With 22 years of experience teaching Latin, Magister (Latin for teacher) Robert Payne always tries to incorporate fun into the education of  his students at the same time. From dressing up and decorating for spirit week to singing songs in class, there never seems to be a dull day in Latin class.

“Magister Payne is very energetic every day,” sophomore and Latin 2 student Alicia Steffy said.  “He’s really friendly but he wants to stay focused. He says ‘Salve, salve, salve’ [Hello hello hello] to us every day!”

However, students get a lot more out of the class than just fun greetings and high energy. Payne’s favorite quote, “Homo doctus in se devitras semper habet,” or “An educated person always has treasures within himself,” truly exemplifies what he wishes to do for his students. Payne is always striving to instill those treasures in his students, and turn them into more well rounded and educated individuals.

“Latin is good training for the mind, and for languages in general,” Payne said. “History, civilization, culture, you can’t turn anywhere in our modern culture without seeing the influence of Greece and Rome. ”

Payne’s passion for Latin goes beyond just the subject he teaches. He has always goes the extra mile to help his students learn and to enjoy doing so. Through his years of experience, Payne has learned to teach students as individuals, adjusting to the strengths and preferred learning methods of the students. He does everything he can to make sure that class does not inch along for his students, but rather is filled with new lessons and understandable, exciting material.

“I’ve done songs in bits and pieces, and I’ve added songs over the year,” Payne said. “I think I do that because you have to make it appeal to everybody’s mode of learning. There are some students that learn by seeing notes on a PowerPoint, that works for then, but there are other kids who are more audio oriented, so it helps them to remember more.”

Of course, Latin is not always a fun and easy class filled with music and games. Like any class, students struggle at times, but when they do, they have support and opportunities, such as tutoring before or after school, to receive the help they need. Payne hopes to be able to inspire his students to learn and help them when they are struggling.

“I always say, ‘My door is open, pop in for two or three minutes if you have a question,” Payne said. “I always try to make myself accessible for the kids, I always try to encourage them to come in for that extra help.”