Chapter 10: On Relating to a Special Teacher

The teachers of my own adolescence are far removed from aging memory, but having just gone through the college application process with our daughter, Carter, I have fresh reflections on her high school Latin teacher, who made a real difference in this child’s life.

Our daughter began taking Latin as a language in the sixth grade at her local public school. When she moved to Dana Hall School in seventh grade, she just continued. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Dana Hall is an all-girls’, private preparatory school originally founded in 1881 as a “feeder” for Wellesley College. The school now places students broadly and serves those from a wide array of backgrounds in both the U.S. and abroad. Upon entering the Upper School in grade 9, Carter placed into Ms. Jacqui Bloomberg’s Latin III course, and thus began a relationship of great significance. Before I explain this relationship, however, some background on Carter is in order.