MARGINALIA

Last fall, I was invited to give the keynote address at the 2022 Virginia Junior Classical League Convention in Richmond. Here is the fleshe...

It seems today is the day for classical literacy. Behold this humorous take on the whole carpe diem theme:

I came across " ad nauseam" twice this morning in my readings. The Latin phrase means "to the point of sickness or disgust,...

David Pellegrino, a retired, high school Latin teacher who lives in Upstate New York, occasionally shares on Facebook "short, doable La...

A bust of the Roman emperor Decius , who ruled during the mid-3rd century CE. I captured this image in the Capitoline Museums during my las...

Retirement came easily, more easily than I had expected or ever planned. When I began my teaching career in 1987, retirement was far from my...

I am returning to my blog after a nearly five-year hiatus. Of course this statement is technically correct, but I notice I really haven'...

Hello! My name is Mark, and I am hoarder of classroom materials. I finished the annual task of packing up and cleaning out my classroom to...

I just returned home from a farewell dinner for two Latin colleagues leaving our school system at the end of the week. Each one is depa...

As exam week rolls into view, I find it necessary to take stock of this year which, I must admit, has not been a good one, either for m...

The other day in Latin III, my students asked a question that made me realize something about Martial's poem V.34 about the death of Ero...

I have sat down this Saturday afternoon after our first five-day school week of the year. To put it succinctly, I am exhausted. It always ta...

Last night orientation for freshmen and other new students was held at my school. This is always a positive, warm and fuzzy evening where ev...

We had our first meeting of Latin Club officers yesterday, a full week before the start of school on September 3. We met at the local Starbu...

I wandered back to my blog today after an extended hiatus... of seventeen months! This IS something I am interested in pursuing, but finding...

The 2012-2013 Riverbend HS Latin Club has received the Century Club Award from the National Junior Classical League for having over one-hu...

On August 23, 2011, at 1:51 p.m., a very rare thing happened. There was a rumble, a small rattle, and then the earth shook for what seemed l...

My daughter Sarah is heading off to college in a couple weeks. She will be a freshman at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and s...

Question #4: Why are the sidewalks in Pompeiian streets so high? Stepping stones crossing a street in Pompeii from elevated sidewalks. ...

Question #3: How in the world did traffic navigate those stepping stones in Pompeii? In my last posting I considered the ruts between thos...