A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
There are moments in class where a teacher can see students thinking and considering some of the greatest human questions. These times are excellent reminders of the goal of education - the formation of individuals who "think independently and earnestly about what matters most in life."
Very few men have stood as tall as George Washington in their character, nobility, and humility. Among his peers of founding fathers, he is known as THE founder. The one who led his tattered army to victory in the fight for independence. The one who led his country toward stability as the first president. The… Continue reading A Life Lesson from THE Founder
As a teacher, how do you know that your students are engaged? How do you know what your students are thinking? What ideas arise for them as they assimilate new information with prior knowledge and concepts? Investigating these questions reveals insights into how students interact with content while simultaneously highlighting the quality of the opportunities… Continue reading Facilitating Student Talk
The K-12 Education Office provides training and advice for teachers across our network, and one of the most important aspects of elementary education is learning to read and write. Check out this post to see the different ways we encourage teachers in this area of instruction!
Even a simple challenge in a friendly competition among Hillsdale member schools can encourage students to engage with the building blocks and fundamental structures of musical composition!
"I love that the stories I read with my students are intentionally matched to the history content I am teaching so my students can enjoy that heightened understanding of the characters and their lives." - Jenny Mulvey
Why do we study the fine arts, and how should K-12 schools cultivate a love and understanding of great art among their students? How should we study sculpture in particular, and what makes the great sculptors so excellent? How should we study Michelangelo's David in particular? Dr. O'Toole had a fascinating conversation with Prof. Anthony Frudakis, Associate Professor of Art at Hillsdale College on Michelangelo's David and why we study sculpture. Enjoy!
George Polya, a master in mathematics education in the early twentieth century, is credited with saying that if a problem takes fewer than 24 hours to solve, it isn't worth solving. When I first heard this, I was discouraged. How can I help my students to understand math if everything worth knowing takes so much… Continue reading Productive Struggle in Math
French students from Seven Oaks Classical School had the opportunity to participate in a statewide French language and culture competition called “Le Congres.” At this annual event, students test their skill in knowledge-based contests such as vocabulary, history, and geography questionnaires as well as their oral production of the language in reading previously unseen texts… Continue reading When I’m Proud of My Students
So many of us came into this profession with dreams of what it would be like and the great impacts we would make only to find the reality a rather rude awakening. But were all those visions complete fantasy? No. Teaching has fulfilled all those dreams I had when I was little. But they didn’t all come true in that first year, or even in the second.
The Classical Classroom 