

Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast
Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast
A 20-minute podcast featuring professors, K-12 teachers, and friends of Hillsdale College, all speaking about classical education—what it is, why it’s still relevant today, and what makes it unique. Hosted by Scot Bertram.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 19, 2026 • 26min
Apprenticing Excellence: Inside Hillsdale's School Leader Fellowship Program
Benjamin Payne, Director of School Leader Support at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the Hillsdale College K-12 School Leader Fellowship, the diverse range of skills that make a good school leader, and the benefits of joining the Hillsdale College K-12 network. For more info, and to apply to the School Leader Fellowship, follow this link: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Schools/School-Leader-Fellowships/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 12, 2026 • 39min
Kathleen O’Toole and Robert Pondiscio: Combating Doom and Gloom in the Classroom
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Robert Pondiscio to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators should emphasize resiliency and hope in the classroom. Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies, where he focuses on K–12 education, curriculum, teaching, school choice, and charter schooling. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 5, 2026 • 24min
Classical Education 101
Julie Apel, assistant headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss what makes classical education different, why there is a renewed interest in classical education, and what students can expect to learn in a classical classroom. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 29, 2025 • 19min
Mastering Art: Using Narration to Boost Engagement and Mastery
Abigail Teska, lower and upper school art teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss using narration to help students understand artistic concepts, how to help students understand a work of art, and what narration activities students respond to the best. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 22, 2025 • 19min
How IEW Helps Students Enjoy Reading
Jennifer Jackett, a fifth grade teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, and Julia McNeely, director of Title I at Seven Oaks Classical School, join host Scot Bertram to discuss the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum, principles for better writing, and how writing helps students succeed throughout a school's curriculum. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 15, 2025 • 22min
Virtue and Reframing for Students
Ben Payne, director of leader support for Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss helping students build emotional durability, focusing on developing virtue over value, and the essential principles when helping students to reframe their attitudes. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 8, 2025 • 36min
Kathleen O'Toole & Christopher Nadon: The Tension between "Lived Experience" and Student Learning
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Christopher Nadon to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators are failing their students by embracing the importance of “lived experience.” Christopher Nadon (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago) has taught political philosophy and humanities at Emet Classical Academy, Claremont McKenna College, Trinity College, and Kyev-Mohyla Academy. He writes on the character and history of republican government understood as self-rule in authors such as Herodotus, Xenophon, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Sarpi, Hobbes, Locke, Tocqueville, and Lincoln. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 1, 2025 • 24min
Starting a Classical School In Alaska
Stephen Cox, a founding board member of Thomas More Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his role in starting a classical school in Alaska, the decision to make Thomas More Classical School a private institution, and the process of becoming a Hillsdale College K-12 Education partner school. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 24, 2025 • 24min
Cultivating the Moral Imagination Through Stories: An Introduction to Core Virtues
Gabrielle Lewis, a teacher support lead and Core Virtues director at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the relaunched Core Virtues program, cultivating the moral imagination through stories, and how schools can utilize the Core Virtues program. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 2025 • 29min
Teaching Students the Elements of Analysis
Justin Jackson, English professor and Edrie Seward Kennedy Chair in English at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his upcoming co-authored book on teaching students the elements of analysis, the art of close analysis, and what texts teachers should use to teach close analysis. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


