Although he teaches two subjects with relatively few students, Latin and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) teacher Brian Kane has been an integral component of the faculty since 2005.
Originally from Fort Riley, Kansas, Kane received an undergraduate degree in history from Virginia Tech and a master?s degree in Classical Studies from the University of Kansas. He credits a great deal of his early development to his parents.
?My parents were very hands off, and I was grateful for that,? he said, ?but they were always supportive of whatever I wanted to do, and provided a very positive example.?
?I received a full ride to graduate school, but [the program] required that I go into teaching Latin,? he said.
At first, Kane ?was terrified by the thought of being the center of attention, but [he] learned that it was really fun being ?on stage? and helping kids understand complex ideas.?
Kane worked at a non-profit organization in Washington D.C. after graduate school.
He applied for a job in Fairfax County, and began working part time at both W. T. Woodson High School and Marshall.
Eventually, Kane switched to working at Marshall full time, taking on TOK classes and teaching all levels of Latin.
Outside of teaching, Kane enjoys playing paintball, hiking and camping.
He also has a passion for travel, and recently spent a summer in Vatican City as part of a program for Latin teachers.
?In the summer of 2008, I got to spend time with Reginald Foster, who is in charge of proofreading the Pope?s Latin communications,? he said. ?He encouraged us to speak Latin, and the experience really helped with how I understand the language.?
While Latin 1 classes are being cut at the middle school level, Kane is still hopeful about the future of the program.
?It?s been hard recently, since a lot of kids that would have done four years of Latin in order to earn the [International Baccalaureate] diploma in the past are now turning to French or Spanish,? he said. ?But that means that I have to do a lot more advertising for the class to try to get people to be interested in Latin.?