Career Profile, Matthew Hartnett ’88,

What is your graduation year, and did you have a double major? 

I graduated in 1988 with a major in Classical Studies.

Can you tell us a little bit about your experience at William & Mary? What drew you to Classical Studies?

When I first arrived at W&M I was expecting to major in Biology. I had met my language requirement with four years of Latin in high school, but I enrolled in a Latin course my first semester because I enjoyed Latin and wanted to keep it up. My experience in that class (Plautus, if memory serves) upended all my plans! The small class size, an engaging professor, like-minded classmates, and of course, the material itself all convinced me that Classical Studies was where I belonged.

What are you doing now and what is your favorite thing about your job? 

I teach Latin and Greek at Phillips Exeter Academy in NH. The best thing about my job is that I get to spend my days (and many nights!) reading and discussing the texts that so enthralled me when I was in high school and college, and I am able to experience again and again the joy and wonder that my students feel as they encounter these words and ideas for the first time.

More broadly, how has that experience shaped you as a person?

One of the biggest effects that my studies have had on me as a person is the cultivation of a sort of epistemic humility. There are not many important human questions that were not asked by some writer or thinker in the ancient Mediterranean world. I tend to approach every challenge or problem as one that has a broader context and probably a reasonably long history. The other great impact my studies have had on me is the idea that philosophy can truly serve as a guide for life. Both as an educator and as a human being, I have often found that ancient perspectives on what it means to be human, what it means to live a good life, provide great clarity when someone is trying to make sense of the noise and confusion of their current moment.

What advice would you give a student who is interested in your field?

There are a lot of independent schools across the country and all over the world and they vary widely in every conceivable dimension. But they are all looking for educators who know their field of study well and are passionate about sharing it, who enjoy connecting with young people and are good at it, and who are enthusiastic about learning new things and assuming different roles in supporting students. Organizations like NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) and others provide good starting points for exploring careers in the independent school world.

{Link to textbook https://hackettpublishing.com/by-roman-hands-3316}