Joshua Gibbs

There are few questions apt to get under the classical teacher’s skin quite like, “Will this be on the test?” It’s not a brazenly disrespectful question, but a subtle way of saying, “I don’t innately care about what you’re saying. Are you going to force me to care about this? If you are, fine. If […]

“How much lecture is necessary?” is a divisive question because there’s really no standard definition of “lecture” among classical educators. Some teachers think a lecture is an uninterrupted 45-minute talk on why Jane Austen didn’t like the city of Bath, which sounds a bit dull and unlikely to incline students to virtue—and the idea that

I offer here a series of questions for teachers preparing to teach Pride & Prejudice next year.  What problems do teachers often run into when teaching a “girly book” like Pride & Prejudice to boys? Is there anything boys must believe about this book—or believe about themselves—in order to take Pride & Prejudice seriously from

Something They Will Not Forget was published four years ago today. Since then, hundreds of classical educators across the country have begun using classroom catechisms. There is no subject about which I get more questions than catechisms and so—given the occasion—I thought I’d answer some of the most common questions I get. Is it necessary

Think about all the books you taught last year and the year before. With which book do you do your best work? With which book did you do your worst work? When you think of “your worst work” as a teacher, what makes it your worst work? How do you distinguish between good work from

If you hang out in teaching circles for long enough, you will occasionally hear talk of the idea that educators should “teach to your top third.” In other words, the teacher should figure out what the brightest, smartest third of the class can do and then tailor lessons to them. Theoretically, the bottom two-thirds of

Last week, the Veritas school year wrapped with an awards ceremony, the same sort of awards ceremony most schools wrap with. The fact that awards ceremonies are a common way of ending the school year doesn’t mean they are easy to do well, though I am quite proud of ours. There are a number of

Teacher: I heard Elliot scored the winning goal in yesterday’s game. Dean: Yes, you should have been there to see it. We’re going to the state tournament next week. Teacher: Wonderful, though I’d like to know why Elliot was playing in the game. Dean: Well, Elliot has had a difficult year, but we felt that

I offered the following commencement address at the Mirus Academy (Ellsworth, Maine) 2023 graduation ceremony. Graduates, I’d like to let you in on a little secret. If you had attended half as many graduation ceremonies as I have, you would not be excited for the speech I’m about to give. There’s no kind of speech

Over the years, I’ve spoken with a handful of parents who have insisted that their eighth-grade sons did not know what sex was. When a teacher is confronted with such painful naivete, there is really only one pious thing to do, which is to repent of all the ways in which you have been painfully

Tom: Have you read Mark’s takedown of Sam’s latest article? Harry: No. Tom: Have you read Sam’s latest article? Harry: No. Tom: Okay, you should read Sam’s latest article so you can read Mark’s takedown. Harry: Okay. Tom: Actually, Sam’s latest article is a response to Reggie’s latest article, so you should read Reggie’s first.

A classical Christian school can survive if it has one or two students that should have been kicked out years ago. It can survive if it has three or four students who should have been kicked out years ago. It can even survive with five or six students who should have been kicked out years