Developing Classical Thinkers

Famously, our school’s spiritual founder, Thales of Miletus, made his reputation as a wise and noteworthy scientist predicting an eclipse. The event is recorded in Herodotus’ "The Histories" as the armies of the Lydians and the Medes were fighting for control of Anatolia. Thales predicted an eclipse would happen on May 28, 585 BC, and when the celestial phenomenon took place, the Lydians and the Medes concluded a hasty peace treaty. The event is noteworthy on a number of levels, chief amongst them that the event is one of the earliest events that be dated to the precise day on which it occurred and others celebrate Thales’ achievement as the birth of science.With the eclipse coming up on Monday, April 8, we are releasing this special episode to help students know what an eclipse is, how they form, and how they can watch an eclipse without doing serious damage to their eyes. In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Robert Luddy, founder of Thales Academy, and Melissa Svirida, a junior high science teacher at Thales Academy Waxhaw, about solar eclipses and how to enjoy them safely. For students out there, we hope you enjoy the eclipse but be sure to wear the appropriate glasses to ensure you do not do any lasting damage to your eyes!Check out this video from NASA Goddard on making a pinhole projector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI1ttQxXt5s

In this panel discussion, Winston Brady interviews Dr. Adrian Bejan of Duke University about his childhood growing up in Romania and the influence that life growing up under a Communist regime has had on his work in thermodynamics and physics.Dr. Bejan is a J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, a notable author, and a leading scientist in the field of thermodynamics.In his work, "Freedom & Evolution," Dr. Bejan explores the relationship between freedom and evolution through the lens of physics and thermodynamics and notably grounds freedom in the observable, natural world.This interview was conducted at Thales Academy Rolesville Junior High-High School on March 8, 2024.

To celebrate and explain St. Patrick’s Day, today’s episode features a brief biography of St. Patrick. Roman-British missionary St. Patrick lived from 385 to 461 and is famous for bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. Learn the full story and how Patrick’s life shows the value of being classically educated. The quote from St. Patrick’s Confessio is available from https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_latin#01The story about Irish monasteries preserving manuscripts from the ancient world is drawn from “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” available here: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/how-the-irish-saved-civilization-the-untold-story-of-irelands-heroic-role-from-the-fall-of-rome-to-the-rise-of-medieval-europe-by-thomas-cahill/247589/?resultid=14dc8acd-4e59-40b8-b2ef-02c8bb1116a9#edition=2381566&idiq=4442804

In this webinar, Katie Flaherty presented strategies and classroom resources to bring together History, Art, Archaeology, and Culture into the Foreign Language classroom through a sample Latin curriculum ranging from grades 6-12. Flaherty also discussed additional pedagogical resources for increasing teacher confidence and knowledge on these topics outside the classroom.Mrs. Flaherty received a B.A. in Classics and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Classical Languages from the University of California - Los Angeles, and a M.A. in Classics from Florida State University. Mrs. Flaherty teaches Latin.

In this webinar, humanities instructor Zach Palmer discussed strategies parents and teachers can implement to address and improve student writing. To help improve student outcomes, teachers can coordinate with one another to prioritize writing effectively rather than overload students with the sheer quantity of papers and compositions.Mr. Palmer also went over sample writing assignments used in the past that provide students with quality, useful feedback.Mr. Palmer received a B.A. in History from Hillsdale College and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in History from Liberty University. Mr. Palmer teaches American History, Western Civilization, and Civics.

Rhetoric is the art of public speaking, the ability to give a stirring and persuasive speech. Accordingly, the ancients looked at rhetoric as the one indispensable skill for leadership and public service.This webinar offered practical tips for successfully navigating public speaking opportunities, including how to get over nervousness, how to project your voice, how to memorize a speech, how (or when) to use your hands, and other practical areas of concern when one is speaking in public. Rubrics and materials are available upon request. 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.

Happy Valentine's Day! In this reposted episode, Winston Brady speaks with longtime DCT contributor Will Begley about the life of St. Valentine. St. Valentine is a holiday that many people celebrate but few people know why we do so. When did we start celebrating Valentine's Day? Who was St. Valentine? Why hearts? Was this holiday cooked up to sell cards and chocolate, or was there something real, true, and meaningful at the heart of Valentine's Day? In this episode, Will Begley makes some guesses about the origins of St. Valentine’s Day, how Valentine’s Day became a day of card-and-rose-giving, and the backstory behind a number of the different St. Valentine figures.

The apostle Paul, author of a series of letters in the New Testament, had a vocation by which he took care of himself through the day: tentmaking. Indeed, as a pharisee, Paul was required to learn such a trade so that he had a meaningful, marketable skill with which to earn his daily bread and bless others. The idea is so popular that individuals in education or in ministry refer to side jobs (or even a full-time job) as "tentmaking"--that is, something outside of their highly-specialized academic that is more technical and hands-on. In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Miguel Echevarria, a professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC about the idea of tentmaking and how students can learn from Paul's example. Dr. Echevarria is the co-author of a new book on Paul entitled, "40 Questions About the Apostle Paul," available here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/40-Questions-About-Apostle-Paul/dp/0825447526/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3IIHUOPSYNUKN&keywords=miguel+echevarria&qid=1704821075&sprefix=miguel+echev%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1

In this episode, Winston Brady and Keller Moore discuss classroom management tips and strategies, with Winston sharing three rulers or, better yet, "hypothetical scenarios" to help classroom teachers manage large classrooms between 25 and 35 students, at the Junior High level. Those scenarios are as follows:Hypothetical Scenario #1: If someone is talking, you should not be talking.Hypothetical Scenario #2: If we are working, please stay in your seats.Hypothetical Scenario #3: If you have time to “lean,” you have time to clean.

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Hunter Hastings, Vice President of the Kingman Institute. The Kingman Institute is dedicated to integrating the principles of entrepreneurial free-market capitalism into business and education. We teach the morality of merit-based reward and an applicable understanding of value-based entrepreneurship.Hunter Hastings is an economist by education, a marketer in my professional track, a venture capitalist by vocation, and a passionate supporter of entrepreneurship. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Kingman Institute.More information about Hunter Hasting and his work can be found at https://hunterhastings.com/