On April 18, around thirty alumni, current students, and faculty celebrated a significant anniversary of the Masters in the Arts of Teaching program in Latin and Classical Humanities at UMass Amherst. Charlie Bradshaw (UMass alum, 1966) presented a humorous and inspiring reflection on the importance of UMass Classics and the MAT program to the life of Latin teaching and the teaching profession in general. Having taught for more than 50 years in the Pioneer Valley, Charlie offered unique perspectives on the development of UMass Amherst Classics into a thriving department, on the need to preserve Latin in schools, and on the imperative that Latin be taught effectively. Recent graduates from the program also spoke about their first-year experiences in the classroom and the whole group joined in a discussion on the state of the teaching profession and the quality of their training at UMass Amherst. These discussions were followed by a reception. The pictures accompanying this piece show the group enjoying opening remarks at the event and Herb Holland (UMass MAT 1998) surrounded by some of the teachers he mentored in practicum in the recent decade. Here’s to another 50 years of professional preparation of excellent teachers!
