A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
At the start of each school year, I pose the question to my students: why do we study history? Each year their answers become more thoughtful and nuanced. They begin with the standard “so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past” and different variations of “because it is interesting and good” to know history… Continue reading History and Humility
What does it mean to be culturally literate in music? What are the benefits of this form of cultural literacy? How can a classical education contribute to this?
The physical space in which learning takes place has a profound effect on the student. This external environment should be intentionally chosen and set up in a way that supports student learning, ties into the curriculum, and emphasizes the unique relationship between the students and the teacher.
Why is the use of maps, charts, and images important in a classical school? Effective use of these resources bolsters Socratic dialogue in the classroom, allowing the teacher to ask more questions and engage students in the lesson.
There's a reason why the image of a family gathered around a table enjoying a meal together invokes warm feelings of communion and kinship. While we can't recreate a shared family dinner with all its intimacy inside the schoolhouse, teachers can help to develop in children the kinds of virtues and conversational skills that are… Continue reading Civilized Meal Time and the Virtues of School Lunch
In teaching rigorous content, there’s a golden mean between safeguarding students from any glimpse of ‘failure’ and letting them flounder miserably. That sweet spot is what I like to call the zone of desirable difficulties and meaningful mistakes. Nobody likes to feel like they’re wrong or unable to solve problems, especially adolescents keen on impressing… Continue reading Meaningful Mistakes & Desirable Difficulties
It is often said that the arts are a means of sharing in the "human experience." And while I probably heard that phrase a few too many times in my high school literature class not to hear it as cliché, there is a part of me that appreciates this time-honored saying. Our curriculum places an… Continue reading Embracing Humanity
So what do we do in our classical classrooms? How do we form citizens who know where they come from, and where they are going? Citizens who know how to avoid repeating mistakes made in our past? Citizens who can creatively solve problems and who have been formed by the repeated practice of doing the next right thing?
A consensus on the purpose of education among parents, teachers, and students is essential to a school's success. Students are able to recognize from the beginning that we go to school to learn!
There are a number of mistakes I have made teaching throughout the years, but I think perhaps the biggest was not providing enough studio demonstrations when I first started teaching art. Back then I had a fear that my demonstrations would not turn out well and I would lose credibility with the class if they… Continue reading The Power of a Demonstration
The Classical Classroom 