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MDMagistra DLatin Classroom
Persona · Traci Dougherty, M.Ed.

Educator · Presenter · Trainer

Magistra Dougherty

I'm Traci Dougherty — a Latin and world-language educator with twenty years of experience across the classroom and the field. I currently teach Latin and gifted learners at Upper Dublin, serve as Vice President of Membership for the American Classical League, and hold NECTFL Mead (2023) and LEAP (2024) Fellowships. As a neurodiverse educator myself, I build proficiency-based, neuroinclusive classrooms — grounded in backward design and comprehensible input — that meet every student where they are.
Line-art illustration of Magistra Dougherty writing at a desk beside a classical column

Before your class, I always thought of Latin as the “SAT language.” But once I started Latin in 6th grade I learned there was much more to it. Your classroom techniques have not only made me a better Latin student, but also a better English student.

— 8th grade student
Tabula I · Core beliefs

Core beliefs that guide my practice

Eight convictions, drawn from acquisition research, that shape every unit I write.

  1. All students can acquire a second (or third!) language.
  2. Language acquisition occurs as the result of receiving comprehensible input.
  3. Compelling input can eliminate the need for motivation.
  4. Comprehension precedes production.
  5. Students will not invest in improving their second language unless they own it. — John DeMado
  6. Immersion can be inefficient.
  7. We learn grammar from language, not language from grammar. — Kató Lomb
  8. Interaction is a driving force in acquisition.
Tabula II · Mission

My mission as a world language educator

My mission is to ensure ALL students:

  1. Understand how languages are acquired.
  2. Confidently see themselves as language learners.
  3. Enroll in upper level classes.
  4. Achieve intermediate proficiency by the end of high school.
  5. Are empowered to keep acquiring language through deliberate practice, wherever life takes them.
Tabula III · Path

How I got here

Every belief on this page was earned in a classroom. Here's the road that shaped the way I teach.

  1. Classics, then a master's

    A B.A. in English, History, and Classics from Temple (2007), post-baccalaureate Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania (2008), and an M.Ed. from Temple (2009).

  2. A data-driven start at Penn

    Associate Director of Evaluation & Assessment / Data Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania (2007–2013) — where I learned to measure what a program is really doing for its learners.

  3. Into the Latin classroom

    Teaching Latin 1–3 at Souderton Area High School (2012–2015), where I founded a summer immersion camp to spark classical-language interest in 5th–8th graders.

  4. Building a program

    Nine years at Sandy Run Middle School (2015–2024), serving as World Language Department Chair and leading district-wide curriculum mapping to ACTFL World-Readiness Standards.

  5. National leadership & fellowships

    Vice President of the American Classical League, 2023 NECTFL Mead Innovation Fellow, and 2024 NECTFL LEAP Fellow — now teaching Latin and gifted learners at Upper Dublin (2025–present).
Tabula IV · Method

How I achieve it: the 3 C's

As an educator passionate about the craft, the theory, and the heart of teaching, I build every lesson around three commitments.

Comprehensible

We acquire language subconsciously through understandable messages — meaning is established early, checked constantly, and pitched one step beyond a learner's current level (i+1).

Compelling

When content becomes personally interesting, language becomes secondary and learners get “lost in the moment.” Grammar alone isn't interesting to most learners — story is.

Caring

When stress increases, learning decreases. I build a safety net where students can name confusion and stress, and I advocate openly as a neurodiverse learner myself.

She makes me feel like my input is wanted and all of her students' educations are important to her.

— 6th grade student
Tabula V · In practice

Service beyond the classroom: Pennsylvania Junior Classical League

The work doesn't stop at the bell. I help lead the statewide student organization that carries classics to the next generation.

Publications & Technology Chair · Board Member

Pennsylvania Junior Classical League

Since 2019 I've served on the PAJCL board, where I manage content pipelines, apply scope-and-sequence editorial standards, and direct layout production for the PLUMA newsletter and other publications serving a statewide network of Latin students — the torch of classical civilization, handed on.

2019

On the PAJCL board since

30+

Pennsylvania JCL schools in the network

NJCL

National network, 45,000+ members

Runs on it

  • Convention teams & contests
  • PLUMA newsletter & publications
  • NLE and PCS award winners
  • Community service & social events
Tabula VI · Record

Teaching background & credentials

Education & certification

  • M.Ed., Temple University (2009)
  • B.A. English, History & Classics, Temple University (2007)
  • Graduate study, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (2011); Post-Baccalaureate, Classical Studies (2008)
  • Teaching Certificate, Villanova University (2012–2013)
  • PA Instructional Certificate II: Latin, History & English (2019)
  • Google Certified Educator, Level II (2020)

Experience & leadership

  • 20+ years in world-language education at the state, regional, and national levels
  • Vice President of Membership, American Classical League (2022–present)
  • Past Chair, Excellence Through Classics / ACL (2020–2021)
  • Vice President, ACTFL Neurodiversity Special Interest Group (2025–present)
  • 2023 NECTFL Mead Innovation Fellow · 2024 NECTFL LEAP Fellow

Have a question for Magistra D?

Parents, students, fellow teachers, and event organizers are all welcome. Send a note and I'll be in touch.

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