Developing Classical Thinkers

Today's episode is from a short training video produced by Thales Press for classical educators.In this recording, Winston Brady covers three helpful, simple rules (although they are more like “hypothetical scenarios") gleaned from years he taught middle school. Classroom management for classical educators requires a unique mix of leadership principles.Teachers should be patient and kind; they should model the same love of learning they hope to see in their students; and they should have high expectations for student behavior that teachers positively reinforce each day. In general, the best practice is to have relatively few rules–maybe 3 to 6–so they are easier for the teacher to enforce fairly, and for students to know what are the appropriate consequences if they break said rule. Winston Brady is the Director of Curriculum & Thales Press, an in-house publishing firm that produces textbooks, readings, and videos for Thales Academy and like-minded classical schools. He lives in Wake Forest with his wife and children.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 a sense, grades shouldn't matter. Learning should be a joyful activity undertaken for its own sake. Grading and assessing can do much to stifle a student's appreciation, curiosity, and wonder. Yet, at the same time, a contemporary school with large classes has few other means to encourage students to do the work and provide feedback on their behavior. After all, grades communicate valuable feedback as far as student effort and achievement. So how can we make grades really work for the student and teacher and help keep the classroom moving in a positive direction? In this episode, Winston Brady and Matt Ogle discuss grades and a teacher's grade book. Among the topics they cover are the number of grades, the value of completion grades, the superiority of accuracy grades, and the benefits of keeping a well-managed grade book that accurately reflects what was covered in class and how it was assessed. Note: Please excuse the sound quality, given that Matt and Winston recorded en route to visiting a Thales campus. Interested in teaching at Thales Academy? Be sure to check us out at www.thalesacademy.org.

Dorothy Sayers presented a paper entitled The Lost Tools of Learning at a summer conference at Oxford in 1947. In the paper, she makes a rather astute observation about “end-of-term reports” which should “combine a deep veneration for truth with a tender respect for the feelings of all concerned.” Ms. Sayers’ description of comments is profound. The task of writing report card comments seems very burdensome and weighty, but is a task that the teacher should value. Such comments are the last opportunity in the quarter to offer encouragement and advice to students while giving a seal of approval on their progress over the course of the quarter. In light of this advice on writing report card comments, here are the best tips from Matt and Winston on writing report card comments:Deliver compliment sandwiches: Present one piece of encouragement with one meaningful, courteous way the students can (or should) improve for the next quarter. Write comments throughout the quarter: Make a roster at the beginning of the quarter and add to that roster great things students did in class–good comments, meaningful insights, a great diorama here or there–these specific pieces of feedback go a long way in encouraging students. When in doubt, email: If the comment gets too specific, includes too many action items, or seems like it could be misinterpreted, email or call parents and let them know what you’re seeing.

Recently, the Mises Club of the Carolinas hosted their annual meet-up at Sugar Mountain, North Carolina. Dr. Paul Cwik of the University of Mount Olive delivered this address looking at the significance of the Austrian School of Economics. Dr. Cwik looked at the assumptions of the Austrian School including its emphasis on human action, individual liberty, and the role of prices in determining economic calculations. Most importantly, Dr. Cwik compared and contrasted the Austrian School with contemporary, mainstream economics and demonstrated how the Austrian School is more conducive for human flourishing, freedom, and material prosperity. Dr. Paul Cwik is a Fellow of the Mises Institute and the BB&T Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Mount Olive. He earned a BA from Hillsdale College, an MA from Tulane University, and a PhD from Auburn University, where he was a Mises Research Fellow.

The virtue of prudence is one of the four cardinal virtues, and yet, it is often overlooked. Prudence is the virtue of making wise, reasoned decisions, absorbing the collected wisdom of the Western canon and applying that wisdom to the situation at hand.In this talk from the Conference of Miletus, Matthew Ogle, Head of Classical Education at Thales Academy, examines the virtue of prudence and provides three points of application for teachers: 1) Model the love and joy that should accompany classical education; 2) Encourage curiosity and wonder through study and careful lesson planning; and 3) Continue the conversation from class and into the real world.Mr. 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 and is the Assistant Administrator of Thales Academy Rolesville JH/HS. Matt Ogle delivered this conference presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 8, 2024.The Conference of Miletus is a series of short lectures from members of the Thales Academy leadership team discussing what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful and the importance of these transcendental ideas to classical education.

Where you begin largely determines where you end. The modern, secular world defines human beings as being basically animals, but often dismisses the conclusions of such an idea. If man is basically an animal, then ideas of human dignity and the value of human life are easily subsumed in the reality of “might makes right.”Such a starting place and ending point are not in the best interests of students. Instead, classical education asserts the proposition that human beings are image bearers, having been created by God with the capacity for reason and contemplation, the drive for creative self-expression, and the capacity to make free, meaningful, moral choices. The idea of the imago dei is unique to the Judeo-Christian tradition and has influenced the course of Western history so that we hold it as a cherished First Principle.In this talk from the Conference of Miletus, Winston Brady, Director of Curriculum, Thales Academy and Director, Thales Press, examines the imago dei and the related concept of natural law and how these two ideas are of inestimable importance to the classical educator. Winston Brady has taught at Thales Academy since 2011 and has served Thales Academy in a variety of ways.Mr. Brady received a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary, a M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr Brady serves as the Director of Curriculum and Thales Press. Winston Brady delivered this conference presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 8, 2024.The Conference of Miletus was a series of short lectures from members of the Thales Academy leadership team discussing what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful and the importance of these transcendental ideas to classical education. 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.

Anthony Esolen, a distinguished professor of humanities and advocate for the Western canon, passionately defends the importance of teaching our cultural heritage. He presents five compelling reasons for embracing the Western tradition, emphasizing its vital role in shaping modern education. Esolen explores the roots of democracy and cultural interconnectedness, highlighting the invaluable lessons from ancient Greece and Dante. He also critiques the decline of religious sentiment and its impact on political polarization, urging a return to shared values for societal unity.

Today, many schools disconnect the teaching of science and the scientific process from ideas of design, natural order, and natural law.As a result, students lose sight of the purpose and limits of the scientific process and lack the habits of intellectual curiosity and academic rigor that lie at the heart of science education in grades kindergarten through twelve grade.In this lecture from the Conference of Miletus, Robert Luddy, founder of Thales Academy and Thales College, addresses the unique approach to science education within the classical tradition. Teachers may explain relatively simple concepts but with the right resources and methodology, they can do it in such a way that the students discover this concept for themselves and develop the habits of inquiry needed for future discoveries. Robert "Bob" Luddy is the Founder and Chairman of Thales Academy, Thales College, Franklin Academy, and St. Thomas More Academy, and is the Founder and President of CaptiveAire Systems, North America's leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment and a quickly growing manufacturer of commercial and industrial HVAC systems. Bob Luddy delivered this presentation at the Conference of Miletus on July 10, 2023. The Conference of Miletus was a series of short, informative lectures given by members of the Thales Academy leadership team on ideas relating to classical education. 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.

Each year, Thales Academy and Thales Press hosts the Conference of Miletus, a series of short lectures on topics related to classical education and practical teaching tips. This year, the theme of the conference was "First Principles for Classical Educators." In this episode, Winston Brady and Matt Ogle discuss each of these four principles.  A first principle is an assumption beyond which one may go no further and provides the foundation for a school to shape its culture and practices.These principles include the principle of natural order, the idea of teaching students to recognize the beauty in the natural world, addressed by Mr. Robert Luddy, founder of Thales Academy, founder of Thales College, and president of CaptiveAire Systems.Second is the principle of our intellectual inheritance, or the literary and historical treasures of the Western canon, presented by Dr. Anthony Esolen, Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Thales College.Third is the principle of moral philosophy, the idea of encouraging students to cultivate practical wisdom (prudence) in line with the Judeo-Christian and Aristotelian traditions, addressed by Mr. Matt Ogle, head of classical education at Thales Academy.And last but not least is the principle of human dignity, the principle of teaching students to preserve the uniqueness of every individual in alignment with the imago dei and the concept of natural law.

In case you didn’t know, summer vacation largely came about for two reasons. The first was to free up children to help with important farm chores as the time for harvesting came close. The second reason was the lack of air conditioning. Since more and more Americans are out of farming, and the invention known as air conditioning has made it possible to live in even the hottest states (North Carolina, where Thales Academy is largely located, being one of them) during the summer, many schools have set up a year-round schedule. That is, they do not offer the typical two to three-month summer vacation but instead go back to school in July or early August. Thales Academy is one of those schools, and next Monday, July 15, we will have our first day of school. To help get the school year started off right, Winston Brady speaks with Matt Ogle, head of classical education at Thales Academy, about what teachers need to focus on during those first few important days of school. During our conversation, Matt and Winston recommended some of the following tips. Begin the school year by making a positive connection with students while outlining your classroom expectations and procedures. How should they enter a room? What are your rules for classroom behavior (be sure to keep them simple) What should students do when they start class?That way, students know what to expect when they come to class, where the boundaries are during class, and how they can be successful. Spend time building in the kinds of habits you want students to practice during class for the rest of the year since this will free up class time later on. Good luck to all the teachers and students getting ready for their first day of school! We look forward to a wonderful year in 2024-2025 with you all.