Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Benedict Whalen, an Associate Professor of English at Hillsdale College, shares his insights on the teaching of short stories. He highlights their importance in a classical education, emphasizing their simplicity and depth. Whalen discusses how short stories encourage close reading and warns against treating them merely as examples of literary devices. He advocates for reading aloud in class to enhance understanding and compares the study of short stories to analyzing novel chapters. Recommended authors include Chekhov, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway.

Jenny Pridgeon, the Director of Field Recruitment at Hillsdale College, shares her insights on crafting impactful letters of recommendation and high school resumes. She emphasizes the importance of showcasing character and work ethic over mere academic metrics. Jenny highlights how vivid anecdotes can make recommendations stand out and discusses which activities students should include on their resumes. She also explains the significance of tailoring letters for specific colleges and the value of a third letter from nonacademic sources.

Jason Lund, upper school humanities teacher and senior thesis coordinator at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the least interesting parts of great books, how Homer's list of ships in The Iliad relates to the poem's themes, and the importance of the extracts in Melville's Moby Dick. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.