Developing Classical Thinkers

Social media and smartphones present unprecedented challenges for educators and parents. Parents and teachers often recognize that smartphones and social media do not help students, but they have not had data to confirm this belief.In this episode of Developing Classical Thinkers, Ashley Bahor and Olivia Holliday discuss Jonathan Haidt's 2024 book "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness," and the evidence of social media usage's negative effects.In "The Anxious Generation," Haidt argues that social media apps hamper a teenager's normal social and emotional development. In this episode, Ashley Bahor and Olivia Holliday discuss "The Anxious Generation" and its claims, as well as strategies for parents to help their students avoid these kinds of technology.More information about Jonathan Haidt's "The Anxious Generation" can be found here: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/bookMrs. Bahor received a B.S. in Child Development from Meredith College and a M.S.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Mrs. Holliday received a B.A. in Psychology from Bryan College and an M.A. in Counseling with an emphasis in School Counseling from Marshall University Graduate College. Mrs. Holliday serves as Thales Academy's Guidance Counselor and is a helpful resource for every student.

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Joseph Wolak, assistant head of school at the Thales Academy Apex JH / HS campus. Joe is a veteran teacher with over twenty years of experience teaching mathematics, and he shares his best tips and strategies in the classroom concerning pedagogy, classroom management, preparation, and grading for math teachers.

In this video, teachers Joe Wolak and Winston Brady walk through a fun lesson plan to do with students to calculate pi using some plates, mugs, some string, and a ruler.Free download available at https://bit.ly/4gV7Cyd

January 31-February 1, the CiRCE Institute held its annual FORMA Symposium, hosted on the beautiful campus at Belmont Abbey College. The In this speech from the FORMA Symposium, Winston Brady addresses the plight of science education in the twenty-first century.Today, much of science education is not oriented toward truth but the cultivation and consolidation of power, with the objectivity of scientific knowledge used as a cloak for the mastery that scientific knowledge provides those who wield such power.Winston addressed the nature of the controversy, the historical steps by which modern education diverted from ancient practices, and a remedy rooted in truth, goodness, and beauty for restoring science education to its proper foundations.

The problems in American secondary education cannot be solved by simply throwing money at the problem. They require innovative but practical insights to help drive down costs while creating more value for students, teachers, and parents.In this episode of Developing Classical Thinkers, Robert Luddy explains his philosophy of continuous improvement and value creation and how he applies these insights for the benefit of Thales students. Interested in teaching at Thales Academy?Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact.

In this episode, Joseph Wolak will present strategies for teaching junior high mathematics for teachers. He will present tips on classroom management, strategies for grading, and some ideas for building inquiry-driven lessons with the Saxon math curriculum. Mr. Wolak is joined by Ashley DiPenta and Naomi Back, members of the Thales junior high staff. Lesson plans and materials are all available upon request. Please email winston.brady@thalesacademy.org for more details.

The success of the classical education movement continues to generate headlines in major publications and the support among parents hoping to see better educational options for their students continues to grow. As the number of classical schools continues to increase, whether they are charter schools, independent private, or parochial schools, people are now debating the extent to which, if any, classical education is (or should be) aligned with a political tradition and affiliation.Classical educators say they are offering a traditional liberal arts education–does that make classical education liberal? Classical educators say they are conserving the intellectual inheritance of the Western tradition–does that make classical education “conservative” in the Edmund Burke valued tradition, a sense of place, and one’s intellectual inheritance?Could a content-rich education rooted in the great books of the Western canon, books that molded the minds of the Founding Fathers and history’s greatest thinkers and leaders, produce a new generation who may cultivate the same opinions and values as such leaders concerning suspicion of government power, individual rights and freedoms based on the imago dei, and a regard for the truth, virtue, and liberty? This panel is intended to investigate these questions and the extent to which classical education is conservative and where along the conservative tradition we may find such principles. Jenna Robinson (Ph.D) is the president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal in Raleigh, NC. Jake Noland (Ph.D) serves as the Dean of Faculty at St. Thomas More Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina. Robert Luddy is the president of CaptiveAire Systems and the founder of Thales Academy. This panel was delivered live at the Fall Classical Summit, a regional classical conference held at Thales Academy Rolesville Junior High-High School on October 4, 2024. Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers.

In this webinar, Kristin Gyure and Katie Jones present an overview of Direct Instruction and their best teaching practices for meaningful and effective engagement and learning.Mrs. Gyure received a B.A. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She serves as Assistant Head of School at Thales Academy Wake Forest. Mrs. Jones served as the Head of School for the Thales Academy Cary campus and now serves as a Direct Instruction consultant and coach.

Virtue refers to the habits of moral excellence, something that cannot necessarily be taught but classical educators must try and incorporate into their lessons each and everyday.To this end, Robert Luddy and Winston Brady provide this webinar for our character education program, the need to teach virtue and character formation, and a book to aid in the pursuit of noble character, "Super Habits" by Andrew Abela."Super Habits: The Universal System for a Successful Life" was written by Andrew Abela, Dean of the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. In a culture that prioritizes short-term fixes over long-term solutions, "Super Habits" offers a foundational, back-to-basics plan that produces both immediate and enduring results. Whatever issue you are struggling with right now, whatever challenge you may be facing, there is a super habit to help you overcome it.Dr. Abela equips readers with the tools needed to embrace the lifelong pursuit of self-improvement to attain a life of greater ease, joy, and strength. Dr. Andrew Abela is the founding dean of the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. His award-winning, widely cited research on integrity and effectiveness in business has been published in several academic journals and in three books.Dr. Abela speaks to business leaders around the world about cultivating the super habits of success in themselves and in their organizations.Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact/careers.

There is great power in our ability to observe the world around us. We must make time to stop and see, for we never know when a small observation leads to a great encounter with truth. Students need to be trained in the way to discover truth by developing the naturalists ability to take an interest in what they can observe.Naturalists like John Muir, Wendell Berry, Jacques Cousteau and Dian Fossey can show us all how to have greater appreciation for the world. Matthew Ogle received a B.S. in Marine Biology from Swansea University in Wales and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Mr. Ogle serves as Head of Classical Education for all campuses.This lecture was delivered live at the Fall Classical Summit, a regional classical conference held at Thales Academy Rolesville Junior High-High School on October 4, 2024.Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Please check out our website if you are interested in pursuing a career at Thales Academy and learning about needs across our network. Find out more at https://www.thalesacademy.org/contact.