Tom Cox on an Epic Education: Tolkien in the Middle School

To prepare for Homer, Virgil, Beowulf, the Eddas, and Dante—The Heights begins with Tolkien.

In a talk from 2016, former middle school core teacher and current upper school classics teacher Tom Cox defends the place of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in the epic tradition. He then explains why Middle Earth is so uniquely suited to the middle school, using Samwise the Stouthearted as our guide to the heart of a middle school boy.

Chapters:

2:46 Rethinking "the middle"

4:01 How LotR prepares boys for upper school

7:57 How LotR meets boys in middle school

12:47 Contrasted with other epics

14:41 Samwise as a middle school model

24:47 Tolkien's lessons for teachers and parents

26:07 Samwise the Stouthearted: earning his epic epithet

31:18 "Bear one another's burdens, fulfill the law of Christ"

Links:

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Iliad by Homer, prose translation by A. S. Kline

Plutarch Podcast by Tom Cox

Becoming Greece, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox

Becoming Rome, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox

Also on the Forum:

The Forum Faculty Podcast hosted by Tom Cox

The Hope of Hobbits and the Despair of Denethor by Tom Cox

Featured Opportunities:

The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)