The Trail of a Loudly Silent Killer
An introduction to my quest to capture the killer
classical education
Getting the Classical Education I Never Got
I want a classical education, desperately. Together, my wife and I have given one to our three children, all of whom have continued in it to one degree or another. They all have seemed to thrive in it, too. I did not get a classical education. I have, to some extent, recovered one over the
Do As I Do: Some Thoughts on Mimesis in the Classroom
“Watch me. Now you try.” These five words are constantly repeated by parents to their children. But they are for people of every age. We are mimetic creatures who learn by imitation. Every good baseball coach teaches a batting stance by modeling one for the athlete. Preachers provide examples and illustrations so their congregants can
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Remote vs. Home Learning: What Else the Coronavirus Means for Classical Schools
In a recent blog post, Joshua Gibbs suggests that “What the Coronavirus Means for Classical Schools” is nothing less than a test of their true worth. That test lies in schools’ potential temporary transition to remote learning. If students can receive remotely everything which their teachers would have sought to give them in class, then,
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Augustine’s Inward Panting for Truth
This article is part three in a series of reflections on what The Confessions of Saint Augustine has to say to modern educators. “Today will feel like trying to drink from a fire hose.” We have heard or said (or both) this at the beginning of countless classes, workshops, Sunday school classes, and board meetings.
The Pedagogy of Luke Skywalker
Though I have little interest in standardized personality tests, it has always tickled my fancy that I am the same Meyers-Briggs type as Luke Skywalker. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that when I was a child, the Bible and Star Wars were the two texts that most informed my vision
CiRCE’s a Saving Grace: A Letter
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CiRCE Institute for awakening me to the concept of teaching classically. I am a masters-educated, certified teacher, yet I don’t think that I was ever taught how to educate! I was taught how to write lesson plans; how to understand IEPs and 504s; and how
The Classicist in the Suburbs
Classicism fits comfortably in the city, with its suggestions of the polis, arts, architecture, academia, and culture; and it fits comfortably in the country, with its evocations of quietude, contemplation, tradition, and permanence. But in the suburbs—the place, increasingly, that most of us call home—isn’t classicism rather an ill fit? Can it be taught, practiced,
Give Children with Autism What They Really Need
April is World Autism Awareness Month, but I wonder if anyone in North America is truly unaware of autism. With a reported 119.8% increase in identification and 1 in 68 children in the United States currently diagnosed with autism, most of us in North America are aware. With a master’s degree in special education and
6 Reasons Why Charlotte Mason Was Part of the Classical Tradition
My view of classical education is far more concerned with the real thing than with the word “classical.” So drawing from the very long Chrisitan classical tradition, I would include Charlotte Mason in that tradition every bit as much as any body else because she: 1. Was a metaphysical realist (which post Dewey progressives are
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Can Mathematics Be Parables?
Many of us tend to regard mathematics as mechanistic and mundane, ignoring the fact that the ultimate conclusions of mathematics lead us to ideas in physics which are as wonderfully bewildering as the deepest questions of philosophy and theology.