Stories

This Teacher Uses the Beatles To Teach His Students Latin

Written by Ed Post Staff | Apr 5, 2021 4:00:00 AM

We value innovation here at Education Post, and New Jersey teacher Keith Andrew Massey is chock full of it. 

Massey teaches Latin. We’re still living through a pandemic, in case you hadn’t heard. So, like scores of his colleagues, Massey started getting creative on video for his students. The results? Well, watch for yourself. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nENQE_g8Az8

Who doesn’t like a little Beatles to end the day—with a twist? Massey’s take on “Let It Be” is sung in Latin to help his kids understand the ancient language a little bit easier. 

NJ.com has more on the similarities and differences between Latin and English in the song’s lyrics: 

“Et ubi nox est nobila, est lux adhuc lucens super me, luce usque ad crastinum, fiat,” he sings.

The familiar English lyrics — “And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be” — appear on the screen.

But there's more to this cover song than making pop culture useful to a classroom. Massey told NJ.com the video was “designed to capture the reality of just how long we have been plodding along."