Latin Classes
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Latin classes for high schooler
April 2013
Hi all. My son has taken Latin for the last 3 yrs at his middle school. He will be attending a HS that unfortunately no longer offers Latin. We have signed him up for Spanish but he would like to see if he could continue Latin somewhere for HS credit. Any thoughts on how this might happen are appreciated. Loves Latin
Check your local community colleges, and ask your high school for assistance (for example, if you want outside Latin courses to count for high school language credit). Many people do this kind of thing, just not usually for Latin.
Berkeley High teaches Latin, as does Pinole High in West Contra Costa, if you are interested in transferring.
If you have the budget for outside of school teaching, Latin is taught at Tilden Preparatory School on Solano, a private middle and high school where students can enroll in one class at a time. Many kids take a class here at the end of the day after they finish classes at a public school.
ATDP (Academic Talent Development Program) is a summer program sponsored by the UC Berkeley Dept of Education, and in past years I've noticed Latin as part of their offering.
My kids have not taken Latin, but they have taken classes from both Tilden and ATDP and really liked them. Pat
Tilden Prep in Albany has Latin through AP level. They have a full-time school, but also teach individual courses to students one-to-one or in small groups, and there is flexible scheduling to work around your son's schedule. My daughter attended Tilden Prep full-time for three years, and it was a wonderful experience for her. Their number is 510-525-5506 or you can google Tilden Prep. Tilden parent
I know Tilden Prep has this and I'm guessing Classroom Matters has this as well. My kid was at Tilden (not for Latin) and I've been disappointed by their lack of organization and overall flakiness, but the level of teachers (when they aren't calling in sick) has been very good.
My daughter just finished up her second year of Latin at Tilden Prep in Albany. I'd highly recommend it. All of her classes there have been a great experience, but Latin is one of her favorites. Many of Tilden's teachers hold advanced degrees in the subjects they teach, and the Latin teacher at Tilden is among those. Another comment mentioned teacher absences. We have not experienced many teacher absences with Latin, though there were a few here and there in other courses during the 2021-22 school year. This, however, is being experienced across the nation. Many schools have teacher shortages and substitute shortages. Tilden is feeling these effects just like other schools are. In addition, strict COVID guidelines around illness and exposure protocol may mean that teachers have had to stay home more than they normally would. Luckily, with one-on-one classes, Tilden can often pivot immediately to online class sessions. And when that isn't possible, our experience is that the teachers adjust what's happening in class to make sure the pace of the course stays on track.
My daughter is a rising junior and has been at Tilden full time since 8th grade. She was a part-time student in 6th and 7th grade. Her teachers have been extraordinary in their subject-matter knowledge, passion for teaching, ability to build relationships with students, and commitment to their work. Plus, it's one-on-one instruction, which is hard to beat. I'd recommend Tilden for any course, and for Latin in particular.