition of their centennial celebration in 2019. So far they have received several letters with more still coming in.
"Our group received overwhelming support from staffers and Congresspeople, many of whom had studied Latin, Greek or another world language in high school and college," said Trey Calvin, Managing Policy Analyst for JNCL. "The participants were very eager to establish relationships with their Congressional offices. This is key as we continue to see shortages of teachers and program cuts in world language. Congress needs to hear their voice."
