Imposter? I hardly even know 'er! (aka McIntire intro)

Avete! I’m Magistra McIntire (they/them), co-lead teacher and leader of Quid Rides? this year- more on that later. Here are some things about me!

Recently I've enjoyed...

• Penn State Creamery banana ice cream
• thrifting
• recreating my favorite restaurant dishes (e.g. tofu paneer tikka masala)
• losing at soccer
• Dropout tv
• National Senior Classical League aka running Latin convention (you should join once you graduate!)
• 3d printing mythological creatures & ancient statues from here, here, and here (see below sans accurate painted decoration 😢)

I teach Latin in Philadelphia, but I used to be in your very shoes- scouring through the seemingly endless pages of the Latin Academy information packet.

If I may get deep for a second, Latin Academy is such a special time. As a student, nothing compared to being surrounded by other Latin nerds and being able to make “obscure” jokes about stabbing salads and calling it Caesar. But it was also intimidating. I was one of the best Latin students at my own school, but I was suddenly not the only obvious choice for the teacher’s favorite.

As Academy went on though- I learned it wasn’t about being the best. It was about trying new things- like acting, memorizing poetry, and (scariest of all) making small talk in Latin. It was about making grammatical mistakes (while talking to teachers) and asking questions (which others already knew the answer to), but it was okay- even encouraged. Best of all, it was about forming friendships. Each new friend had a vastly different set of talents. While I was daunted at first, I then was able to learn so much from them about music, origami, and exactly how far south "nova" stretches. But we all shared a love of Latin, and I still have friends from Academy today!

No matter how you estimate yourself compared to your peers, if you go all in, commit to learning, and lean into community, then you've won. You are all passionate about Latin. You've already been accepted to Latin Academy. We’re just here to love learning. Can't wait to see the unique love you bring to the Academy. quisquis amat valet :)

​-MM