Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

Dr. Douglas Henry, Dean of the Honors College at Baylor University, joins Jeremy to discuss the impact of great works of literature, politics, and philosophy on both his own academic formation and in the larger life of the Honors College.  Dean Henry discusses the college's commitment to the integration of faith and learning and how this has led the college to become not only favored by Baptist students, but Catholic students as well.  Dr. Henry further expounds on the Great Books as a foundation for public discourse, what this has meant for his time in the classroom, the importance of engaging with great ideas to become a lifelong learner, and why the institution of higher learning will lose its soul if it neglects its commitment to educating students in this manner. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Douglas Henry Humanities Teachers- Deadline Approaching! Apply to Baylor's NEH Summer Seminar 2021: Disputatio and the Pursuit of Wisdom in the Humanities! ($2,200 stipend)

Jon Balsbaugh, President of Trinity Schools, joins Jeremy to discuss the important distinction that separates schooling from an education striving for "human awakening." Jeremy and Jon also discuss C.S. Lewis' vision of education, his understanding of the troubling trajectory of education, and the importance of the training of affections. Jon further illustrates the relevancy of the Great Books by underscoring their ability to pose timeless questions to today's students, and he shares insight into the Classical renewal movement. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Jon Balsbaugh

Frank Bruni of The New York Times once dubbed St. John's College the "most contrarian college in America." On this episode, St. John's College President Pano Kanelos joins Jeremy to discuss the history of the school (one of the oldest colleges in the U.S.) and the academic reorientation that took place there in the early 20th century, one inspired by the Great Books movement facilitated by Mortimer Adler and others. He also discusses the issues of cost in higher education and highlights the "Freeing Minds" campaign and other efforts that St. John's took to lower tuition and improve access by rolling back over a decade of tuition increases. Dr. Kanelos also discusses a 2018 trip to South Korea (as well as other countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East) and the conversations that showcased an eagerness for liberal arts education across the globe. Send questions or comments to anchored@cltexam.com.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest President Pano Kanelos

Keith Nix, Head of School at Veritas in Richmond, VA, joins Jeremy with Sam Davis, a Veritas student. On this episode, Keith discusses the history of Veritas School, the beginnings of its historic campus in Richmond, and its mission in classical education. The conversation moves to architecture and its relation to learning—how does physical space impact imagination and academic outcomes? Keith also examines the current momentum of classical education and what this means for the future. Additionally, Jeremy talks with Sam on the ways in which classical education has informed his school community and ultimately his perspective on education's role in personal formation.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guests Keith Nix and Sam Davis Humanities Teachers—Apply to Baylor's NEH Summer Seminar 2021: Disputatio and the Pursuit of Wisdom in the Humanities! ($2,200 stipend)

Note: This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. West. Cornel West begins this episode by responding to a question from the producer: has the advancement of technology created a culture in which the desire for wisdom is supplanted by the demand for instant access to information? He also discusses modern conceptions of identity and the way in which these conceptions have become detached from larger questions and ideals, the elements of education and life that lead to personal fortification, and the dialectical interplay between one's familial "roots" and the routes that a person takes in life. Dr. West also discusses curricula, the notions of excellence in texts, and the ways in which this excellence builds upon itself and reveals that truth is bigger than all of us. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Cornel West @CornelWest 

Note: This is Part 1 of our conversation with Dr. West. Renowned public philosopher Dr. Cornel West joins Jeremy to share his insight into the current cultural moment and efforts to remove the Classics from school curricula. He discusses his famous friendship with Princeton's Robert P. George and highlights the troubles that arise when friendships hinge only on ideological agreement, and how society is fractured by conversations halted due to cancel culture. He also shares his views on the #DisruptTexts movement by exploring the distinctions that separate an education rooted in deep intellectual and moral formation from modern-day "schooling," and examines why texts rich in terms of generating conversation are being lost to polarization. Dr. West also discusses his time studying with Hans-Georg Gadamer, and shines light on conceptions of tradition and the Greek idea of paedeia, and reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy in terms of love, justice, and courage. Send questions or comments to anchored@cltexam.com.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Cornel West @CornelWest 

Note: This is Part 2 of an episode co-release detailing responses to the #DisruptTexts movement which caught national attention. Meghan Cox Gurdon is an author and weekly columnist for The Wall Street Journal, where she writes on children's books. Her recent op-ed in the WSJ, entitled "Even Homer Gets Mobbed," outlined efforts by the group #DisruptTexts to have works of the Western Canon removed from school curricula (the movement's official statement: #DisruptTexts is a crowdsourced, grass roots effort by teachers for teachers to challenge the traditional canon in order to create a more inclusive, representative, and equitable language arts curriculum that our students deserve. It is part of our mission to aid and develop teachers committed to anti-racist/anti-bias teaching pedagogy and practices). In this episode, Meghan joins Jeremy to discuss not only the impetus for writing this article, but also the overwhelming response that she received in response, as well as the larger movement of critical theory within our institutions. While discussing the laudable efforts toward more representative literature for children, she describes the results of misguided efforts to declare texts not reflective of modern sensibilities as "dangerous" and "harmful." She also discusses her book The Enchanted Hour, which examines the social, mental, and physiological benefits of reading aloud. Send questions or comments to anchored@cltexam.com.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Meghan Cox GurdonEven Homer Gets Mobbed#DisruptTextsThe Enchanted Hour

Note: This is Part 1 of an episode co-release detailing responses to the #DisruptTexts movement which caught national attention. As Superintendent of Schools for the Boston Archdiocese, Thomas Carroll joins Jeremy to discuss the challenges that he faced in his new role during a global pandemic.  Amid public statements by Massachusetts' three largest teachers unions indicating that schools would continue remote-learning indefinitely, Mr. Carroll weighed the evidence and sought to re-open Catholic schools in Boston. His decision—while initially receiving backlash—produced outcomes lauded by Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker, and the reopenings were featured in several national newspapers. Mr. Carroll discusses these events, as well as his larger goals and work toward revitalizing Catholic education by moving the schools away from secularization and re-focusing on religious formation. Tom also discusses his response to the #DisruptTexts movement which caught national attention on Twitter as members of the coalition congratulated their work in having Homer's Odyssey removed from a Mass. school curriculum. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Thomas Carroll @BostonCathSuptHow Boston Catholic Schools Opened for In-Person Learning Amid the PandemicCovid and the Catholic Schools—WSJ

Dr. Greg Thompson is the Executive Director of Voices Underground, an initiative to build a national memorial to the Underground Railroad,  and he is a Research Fellow in African American Cultural Heritage at Lincoln University. He joins Jeremy to discuss his recent response to Rod Dreher's new book Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, to include the notion that it imports a fear-based worldview into the Benedictine Tradition. Other issues he touches on include reparations, why many criticisms of critical theory (as well as popular conceptions of "wokeness" in the current culture and academia) are misguided, the ways in which some elements of current social movements are leaning toward illiberalism, and how the writings of W.E.B. DuBois and Martin Luther King Jr. still echo today. Send questions or comments to anchored@cltexam.com.Host Jeremy Tate Guest Greg Thompson The Return of the Cold Warrior: Reflections on Rod Dreher's Live Not By LiesWoke Preacher: Live Not by Lies is 'Dangerous'Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair

LCDR Ali Ghaffari is an F/A-18 pilot, Associate Director of the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the United States Naval Academy, and the founder of Divine Mercy Academy, a classical liberal arts school formed in the Catholic tradition. He joins Jeremy to discuss his academic journey and the educational experiences that led him to not only discover and favor classical education for its formative nature, but also to found a classical school. He also discusses the ways in which the classics can enrich and inform leadership development. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest LCDR Ali GhaffariDivine Mercy Academy