Paula
"When it comes to language learning, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Reading on your own is fine, but working with others is a much better way of reinforcing what you know. As an older student, I tend to worry about my ability to retain what I have learned. So, I was glad to be able to spend a week of the long break at the Durham Greek and Latin Summer School, which has been running now for more than thirty years, to continue my Classical Greek.
Durham offers both Greek and Latin, at levels ranging from complete beginner to advanced. This particular school is an all-age affair, from teenagers beginning their A-levels right up to people in their 80s. A benefit of being an all-ages course is that you meet plenty of enthusiasts, which in turn helps keeps you enthusiastic. The staff team also make sure you are in the right group for your abilities.
I chose to be in the Higher Greek group with seven others. We spent half a week reading Xenophon and the other half on a work by Sophocles. Generally, there would be three hour-long sessions a day. In between times you are either preparing for the next session or attending a talk.
The fee for the summer schools covers all the teaching, a week’s accommodation and three meals a day. I was given the maximum sum offered from the HMC Student Support Fund, which certainly made a difference in making the school more affordable. And when you are watching the pennies, this makes it easier to benefit from the academic related activities out there. It would be a shame to pass over opportunities purely based on cost, and the existence of the fund makes it possible to say yes."
