A glimpse inside a network of classical charter schools across the country.
Why study a language that no one speaks anymore? It's one of the most common questions we hear in classical schools, and below, Jordan Adams from the curriculum and instruction team at the Barney Charter School Initiative offers an answer: https://soundcloud.com/hillsdaleclassicaled/jordan-adams-on-working-with-teachers-and-making-history-come-alive#t=15:51 Jordan Adams's Top Reasons to Study Latin Latin is a giant puzzle. It forms… Continue reading Why Latin? Isn’t it a dead language?
At Hillsdale Classical Schools across the country, students write and defend a senior thesis before graduation. The thesis gives students an opportunity to reflect on their education, choose a subject they would like to study more deeply, and then write a substantial paper on that subject. Before graduation, seniors present their theses to their parents,… Continue reading Elizabeth Hughes on her Senior Thesis
"As we leave behind our younger and more vulnerable years, I think a fitting lesson we ought to take with us is this: that life is a beautiful and sacred gift, with tremendous potential for, but no guarantee of, achieving the good. So I urge you, in the way that classical education best teaches us how, to spend it wisely. Spend it well."
"Happiness is a certain activity of soul in accord with complete virtue." - Aristotle Please enjoy our new video introduction to Hillsdale College's work in K-12 classical education.
We will take with us the words of wisdom we were given by teachers who have taken on Lewis’ charge “not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” I hope that for each of us, this graduation is not the end of education, but merely a transition. Embracing our spirited nature, let us move on to greater challenges knowing that we’ve begun well.
If you are a parent, these notes might help you evaluate your child's history class. If you are a teacher in a classical school, they might help you plan your lessons or give you ways to describe the teaching of history to others. If you are a teacher of social studies or a teacher in a non-classical school, this might help you think about two different ways of approaching the same subject.
Dear families, teachers, and friends, The school year is starting, and for the first time in Founders Classical of Leander's history, I'm not there. Instead I'm on the road with our curriculum and instruction team, meeting a group of teachers and school leaders who are about to do exactly what we did six years ago.… Continue reading What’s going to happen to the blog?
Living in a small town isn't that bad, you know. There is a film studio in the basement of the building where we work, and on the first floor we have a radio station. So, without having to go very far at all, this summer we started a podcast, and the first episode is available… Continue reading Hillsdale’s New K-12 Classical Education Podcast
Yesterday I got to see the first cut of the video we filmed at Founders Classical Academy of Leander back in May, just before school finished. The short film will be available on the Founders Classical Academy website, and the full version will be used by Hillsdale College to explain the work of the Barney… Continue reading Preview of Hillsdale’s New K-12 Education Video, featuring Founders Classical Academy of Leander
Well, Founders community (and perhaps others!), I am now about a month into my new job here at Hillsdale College. As the Assistant Provost of K-12 Education, I'm in charge of the College's K-12 education initiatives, including the Barney Initiative, which has been such an important partner for the Founders community for so long. This… Continue reading Backstage in the Hillsdale College Film Studio
