Asheville Latin Seminars
Biography
Born: Dwight Eisenhower was the president of the United States.
Secondary degree: West Forsyth High School, Winston-Salem, NC
College degree: Guilford College
Master's Degree in History: Wake Forest University
Other: One year of Ph.D. work at the University of Connecticut, Storrs; three months of Latin Paleography (14th century) via the Medieval Academy of America at Harvard University
Advanced education: The streets of Boston, 1975--1976
Teaching experience: homeschool dad, two years prison, two years at Tuscola High School, twenty-one years tutoring homeschool students
Most unusual job: ladder-runner at the C&O Restaurant, Charlottesville, Virginia
Family: Four children pursuing various activities; husband of a good wife and wonderful mother, now deceased
Favorite books: Too many to list.
Favorite movies: ditto
Favorite Latin tag: "Viam inveniemus aut faciemus viam." (Hannibal. Did he speak Latin?)
Favorite food to share with grandchildren: Mrs. Pierce's cookies
Religion: yes
Race: Not in a long time. Bad knees.
Politics: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and "Miss Manners Rescues Civilization"
Writing: Reviews, essays, poems, and stories have all seen print. I am a long-time book reviewer for the liberal Smoky Mountain News and a commentator for the paleo-conservative Chronicles Magazine. Go figure. I have also published a novel, Amanda Bell, and will soon publish a collection of my published essays.
Abiding loves: Dawn, solitude, dinner parties, laughter, the sight of students reading, books, boxing, grandchildren, children, students
Ambitions: Write, read, love family and friends, and teach 'till I drop
The rest, as Billy Shakespeare might say, is silence.
Expectations
You have the right to expect the following from me--and from any other teacher:
*Preparation. I should be prepared for your class.
*Respect. You have the right to my respect. If I say something that hurts your feelings, please understand that it is not intentionally. (You'll know when it is intentional).
*Engagement. You have the right to expect your teacher to be engaged in the topic of that class.
*The ability to admit ignorance. The older I get, the easier it has become for me to say, "I don't know." Recognition of one's own ignorance is the first step toward wisdom.
I have the right to expect the following from you:
*Preparation. You should be prepared for class.
*Respect. You should show respect to me and to your classmates. This show of respect includes self-control during class. If you disrupt the class by talking or by distracting others, you are taking away their learning.
*Engagement. I expect you to engage the topic at hand. If you are thinking of lunch rather than Shakespeare, you should at least post on your face an expression of interest in the class.
A Short History
Asheville Latin Seminars began in 1999 when a homeschool family invited me to commute one day a week from Waynesville, where I was teaching Latin, literature, and history to homeschoolers, to Asheville. The first class of twenty students met at the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Downtown Asheville. The following year, the number of students doubled and has grown ever since.
In our third year together we moved to a location on Haywood Road. We remained there for three years, using the building which housed my bookshop. Circumstances then led us to Trinity Presbyterian Church, our present location.
These seminars have their roots in classical education. Though not all students take Latin, the other liberal arts courses involve a good deal of writing and reading, with the goal being the continued development of these skills. (My greatest compliments come from students who, returning from college, tell me of their successes in the classroom).
Artful reading, expressive writing, and higher mathematics (which I don't teach, but which I encourage you to study): these are tools not only for college, but for life.
Contact Information:
Jeff Minick
141 Cumberland Ave. #4
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 400-8132
Email: ashevillelatin@charter.net
Classes held at Trinity Presbyterian Church
17 Shawnee Dr.
Asheville, NC