It is a rare experience to have a professor for the duration of a year at a large and quarter-system university like UCLA, but as someone who began with Latin 1, it was truly a pleasure to have Sam as a professor for so long. Some people have a gift for teaching, and Dr. Beckelhymer is one of them. Lecture does not have mandatory attendance in the way that discussion does, and yet his insight and occasional diatribes absolutely make attendance worth it (as opposed to just learning from the textbook). Beyond his teaching, he is one of the most compassionate professors I have ever had in my time at UCLA. This was a challenging quarter for everyone, but he handled it with grace. He was a generous grader, and flexible in what would usually have been a steady stream of assignments/quizzes. I am happy that I took Latin for my language requirement at UCLA, but more than that, I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned under Dr. Beckelhymer.
All this being said, Latin is a challenging subject, and under a lesser professor, might have been discouraging. The class is incredibly fast-paced, and if grammar and memorization aren't your thing, I'd consider a different language. If you love patterns and syntax, then this is perfect for you. Here was the breakdown of the syllabus (which was the same for Latin 1-3):
Participation and Attendance 10%
Homework (7 assignments, 2 lowest dropped) 10%
Quizzes (7 short quizzes, 2 lowest dropped) 20%
Midterms (2, in weeks 4 and 8) 30%
Final Exam 30%

Professor Beckelhymer is a great professor. The class teaches you Latin fairly well, similar to Latin 1 and 2. However, if you take the semi-asynchronous option, your classes are all taught by a TA, so the quality really depends on the TA. Patrick Callahan was nice and helpful, but sometimes a little scattered. Still, not a bad class overall. Like Latin 1 and 2, the pace is really quick and there just isn't time to dive very deep into Roman culture and literature, like I got to do in high school, but you will learn Latin.

I liked Latin and I love this professor! He is really funny and his lectures are engaging. My only con with this class is that it goes really fast so once you fall behind be prepared to catch up. The professor is always reachable and very helpful. The ta's are great and the professor is a kind grader. A lot of studying outside of class but to be expected with a language.

Sam is an absolutely amazing professor, I took all three Latin classes with him. He was very accommodating during COVID and BLM protests, and genuinely cared about our mental health and well being. He is such a kind person and a great professor, although latin is not easy and the vocabulary and syntax pile on pretty fast but overall this series was very doable and enjoyable.