Teaching Irish with a Mission

Dr. Kathryn Chadbourne's Classes
Are a Festival of Language and Culture

I remember exactly the moment I decided to study Irish," mused Dr. Kathryn Chadbourne, lecturer on Celtic languages and literatures at Harvard University, and the instructor of CELT E-14 Advanced Modern Irish. "I was 12 or 13 and I was at home in Maine watching a PBS documentary about an Ireland whose traditional culture was quickly fading as its language declined. People were leaving the country to find better opportunities, and the traditions of story-telling, singing, and crafts, such as rope-making and weaving, were in danger of being lost. I started to cry and said to myself, 'I want to do what I can to help keep that culture alive.'"

This mission eventually led her to Boston College, where she spent her junior year in Cork, and then to Harvard, where she earned her PhD in Celtic languages and literatures while interspersing a couple of summers in Donegal.

"Kate Chadbourne is one of the most committed teachers of foreign language I have met in my 20 years at the Extension School," stated Raymond Comeau, assistant dean of university extension and director of foreign language instruction for continuing education. "She regularly develops new themes for her teaching and she thinks constantly about better ways of reaching her students. Having dinner with students before class, encouraging them to play the whistle, fiddle, and pipes in class, and urging them to spend immersion weekends in the United States and Ireland are a matter of course with her."

Dr. Chadbourne's classes are a festival of Irish language and culture. "She teaches us grammar, of course," said Tara MacDonald, a student in her fifth consecutive semester with Chadbourne, "but she also uses songs, proverbs, idioms, conversation practice, and stories to assist in our learning." Last semester these activities revolved around the theme of "writing from the Blaskets," and this semester they illustrate the theme of "The Great Famine."

Dr. Chadbourne's approach to teaching has been strongly influenced by Irish culture itself. "In Ireland you're expected to spend time with people, sharing conversation and stories and songs. This is called céilí, and it is the atmosphere I try to create in class," she said.

Chadbourne's students share her sense of mission. Many of them are heritage learners who wish to re-establish ties with the homeland of their ancestors. "I am a proud descendent of one Rose Coyle and Arthur Duffy, my maternal great-grandparents who emigrated from Donegal to East Boston sometime during the second half of the nineteenth century," asserted Lauren Dye, currently in her sixth consecutive semester with Dr. Chadbourne. "My interest in Ireland's history and struggles, and my love of contemporary Irish music and literature, led me to Kate Chadbourne's class."

Her students are also unanimous in their respect and affection for her as a teacher. "Although we sometimes feel overwhelmed by her expectations, we find her energy and commitment, her pure love and enthusiasm for her subject matter infectious," said Mary Davey, also in her sixth consecutive class with Chadbourne. "None of us wants to let her down." Chadbourne's artistry in the classroom has earned her numerous letters of commendation from the Extension School and Harvard College.

What does Chadbourne think about her three years of teaching at the Extension School? "My Extension students inspire me every week with their intelligence, generosity of spirit, humor, and determination," she said. "They impress me, make me laugh, hold me accountable, and challenge me. They are fantastic students and loveable people!"