I Sent a Letter to my Professor at Brown

Haven’t we all had a teacher (or many!) who sparked something in us, who, upon looking back, was a catalyst to a new perspective, who cheered us on, and who helped shape, in some small or quiet way, our future endeavors? Professor Pucci at Brown was one of mine. Here’s to all the great educators out there 💫:

Dear Professor Pucci,

I was so happy to receive your alumni email last week, as I’ve been meaning to reach out. I want to thank you for all the ways you supported my Latin/Classics journey while at Brown. I could not have imagined that through my many post college adventures, my love of Latin and teaching would be a through line, and I would eventually start my own company teaching Latin to middle and high school students!  

To recap, just after graduating from Brown, I taught Latin at a boarding school in Raleigh, North Carolina, during which I took acting classes at UNC Chapel Hill in my free time. The latter (or perhaps both!) led me to a career as a professional TV and film actor in Los Angeles (as Elizabeth Bond), where I now live with my family. We have two kiddos, 7 and 9, who learn a new Latin “word of the day” on the way to school every morning. To sustain myself when first in LA in 2005, I began tutoring Latin. During down time on film sets, I would find myself dreaming about lesson plans and opportunities to ignite a love of Latin in my students. I realized that teaching, and teaching Latin in particular, was the career that gave me the greatest purpose and joy. 

Eventually, I started my own little company, Pretty Smartly Tutoring, to teach Latin and academic coach/mentor middle and high school students all over the country. I’ve been able to see and hear firsthand from students how various Latin curricula and teachers are effective, and I’ve developed many of my own best practices. Perhaps it’s my enthusiasm for the language that my students have no choice but to take on (“ok ok, Elizabeth, yes we love Latin too”), but they all seem to have grown through the challenges of mastering the language through their own hard work. 

I always tell my students that Latin can change lives, not only in the technicalities of grammar and translation practices, which can inform the way we approach our own writing and speaking skills, but in the understanding of our humanity, past and present, and the emotional intricacies and ties that connect us all across millennia. 

All of that to say, thank you, Professor Pucci, for planting seeds toward my future endeavors - I talk about you to all of my students - and for teaching at a university that encouraged me to go deeply into such a specific aspect of scholarship that has allowed me to contribute in such a personally meaningful way.

-Elizabeth Murphy