About the Guest
Charlene Thompson is a first grade teacher in her fourth year at Founders Classical Academy in Rogers, Arkansas. She holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Harding University and is a passionate learner of classical education. She believes in cultivating wisdom and virtue through rich literature, narration, and the development of lifelong habits of attention and expression. Her goal is to help young students grow into thoughtful, articulate, and joyful learners.
Show Notes
I met Charlene when I led a full-day workshop on narration at Founders Classical Academy in Rogers, Arkansas a few years ago. During a recent classical education conference, Charlene approached me to share how narration was working with her students. The stories she shared were so beautiful that I had to get her on the show to help encourage other teachers and parents about how narration works in the classroom.
Some questions that were covered include:
Resources, Books, and People Mentioned
Favorite quotation: " Read the best books first"--Henry David Thoreau
Book she wishes she had read sooner: The Bible
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Beautiful Teaching NARRATION CONFERENCE:
2025 Online Conference with the Beautiful Teaching Team- Narration: The Art of Learning with Keynote Guest, Jason Barney, October 24-25, 2025 https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/
About the Guest
Dr. John Ahern holds a PhD from Princeton University in historical musicology. He currently teaches at The Wilberforce School as an Upper School Humanities and Latin instructor. He is also faculty at the Theopolis Institute and directs their Te Deum Fellows Program in Liturgical Music. His writings on a variety of topics have appeared in First Things, Ad Fontes, The Lamp, Mere Orthodoxy, Eidolon, the Theopolis Institute blog, and the CiRCE Institute blog. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children.
Show Notes
John Ahern has successfully implemented the practice of keeping a commonplace book with his students. In this episode he explains why it is an important practice, how to create time to do it, and how to establish best practices in a school setting.
If you have wondered how to succeed at keeping a commonplace book, this episode is incredibly practical and will help you confidently get started in this beautiful practice.
Resources Mentioned
Link to the Circe Institute article: https://circeinstitute.org/blog/how-to-make-a-commonplace-book/
Notebooks the school uses: https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/classic-notebooks-1.html
Also: https://www.amazon.com/Leuchturm1917-Journal-Hardcover-Notebook-Numbered/dp/B09T75BG8L?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
The Book of Memory by Mary Carruthers
Leisure the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
To Kill a Mockingbird
Isaac Newton's Common Place Notebook
19C Common Place Notebooks
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
Authors Mentioned
Charlotte Mason
Plato
Aristotle
St Augustine
Homer
Quintillion
Cicero
Romans
Dostoevsky
Dante
Aquinas
John Winthrop
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Beautiful Teaching online courses & narration conference:
Dr. Erik Ellis is Assistant Professor of Classical Education at the University of Dallas. After graduating from the University Scholars Program at Baylor University with concentrations in Greek and Latin, Dr. Ellis received an MA in History from the same institution and served as a middle school and high school Latin teacher for five years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along with Latin, Dr. Ellis was privileged to teach history, logic, and French, the last of which had a decisive effect on his teaching of Latin. Two years into his teaching career, Dr. Ellis began researching and investigating communicative language pedagogy and its application to classical languages. After attending and offering workshops with the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers Association, SALVI, and Fr. Reginald Foster, Dr. Ellis left secondary teaching to continue his education. He received an MA in Classics, a Master of Medieval Studies, and a Doctorate in Medieval Studies at the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame and studied at the Polis Institute and the Vatican Library in Rome. One of his research specializations was the history of education with a focus on the history of classical language teaching. Upon graduation, he worked for a year at Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, where he received a certificate in Second Language Acquisition Theory and Methodology. Following this, he taught Latin, Greek, and general humanities courses at Universidad de los Andes in Santiago, Chile, and Hillsdale College before moving to his current role in the program in Classical Learning at the University of Dallas.
Show Notes
I had a delightful discussion with Dr. Ellis last year and invited him on to the show to discuss some really important concepts within the classical education movement. In order to rightly understand the tradition of a liberal arts education, we need to rightly define and understand the meaning of particular words. We discuss some wonderful words that are important to our understanding of the tradition which impacts how we teach.
Some topics included:
UPCOMING SUMMER ANCIENT LANGUAGE WORKSHOPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS
Join Dr. Ellis at the University of Dallas for their summer intensive courses in Latin and Greek that they are hosting in partnership with the Polis Institute in Jerusalem.
More info here:
https://www.polisjerusalem.org/programs/international/
Resources
(Dr. Ellis's dissertation) The Historical Semantics of the Contemporary Classical Education Movement: Principia: A Journal of Classical Education, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2023- https://www.pdcnet.org/principia/content/principia_2023_0002_0001_0025_0041
What is Classical Education? By: Erik Ellis - https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2023/07/what-is-classical-education-erik-ellis.html
Are the Great Books Enough to Revive Our Education System? By: Erik Ellis - https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2020/04/great-books-enough-classical-education-erik-ellis.html
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Beautiful Teaching online courses:
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About the Guest: Dr. Fred Putnam
Fred Putnam retired after forty years of teaching high school, college, and graduate school; for twelve of those years he was Professor of Bible & Liberal Studies in the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University (2012-2024), where he helped to design, and taught in, the program leading to the MA in Teaching [MAT] in classical education.
Beginning as a seminary professor of Biblical Hebrew and Koiné Greek, his teaching expanded to include not only the languages and interpretation of the Bible, but also linguistics, translation theory and practice, English literature, philosophy, etc. During those years of teaching, experiences with students led him from being a fairly conventional teacher (lectures, quizzes, tests, grades, attendance, etc.) to a text- (or subject-) and student-centered pedagogy that others have identified as “classical”. The main thrust of his teaching has always been helping students learn to read-learning to attend to, reflect on, and respond to texts, whatever those texts may be (including poems, novels, Scripture, works of art and music, etc.).
In the Templeton Honors College, he led undergrad courses on the Old and New Testaments, Hebrew, Greek, and seminars on Joseph Pieper, The Count of Monte Christo, and philosophy of education, and five masters-level courses in the MAT: "Classical Pedagogy I: The Culture of the Classroom", "Philosophy & History of Education II: The American Public School System", "The Ethos of a School", "Drama in the Classical School (With an Emphasis on Shakespeare)", and "Teaching the Bible as a Classic Text" (online through the Templeton Honors College).
While homeschooling their daughters, Fred and his wife met weekly with homeschooled high-schoolers; he taught Shakespeare, poetry, literature, philosophy, Hebrew, and Greek, while his wife tutored individual students in reading and creative writing.
Born in New Hampshire, he grew up on farms in northeast Connecticut, emigrated to PA in 1970, and insists that he is a New Englander on "southern assignment". He knows that hills are made of granite, Guernseys give the best milk, and continues to await a real northern-style winter. An ordained minister, he preaches in various churches in southeastern Pennsylvania, where he and his wife live near their daughters and grandchildren, and where he also reads, translates and analyzes the Hebrew and Greek Bible, and putters.
Show Notes
In this episode, Adrienne and Dr. Putnam discuss the seminal works of Josef Pieper. They also do a deep dive into what a beautiful way of teaching really looks like. Some highlights include:
Resources Mentioned
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
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About the Guest
Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian liturgical artist, icon carver, writer, and public speaker. With a YouTube following of 191K, he has become a sought out interpreter of the deep patterns in stories. His podcast entitled The Symbolic World features, in both English and French, Jonathan's interpretations and conversations with other artists, thinkers and culture champions who are interested in restoring a collective respect for and use of these patterns as the very stuff of the cosmos.
The Symbolic World Press is Jonathan Pageau’s new collaborative publishing venture specializing in skillfully bound and well-crafted books you can hold and read with your family and friends. SWP publications recall some of the most important and ancient stories out of the digital space and onto the printed page in masterfully designed books. The books are inspired by classic tales that are re-told in surprising ways that both compel the modern reader and resonate with the ancient traditions of storytelling.
Jonathan's Resources Mentioned Include:
God’s Dog by Jonathan Pageau
Jonathan Pageau Fairy Tale Series
https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/
Show Notes
I invited Jonathan Pageau back on my show to revisit fairy tales and go deeper than I did with my first interview (Season 3, Episode 14). I also wanted to expand a bit on his presentation for The Great Hearts Conference on how fairy tales reflect "The Music of the Spheres." I also wanted to dive a bit more into how to teach fairy tales to students. Some of the key points we covered include:
- Fairy Tales and “ Music of the Spheres” (His original presentation at The Great Hearts Conference is on YouTube)
- Patterns forming experiences and behavior
- Narration: Retelling stories
- Developing an imagination
- Relationships, Analogies, & Faith
- Celebrate fairy tales with tea time
- Attention , Memory, Transmission
- Teaching Fairy Tales to High School Students
- Noticing symbolism in Fairy Tales and Bible Stories
Authors and Books Mentioned
Jonathan Pageau
Snow White
J. R. Tolkien essay "On Fairy Stories" (Free in the public domain)
Martin Heidegger
Charlotte Mason
Albert Einstein
Brothers Grimm
"The Fantastic Imagination" essay by George MacDonald (the last chapter in A Dish of Orts in the public domain)
Walking on Water Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
Until We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve
About the Guest
Kolby Atchison serves as the head of school at Clapham School, a classical Christian school in Wheaton, Illinois, that implements the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. He is a founding director of Educational Renaissance where he speaks, writes, and podcasts on classical Christian education, Charlotte Mason, and modern research. He lives with his wife and three children in Chicagoland.
Show Notes
In this episode, Kolby and Adrienne dive into the philosophy of a person and the role of a teacher according to Charlotte Mason. Recently, several neoclassical programs (Memoria Press and Classical Conversations) released videos answering the popular question, "Is Charlotte Mason Classical?" We decided to dive directly into what we believe is the fundamental difference in the tradition of classical ed (which Mason is closely aligned to) and the the progressive classical movement (otherwise known as neoclassical).
Resources Mentioned
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve
About The Guests
Karen Glass is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, ages 13 to 27, who have been homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end. Karen has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years and has written the popular books Consider This: Charlotte Mason and The Classical Tradition, Know and Tell: The Art of Narration, In Vital Harmony, and her newest book A Thinking Love: Studies from Charlotte Mason's Home Education.
Dr. Robert Terry has over twenty years of experience in classical education. He has been a teacher of multiple disciplines, a curriculum designer, and has worked extensively in teacher training and development. He has served as the Curriculum Director and Vice President of Academics at a multi-campus University-model classical Christian school in the Dallas area. While academic head he successfully accomplished two ACCS accreditations. Before discovering classical education, Robert was a CPA. He has also served his school as a Finance Director in the past. Robert holds an MA in Philosophy focusing on the great Christian texts and a Doctorate focused on the work of the Oxford Inklings. He has been married to Elisabeth for twenty-five years and has been active in homeschooling their four grown children.
Show Notes
On this episode, my guests discuss the important connections that Mason made from reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge's On Method. We discuss how important this connection is to her philosophy, as well as how it has had an impact on the classical education movement. Some important discussion points include:
Resources
If you want to read Coleridge, Karen Glass recommends this version. It is a facsimile of the same version that Mason had in her PNEU library: A Dissertation On The Science Of Method ISBN: 978-1018198736
Karen's blog on Coleridge and Mason Connections: https://www.karenglass.net/page/2/?s=coleridge
Connections with Coleridge #1—A nod from Charlotte Mason
Connections with Coleridge #2—Introducing Treatise on Method
Connections with Coleridge #3—Law and Order
Connections with Coleridge #3.5—A Speculative Detour
Connections with Coleridge #4—Dipping into Method
Connections with Coleridge #5—In Pursuit of Method
Connections with Coleridge #6—Meet the Philosophers
Connections with Coleridge #7—Laws, Ideas, and Truth
Connections with Coleridge #8—A short history of the education of mankind
Connections with Coleridge #9—In Search of the Soul
Connections with Coleridge #10—A Few Final Words
Treatise On Method: Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Coleridge
Kuala Khan: Coleridge
Shakespeare
Francis Bacon
Plato
C.S. Lewis
Tolkien
Quintilion
Pascal
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve
Guests
Dr. Louis Markos: Houston Christian University:
Dr. Patrick Egan: Clapham Christian Classical School
Jason Barney: Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN
Show Notes
Resources Mentioned
The Great Books
John Locke, Coleridge, Wordsworth
Charlotte Mason: A Liberal Education for All by Jason Barney
For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass
Abolition of Man by CS Lewis
The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory
An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte M. Mason (Centenary Expanded Edition has restored her original essay, "Two Education Ideals" where she compares Rousseau's Emile unfavorably to her favoring John Milton's Of Education)
Metalogicon by John of Salisbury
Institutes of Oratory by Quintilian
Charlotte Mason's Great Recognition of the Middle Ages through the fresco (vol. 2- Parents and Children by Mason)
Charlotte Mason Quotes
Louis Markos: "Our schools turn out a good many clever young persons, wanting in nothing but initiative, the power of reflection and the sort of moral imagination that enables you to 'put yourself in his place.'"- (Mason, Vol 6, pg. 25)
Jason Barney: "Almost anything may be made of a child by those who first get him into their hands. We find that we can work definitely towards the formation of character; that the habits of the good life, of the alert intelligence, which we take pains to form in the child, are, somehow, registered in the very substance of his brain; and that the habits of the child are, as it were, so many little hammers beating out by slow degrees the character of the man. Therefore we set ourselves to form a habit in the same matter-of-fact steady way that we set about teaching the multiplication table; expecting the thing to be done and done with for life. " (The History and Aims of the P.N.E.U. pamphlet)
Patrick Egan: "But the Florentine mind of the Middle Ages went further than this: it believed, not only that the seven Liberal Arts were fully under the direct outpouring of the Holy Ghost, but that every fruitful idea, every original conception, whether in Euclid, or grammar, or music, was a direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit, without any thought at all as to whether the person so inspired named himself by the name of God, or recognised whence his inspiration came." (Mason, Vol 2, pg. 271)
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Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
Guests
Topics Covered
Resources we Discussed:
What is a book or poem that every classical teacher and board member should read?
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Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About our Guest
Kiernan Fiore has worked as a teacher, administrator, trainer, and curriculum developer since 2011. Kiernan was classically home educated using a Charlotte Mason methodology, and her own educational experience is the inspiration for her work. She holds a BA in English from Hillsdale College and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College London and is certified in 4-8th Grade ELAR and Social Studies in Texas. After six years of working with the Founders Classical network of charter schools in Texas, she now serves as Dean of Curriculum at Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, CA. She also serves as a consultant on special projects and curriculum alignment with Beautiful Teaching, LLC. She has been married to Jonathan, also a classical educator, for six years and is the mother of three children.
Show Notes
This discussion drills down into to how to help children grow by offering them a living curriculum. The work of teaching is the cultivation of the whole child. As classical educators, we need to think deeply about our curriculum and pedagogy. New teachers often wrestle with what this looks like in the classroom. An understanding of curriculum and its incarnational role will greatly influence the development of the whole child. Habit training is unpacked as an intellectual virtue at the heart of the entire foundation of a classical education.
Discussion Points:
Resources we Discussed:
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Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About our Guest
Chris earned a BA in Philosophy from Gettysburg College and an MAT in Elementary Education from Towson University. He has been a classroom educator and administrator for 29 years, having served in public, independent, and classical schools. His is an author, speaker, and consultant in classical education, as well as an online and in-person teacher, coach, and tutor.
Along with his professional pedigree, he is a lifelong practitioner of several of the common arts profiled in his book, Common Arts Education. For more than thirty years, Chris has sought out training for and advanced his skills in
armament, agriculture, material-working arts, ancestral skills, preparedness, and more. He is a practicing musician, amateur radio operator, and avid outdoorsman, all of which serve to inform and shape his ongoing development of, and in, the arts.
Chris founded Always Learning Education in order to serve teachers, schools, homeschool families, and others who are interested in learning and propagating the common arts. He lives on a small homesteaded farm in central Virginia with his wife and three homeschooled sons.
\https://alwayslearningeducation.net/
Show Notes
In this episode, Chris Hall shares a few of his favorite poems and discusses poetry for science lessons! This episode will inspire you in the delightfulness of integrating poetry and stories into science lessons.
Poems on this Episode
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer By Walt Whitman
The Peace of Wild Things By Wendell Berry
Shakespeare's Sonnet 37
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Remembering Season 1, Episode 3 Chris Hall joined our podcast to discuss the common arts https://share.transistor.fm/s/a08b71cb
That podcast episode can be heard here. We discussed the following:
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SCL FALL RETREAT, 2024
Chris and I were both invited to lead the teacher track sessions at Society for Classical Learning's 2024 fall conference in Dallas the last weekend in October. We are collaborating and are creating not only some wonderful sessions on the theory of classical education but also practical sessions where you will leave feeling equipped. You will discover the transcendentals (truth, goodness, and beauty)— through theory and hands-on practicum sessions. This conference is not only for classroom teachers but also for home educators.
Tickets are on sale at the Society for Classical Learning website be sure to look for their link to the fall retreat so you can read more about this conference, our sessions, and register online.
https://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/fall-retreat-24/
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About our Guest
Andrew J. Zwerneman serves as Cana Academy’s President and as one of their MasterTeachers. For 40 years, he has taught and consulted in secondary schools that emphasize classic humanities. For 19 years he headed schools—2 at the public charter school, Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona, 17 at Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, Virginia. He is the founder and owner of The Academy Project, LLC, which wrote the original curricula and trained faculties for Thomas MacLaren School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Trinity Academy in Portland, Oregon. Education: B.A., A.B.D., University of Notre Dame; M.A., St. John’s University. He is the author of History Forgotten and Remembered (2020) and The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal (2022).
https://www.canaacademy.org/
Show Notes
Leading seminars is one of Andrew's areas of expertise. Adrienne invited him back on the show to discuss the principles of leading great seminars and how to give grades that matter.
Discussion Points:
Referring to Zwerneman's "10 for 10: How to Grade Seminar Participation" the following are discussed:
Resources from Cana Academy
10 for 10: How to Grade Seminar Participation
8 Tips for Leading a Great Seminar Discussion
8 Tips On Coaching a Reluctant Discussant
https://www.canaacademy.org/free-resources : scroll down to Seminar Leadership Videos
https://www.canaacademy.org/shop
Example of Free Sample:
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About The Guest
Anna-Marie Carter is an enthusiastic classical education convert. After years of disillusionment under the philosophy of progressive education, she had about given up teaching altogether. Her hope in education was saved by a call to teach music at Founders Classical Academy of Mesquite where she made lifelong friends and fell in love with the craft. She continues this love by sharing her joy for the fine arts with her students in and out of the classroom. Anna-Marie teaches alongside her gracious husband Daniel at Founders Classical in Tyler where they are raising their sweet children Amelia, Remington, and Clara Mae.
Show Notes & Highlights
Adrienne introduces you to Anne-Marie Carter in a completely joyful interview about creatively connecting History of the world and History of America through the arts.
Anne-Marie Carter falls in love with teaching after moving from a scripted school to Founder’s Classical School in Tyler, Texas. They discuss some of the following:
YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/6lbOdS6Hq8Y
The second half of this interview is all visual. To view the examples and hear how to make a book of centuries, visit our YouTube Channel.
youtube@classicaleducationpodcast
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Books Mentioned
Charlotte Mason quote about history: (Vol. 6, 178), Mason's section on the teaching history begins on page 169 in vol. 6)
Consider This: Charlotte Mason and The Classical Tradition by Karen Glass
Books by Charlotte Mason
Abolition of Man by C S Lewis
The Living Page by Laurie Bestvater
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
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Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About The Guest
Mariah Martinez has worked in education since 2015 as a teacher, curriculum developer, and mentor teacher. Mariah attended the Honors College at Houston Baptist University where she received a B.A., double majoring in Philosophy and English. In 2021, she received a Master of Humanities in classical education from the University of Dallas. She is certified as a 7-12 ELAR instructor in the state of Texas. She began her teaching career at a Great Hearts school in San Antonio and now works at a Founders Classical charter school in Texas. She has eight years of middle and high school teaching experience and is a founding faculty member of the high school at her current location where she now serves as the assistant headmaster for the upper school. She has experience not only with developing classical curricula for the high school environment but has also developed guides for creating house systems and student leadership positions. Mariah's goal is to help make the methods of classical education and the philosophies behind them accessible for all.
Show Notes
Mariah Martinez shares what she has learned about Classical pedagogy and how to apply this art of teaching classically, simply and well. She shares her experience working at a classical charter school and the impact that it has had on her students. She also shares about the two types of classical pedagogy which she will expand on at the Vital Ideas Conference, 2024.
Some Highlights:
Resources Mentioned
Norms and Nobility by David Hicks ---An affordable REISSUE of Norms and Nobility releases August 6, 2024 (look for the blue book with the introduction by Andrew Kern)
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Audiobook: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
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ONE day left to register for the conference on June 28-29, 2024
Vital Ideas Online Classical Education Conference Information -
https://www.beautifulteaching.com/conference
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Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About The Guest
David V. Hicks retired in 2015 as Chief Academic Officer for Meritas LLC, a company based in Chicago that owned and operated K-12 college preparatory schools worldwide. The day after his retirement, Meritas was sold to Nord Anglia Education.
Before joining Meritas, Hicks spent thirty years in independent education, heading St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Jackson, Mississippi; St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas; St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire; and the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia.
After graduating from The Stony Brook School (New York) in 1966, Hicks studied at Princeton where he majored in English and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1970. He then read for a master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Jesus College, Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He later studied at the University of Moscow.
Hicks served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and is the youngest man ever to teach on the faculty of the Naval War College. In 1976, he ran for Congress in New York’s Westchester County in a race he narrowly lost to long-time incumbent Richard Ottinger. In 1981 his book, NORMS & NOBILITY: A TREATISE ON EDUCATION, won the Outstanding Book Award for Education from the American Library Association. In 1996, Hicks created a stir in boarding school communities around the United States when he published his essay, “The Strange Fate of the American Boarding School,” in The American Scholar. His and his brother Scot’s translation of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations was published by Scribner as THE EMPEROR'S HANDBOOK in 2002. Since then Scot and Davd have produced a series of annotated translations of Plutarch’s Lives for CiRCE: The Lawgivers; The Statesmen; and The Tyrant.
Forthcoming books by Hicks: The Stones Cry Out: Reflections on the Myths We Live By (CAP) and with Father Anthony Gilbert, Orthodox Christianity and Classical Education (SVP).
Hicks has served on numerous boards throughout the world, most recently including the TASIS Foundation (Switzerland), the Campion School (Greece), St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (New York), TASIS Dorado School (Puerto Rico), San Roberto International School (Mexico), and St. Peter’s Monastery Foundation (Montana).
Hicks and his wife Mary Elizabeth have four grown children and live on a ranch (West of the Moon) off the grid near Harrison, Montana. They are members of St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church In Bozeman.
Show Notes
David V. Hicks Resources
REISSUE of Norms and Nobility releases August 6, 2024 (look for the blue book with the introduction by Andrew Kern)
Orthodox Christianity and Classical Education: An Anthology edited by David V. Hicks (published by St. Vladimir's Press. Release date is not yet available)
The Stones Cry Out by David V. Hicks (CAP publishing- Preorder form is available here)
The Emporer's Handbook : A New Translation of the Meditations Trans. by David and Scot Hicks (the new paperback version is Marcus Arelius's Meditations also translated by Hicks)
The Plutarch books (all 3: The Lawgiver, The Statesman, The Tyrant) can be found on Circe Institute's website here.
Resources Mentioned
Thucydides (He did not mention what book, but this is the version that Dr. Matthew Post used for his classes at UD)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Book of Lost Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jabobs
The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture by Wendell Berry (audiobook is free on audible)
Plutarch's Lives
Singapore Math
The Psalter
Film: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Christianity and Classical Culture by Charles Norris Cochrane (free pdf here)
Past Guests on the Podcast who are Mentioned in this Episode:
RightStart Math
Teaching Math Like Socrates with Number Lab
Tending The Heart of Virtue: Vigen Guroian
Dr. Christopher Perrin on What is Classical Education?
Bryan Smith: A Sage in the Liberal Arts Tradition
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Beautiful Teaching is hosting an online classical education conference (Karen Glass is one of the keynote speakers).
https://www.beautifulteaching.com/conference
$20 off Discount Code:
IDEAS20
note: copy/paste exactly without any spaces before or after.
It is good through June 20.
Conference Recordings: All sessions will be recorded. Live attendance is greatly encouraged, but come and go as needed. The recording will be av...
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC. Our team provides immersion courses, seminar led book studies, and comprehensive support for parents & K-12 classical educators.
This episode was sponsored by Classic Learning Test (CLT), Beautiful Feet Books, and Eighth Day Books!
Conference attendees have a chance to win gift certificates from these sponsors as well as our other conference sponsors!
Join us for our First Conference!
Explore some of our Conference Sessions on this episode:
Discuss your conference topic and what can attendees expect to take away from your session?
Some Question We Discuss:
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Vital Ideas Conference Information -
https://www.beautifulteaching.com/conference
$20 off Discount Code:
IDEAS20
note: copy/paste exactly without any spaces before or after.
It is good through June 20.
Conference Recordings: All sessions will be recorded. Live attendance is greatly encouraged, but come and go as needed. The recording will be available 2 weeks after the conference. The recordings will be available for 9 months.
Sessions: We have 16 sessions and 12 Speakers! Our sessions are for parents, home educators, classroom teachers, and school leadership. Each breakout in the program is marked with the recommended audience to help you choose the right sessions for your needs. See the detailed program guide!
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Support this podcast:
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Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About The Guest
Bryan Smith has been in education for over thirty years, primarily in schools with a liberal arts or classical education philosophy. His own education at the University of Dallas was a solid classical liberal arts formation in great texts, classical Greek, and rhetorical practice.
Bryan has worked in private schools for most of his career, but for a decade he worked with Great Hearts Academies, a charter school network operating in Arizona and Texas. He began his employment at Great Hearts as the founding head of school for one of eleven Arizona campuses. During Great Hearts’ expansion into Texas, Bryan served as the founding headmaster for the first network school in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metro area.
Bryan’s most recent work as a consultant has allowed him to continue helping school staff with planning, solid pedagogical and administrative practices, classroom management and student culture.
You can find Bryan Smith on LinkedIn
Show Notes
Bryan Smith and Adrienne Freas of Beautiful Teaching, reflect on what is attractive about a Liberal Arts Education. They talk about the principles that define a classical school, and why the ethos of classical education imparts a hopeful view of humanity. A noble end unfolds from permanent and universal reflections. The principles that anchor classical schools are discussed in this significant podcast. All educators will appreciate the wisdom of how to place school on course either to develop or to improve.
Some Key Moments Include:
Resources Mentioned
The Consolation of Philosphy - Boethius
The Discarded Image - C.S. Lewis
Essay “Schooling in Byzantium” by Bryan Smith (this will be a chapter in a new book coming out by St. Vladimir's press with essays compiled by David Hicks. More info coming soon)
St. Basil on Prepositions: The Human Condition
The Iliad &The Odyssey - Homer
The Psalter
Atigone
Books 1 and 2 of Samuel
On the Incarnation by Saint Athanasius the Great of Alexandria with an introduction by C.S. Lewis
Plato
The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Frog and Toad series - Arnold Lobel
"The Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's Republic
Paradise Lost- John Milton
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Poetry by Virgil
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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:
★ Support this podcast ★
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Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
About The Guests
ACCESS LITERACY TEAM
Dorothy Kardatzke
I live with my husband in Columbus, Ohio. I taught for more than 25 years in both general education classrooms and in classrooms for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Since 1997, when I was first trained in the English code, all my literacy instruction has been delivered using programs that are Orton-based. I left the classroom in 2018 to create space to write curriculum, and train/coach teachers. However, I will always be a teacher. It is who I am! I tutor little folks and big folks in literacy whenever I have the chance.
I had a rather circuitous educational journey which offered me the opportunity to embark on what I do presently. I completed a double major in Elementary Education and Deaf Education from Augustana College. I later completed post-graduate work in Linguistics and Language Development at the University of South Dakota and Neuroanatomy at The Ohio State University.
During leisure time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, hiking, fishing, canoeing, camping and cross-country skiing.
Melody Furno
My husband and I live in Columbus, Ohio where I taught an Orton-based Method for literacy in Kindergarten and first grade classrooms for 19 years. Encountering struggling readers in the classroom motivated me to enroll in coursework and to research current information on reading disabilities and dyslexia to set up interventions in the classroom.
Since leaving the classroom, I have used an Orton-based Method to train and consult teachers in literacy across the country and tutor struggling readers in 4th and 5th grades for Columbus Public Schools.
I enjoy nature, fishing, hiking and biking. My special interest is to encourage faith-based ministries to play a part in addressing youth and adult illiteracy.
Show Notes
Phonics programs are an important foundation for teaching students how to read. There are many programs and they differ widely. Learn about the unique features of this program. Discover what is important when looking for a phonics curriculum for your students.
Dorothy Kardatzke and Melanie Furno are the founders of Access Literacy. Their phonics curriculum, Literacy Essentials: Journey from Spelling to Reading is commonly used in classical schools. In this interview, they articulate the details that explain what a good phonic-based program looks like and why it matters. The Access Literacy program supports the road to integrating the components of writing, thinking well, and reading well.
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Note: Adrienne does not recieve compensation for recommending any curriculum on her podcast. The purpose of presenting curriculum on the podcast is to help parents and school leadership make well-informed decisions on curriculum that is most aligned to the classical tradition.
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Resources
Link to their Home page: https://www.accessliteracy.com/
Parent page including phonogram videos: https://www.accessliteracy.com/parents
Link for ordering teaching materials through Hillsdale: https://www.accessliteracy.com/projects-2
Link for ordering the Student Orthography Notebook: https://www.accessliteracy.com/projects-2
Books mentioned
Why Our Children Can’t Read, and What You Can Do About It by Diane McGuinness
Author in the Science of Reading field — Dr. Louisa Moats
The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton- Porter
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
How To Read a Difficult Book (free link to one page essay) by Mortimer Adler
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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:
★ Support this podcast ★
_________________________________________________________
Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
Guests
Rhonda Bedee is an instructor endorsed by SWR author Wanda Sanseri for Spell to Write and Read seminars. My specialty is finding solutions for individual spelling needs via spelling coaching, Mom & Dad encouragement, accountability, and assessments. Experience comes from four decades of home education, public schools, private classical academies, homeschool co-ops, tutoring, English language ESL learners, and teaching special ability students.
Credentials: B.S. Secondary Education, Lamar University-Beaumont, Texas; extensive all-level SWR classes & mentoring under Wanda Sanseri.
Rhonda's Training Site
Niki Wise
Although Niki Wise currently resides in Georgia, her BASIC Seminars are offered both in Zoom & in person beyond her borders. She began using Spell to Write and Read back in the 1990s when it was Teaching Reading at Home and School. Not only using this program during her homeschool years, Niki also shared this program with many friends, & even introduced her oldest grandson to spelling & reading with Mrs. Sanseri's proven program. When she is not offering a BASIC seminar, she can be found playing with her 6 grandkids, teaching at Colquitt Christian Academy, & planning road trips with her husband.
Contact Niki: crosswiseswr@gmail.com
Show Notes
This interview with Rhonda Bedee and Niki Wise is part 1 of a 2 part series on phonics. Part 2 (the next episode) will feature the creators of Literacy Essentials: The Journey from Spelling to Reading. You will learn a lot of great information about both programs to help you make your decision on which program best suits your needs.
Historical efforts to teach reading, writing, and spelling have been developed, applied and studied for centuries. Integrating lessons from “sound to symbol” equips students with the ability to work through the process of learning to read. The unique features and history of Spell to Write and Read is explained in this episode. We discuss not only why it works, but also how it can (in many cases) help prevent the need for future reading remedies.
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Note: Adrienne does not recieve compensation for recommending any curriculum on her podcast. The purpose of presenting curriculum on the podcast is to help parents and school leadership make well-informed decisions on curriculum that is most aligned to the classical tradition.
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Resources
Spell to Write and Read Forum (free or for more resources there is a small membership fee)
Free Blank Book Template
Where to buy: https://swrforum.com/where-to-buy/
Articles & Podcasts Mentioned
NY Times Article: In the Fight Over How to Teach Reading, This Guru Makes a Major Retreat
PODCAST Episode that Rhonda Mentions: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:
★ Support this podcast ★
_________________________________________________________
Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved
Guests
Michael Fitzgerald (Principal)
Michael is an experienced educator with an M.S. in Brain-Based Education. After a decade teaching in a variety of school models, he is using his knowledge of classical education to lead Northern Schoolhouse, all while pursuing his doctorate in education.
A dabbler in logic, philosophy, hiking, archery, chess, music, and handiwork, he brings his deep interest in the great minds of history to our Schoolhouse culture.
Katherine Fitzgerald (Instructional Coordinator & Music Teacher)
Katie has nearly two decades’ experience with children in education and humanitarian work. Her studies in educational history, methodology, curriculum, and child psychology form the basis of the programs developed for Northern Schoolhouse.
Music, math, baking, knitting, drawing, and gardening are among her many interests, and she shares her passion for doing and making with our Schoolhouse community.
Show Notes
The Fitzgeralds have built their whole model around what they call the Three Paths of Attention: Knowledge, Genius, & Heart. Through these pillars, they have developed their assessments and cultivated a culture of students who care. By attending to Knowledge, they steadily progress in their academic studies. By attending to Genius, they strengthen their ability to think and create. By attending to Heart, they become kind people who contribute to their families and communities.
Katherine and Michael Fitzgerald offer frontline practical details about daily routines and expectations they’re experiencing in Northern Schoolhouse. In this episode, the Fitzgeralds provide information about the classical culture of Northern Schoolhouse. They merge beautiful principles that operate under the three pillars of Classics, Nature, and Arts.
They share stories about how student invest in their own work and greatly enjoy opportunities to grow; there is an essence of excitement about doing well. Most of all, the students care about their scholarly projects and they love working on them. Rather than testing, they use assessments, character maps, and are mindful about the regard for virtues and habits. These, and complementary ideas are outlined in practical ways.
Resources mentioned
Plato
Socrates
Shakespeare, Sonnet 18
Charlotte Mason
Confucius
Dr. W. Edwards Deming
Aeneid
Odyssey
The Bible
"The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher" by John Taylor Gatto (from Dumbing us Down)
Zhuan Falun by Hongzhi Li
Podcast Episode on Motivation and Praise: How to Encourge Intrinsinc Motivation
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ANNOUNCING A NEW PROGYMNASMATA CURRICULUM
Benjamin Lyda in partnership with Adrienne is launching a pilot for Scriptorium: Writing with the Progymnasmata for grades 3-8. For more information about participating in this pilot, visit the website: https://www.beautifulteaching.com/pilot
ANNOUNCING OUR FIRST CLASSICAL EDUCATION ONLINE CONFERENCE!
11 speakers, 2 days, online and recorded if you cannot attend all of the sessions! Early bird pricing only $69 though April 1. Visit our website for more information.
Beautiful Teaching Conference Details.
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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:
★ Support this podcast ★
_________________________________________________________
Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved