Ontario Classical Association

viresque adquirit eundo

The OCA constitution shows that the Association has succeeded in continuing the purposes of both the OCA and OEA. The three stated aims of the Association are: (1) to discuss the problems and promote the efficiency of teachers of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilization; (2) to encourage interest and scholarship in the Classics; (3) to stimulate, maintain and extend interest in the Humanities. By a constitutional amendment in 1980, the executive committee was renamed the executive council. At the same time, the terms of the secretary and treasurer were reduced to three years, the editor of the Newsletter was added to the executive, and the number of councillors was doubled (six university, six secondary school).

 

The OCA is an active supporter of projects beneficial to the classics in the province.  It sponsored the compilation of an up-to-date bibliography of books on Greek and Roman civilization, edited by Alan Booth and published in 1987.  The OCA has also provided financial support to conferences and to classical publications such as Labyrinth.  Since 1995 it has administered the Harry C. Maynard Scholarships for high school and university students, the result of a legacy from Mr. Maynard who was a dedicated Latin teacher for many years. In 1999-2000 the OCA collaborated with the Ministry of Education and TV Ontario in producing a training video for Classical Studies.

 

In recent years, the chief issues facing the OCA have been curricular change and teacher certification. In 1972 the OCA urged the Ministry to introduce guidelines for Classical Civilization courses in addition to the existing Latin and Greek courses; these became part of the high school curriculum. The Secondary Education Review Project of 1981 seriously undermined language studies in Ontario;  the development of Ontario Academic Courses in Latin, Greek and Classical Civilization, in which OCA members played an important role, to some extent ameliorated this situation.  In 1999 the provincial government completely revamped the secondary school curriculum, including the elimination of Ontario Grade 13. As a result, the Latin curriculum was reduced from four years to three.  OCA members made up the writing team for the new Latin curriculum, as well as for Greek and for a new Grade 12 course in Classical Civilization.  The Association has also collected and analyzed data on course offerings and enrolments at both secondary and post-secondary levels. 

 

Teacher education and certification is another problem which the OCA has been addressing, trying to ensure a supply of well-qualified teachers for the future.  In 1997 the OCA successfully lobbied for revision of the academic requirements for teachers to pursue the Honour Specialist qualification. The old requirements included more courses in Latin and Greek than could be obtained at most universities; the revised version allowed a mixture of classical language and classical civilization courses to be counted. The OCA then succeeded in getting an Additional Qualification Course and an Honour Specialist Course in Classical Studies: Latin/Greek, offered at the University of Toronto in 1997. Three years later saw the introduction a pre-service Bachelor of Education degree in Classical Studies: Latin/Greek. Another AQ/Honour Specialist course was offered in 2006. Future offerings of teacher training courses will depend on a sufficient number of candidates. The OCA also maintains a registry of current and potential teachers, with a view to providing candidates to fill retirement vacancies as these occur.

 

The OCA has not only met the challenges of the past, but looks forward with enthusiasm and devotion to promoting the teaching of classical languages and civilizations in the years ahead.

 

A Brief History of the Ontario Classical Association    ...continued