Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

On this episode of Anchored, Soren welcomes five of CLT’s summer interns: Ammon Corpron, Charlotte Crowell, Grace Ann Roth, Blake Schaper, and Gracey Washa to talk about their experiences interning for CLT this summer. Join the group as they discuss the skills they acquired and the projects they worked on the college partnerships, homeschool partnerships, policy and finance, customer service, and test development departments. The interns talk about some of the highlights and successes as well as a few stories about what goes on behind the scenes. 

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Preston Atwood, Head of School at Westminster Academy in Memphis, Tennessee and author of Cantate Domino: A Liturgical Songbook for Classical Christian Schools. They discuss the difficulty and the necessity of figuring out how to flourish as a human being while serving as an administrator. Preston explains music as a liberal art and his belief that education without music is no education at all. They close by discussing his book, Cantate Domino as the classical education movement’s songbook, as well as the value of repetition and liturgical music for educational formation. 

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by John Tweeddale, Vice President of Academics and professor of theology at Reformation Bible College. The two discuss how the Old and New Testaments and the Christian tradition point to classical education as the way to raise children. They dive into one of the educational legacies of the Protestant Reformation, and how the Enlightenment changed our cultural view of religion.

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by David A. Armstrong, president of St. Thomas Univeristy in Miami, Florida. The two talk about the university’s origins in communist Cuba, and Armstrong’s own story that led to his commitment to Catholic education. They discuss how, amid an era of colleges closing, St. Thomas has seen record-high enrollment levels, and the secret to turnaround for schools facing decline. They close by talking about the effect of wokeism on the collegiate landscape and the future of St. Thomas as it is committed to maintaining a diverse, Catholic campus. 

On Office Hours with Jeremy Tate, Jeremy and Soren dive into the most recent, need-to-know news surrounding the education renewal movement. Tune in to hear about how the SAT and ACT are making efforts to “evolve” and “adapt” with the times, leading to watered-down assessments that are more focused on convenience rather than achievement. Jason Bedrick, a friend of CLT, published an article outlining how classical education offers hope for civic renewal in America. Plus, we get to hear the inspiring story of a family that dropped everything and uprooted themselves to get their kids a classical education.

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Michael Bryant from Charleston Southern University. The two discuss why a biblical worldview and the pursuit of knowledge go so well together. They talk about the effect of educational faith integration on the preservation of the liberal arts, and explain why education is never neutral when it comes to values. They also explore the culture’s current issues with biblical illiteracy, and some of the work being done to remedy that. 

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Krista Autrey, director of the Center for Career and Calling at Geneva College. The two discuss the role faith played in Krista's life when she discovered the career and calling that married her passions for campus ministry and the international church. They dive into how to improve the conversation surrounding the value of a college degree. They also discuss how Krista uses the idea of deciding what is next, not what is forever, to alleviate pressure when discerning the future. 

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Mario Vasilescu, co-founder of Readocracy, a technology that allows people to track their knowledge in the form of data and share it with others. He explains the benefits of the technology as a way to discredit the culture of division and noise and award those who are mindful of what they put into their minds. They also discuss the origins of the company and the pitfalls of the current education system that leaves brilliant thinkers behind.

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Marshall King, assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Carson-Neuman University in Tennessee. They discuss Marshall’s interest in languages and his view of exercise as a metaphor for language learning. Marshall dives into understanding the university as a microcosm of the universe and archaeology as a similarly omnibus field. They conclude by exploring the roots and definition of digital humanities, and why Christians ought to explore this area of study as a part of their heritage. 

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Tracy Lee Simmons, journalist and author of books such as Climbing Parnassus and his most recent release On Being Civilized. The two discuss the popularity of and inspiration behind Climbing Parnassus as well as how it would be received had it been released today. They also discuss the importance of intellectual humility in approaching the humanities and the merits of starting with facts, names, and dates as stepping stones to understanding how a mind works. Finally, the two talk about his recent video with Memoria Press in connection to the difficulties of defining classical education.