How to Become a Latin Teacher
I. If you want to teach in a Private School, major in Classics or (preferably) Latin.
II. If you want to teach in a Public School, there are three steps:
1. Major in Latin, or major in another area in Classics and make sure
you have at least 24 credit hours of Latin, including Latin composition
(LAT 324) and at least one LAT 365
2. Complete a teaching certification program. There are five ways to do this:
A. Complete the requirements of UTeach Liberal Arts (http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/uteach/) while you pursue your undergraduate degree.
B. Enroll in the Post-Baccalaureate program of UTeach Liberal Arts after you graduate (this is a 3-semester program).
C. Complete one of any number of other certification programs offered
by other universities, Regional Educational Service Centers throughout
the state, and various private companies. These are listed on the
web site of the State Board for Educator Certification (http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/approvedprograms.asp).
Some, though not all, of these programs include Latin in the fields for
which they certify teachers. They have varying requirements,
including summer, on-line, and evening courses, and internships.
If you decide to pursue this option, you will want to investigate the
various programs to see which will work best for you.
D. Sometimes school districts, desperate for a Latin teacher, will hire
an uncertified person with a Latin or Classics degree and offer
“emergency certification” until the teacher has completed
certification requirements. Often the school district will help
the teacher complete the requirements.
E. Participate in Teach for America (http://www.teachforamerica.org/)
3. Pass the ExCET exam in Latin.
Notes on the ExCET exam:
a. If you have completed certification in another field (e.g., History
or English), you can become certified to teach Latin in most schools
merely by passing this exam.
b. The UT Classics department offers a review for this exam each
year. Contact Tim Moore (timmoore@mail.utexas.edu) for more
information. There is also review material for the exam on line
at http://www.txclassics.org/excet.htm and at http://www.texes.ets.org/texes/prepMaterials/.
c. Not anyone can take this exam. You must have some connection
with a certification program or be certified in another field in order
to take it.
Paying For It
Fulfilling the requirements for certification can be expensive.
There are, however, a number of sources of funding. You should
definitely take advantage of these if you plan to teach. Here are
some of the sources:
1. The UT Department of Classics has among its undergraduate
scholarships some designed specifically for students planning to teach
at the secondary level. Watch out for the announcement to
Classics majors sent each spring.
2. The Texas Classical Association has scholarships for teachers-in
training available to its members (student membership costs only $5): http://www.txclassics.org/schol.htm.
3. The Classical Association of the Middle West and South also offers scholarships to students training to be Latin teachers: http://www.camws.org/awards/MAScollege.html.
4. The American Classical League gives scholarships every year to students planning to teach Latin: http://www.aclclassics.org/tr_grants.html.
5. The Austin Independent School District offers scholarships to
students seeking teaching certification. Acceptance of these
scholarships does not commit you to teach only in Austin.
Information on these is available from the advisor of UTeach Liberal
Arts.
6. Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics honorary society, offers
scholarships to its members who are training to teach Latin (another
good reason to join UT’s chapter!): http://department.monm.edu/classics/esp/Scholarships.html.
Finding a Job
There is an acute demand for teachers in Texas and elsewhere.
Demand for teachers who can teach both Latin and another subject is
even greater. The following placement services can help you hook
up with schools:
1. UT Department of Classics’ Latin Placement Service (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~ugclass/LPS/).
2. The Placement Service of the American Classical League (http://spectrum.troy.edu/~acl/).
3. UT College of Education Career Services (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/career/).
4. Southern Teachers Agency (http://www.southernteachers.com/).
5. Independent School Association of the Southwest (http://www.isasw.org/careers/index.asp).
6. Don’t be shy about contacting specific schools where you might want to teach.
Resources on Campus
The following persons on campus can advise you as you consider whether teaching Latin is for you:
Tim Moore, Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Classics:
timmoore@mail.utexas.edu, 232-4161, Waggener 113
Bill Nethercut, Supervisor of students seeking teacher’s certification in Latin:
nethercut@mail.utexas.edu, 471-3839, Waggener 115
Lynn Lakomski, Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of Classics:
ugclass@www.utexas.edu, Waggener 105
Eric Bowles, Advisor, UTeach Liberal Arts:
bowles@mail.utexas.edu, 232-3480, Gebauer 1.308.
Additional Resources on the Web
American Classical League: http://www.aclclassics.org/index.html
Classical Association of the Middle West and South: http://www.camws.org/
National Latin Teacher Recruitment Week: http://www.promotelatin.org/nltrw.htm
National Committee for Latin and Greek: http://www.promotelatin.org/
Texas Classical Association: http://www.txclassics.org/
last modified October 5, 2007 by timmoore@mail.utexas.edu