A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
A few weeks ago, I attended one of our school’s quarterly House Games. I watched as students from our 7th through 12th grade upper school competed on teams against one another in a series of contests from flag football to nerf wars. Everywhere I looked, I saw students laughing, huddled in groups strategizing, and generally having a wonderful time with each other.…
Teaching can be a frustrating experience. We have all been there when we ended a lesson confident that we had taught well only to be reminded the next day during bell work that their grasp of the concept was as fleeting as a summer breeze. Perhaps you, like me, have found yourself lamenting, “How could they possibly forget this?! We just went over it!” …
In my second year teaching at a Hillsdale classical school, I received a student right before we started reading Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Based on my experience the year prior, I knew this novel and the discussions we would have would be an excellent opportunity for the student to understand classical education, our school, the classroom, and my expectations. What I did not know was how much this story would affect him.…
“Who do you all think you are?” I leveled this accusation posed as a question to the first class of 8th graders I ever taught during the first semester of the first year of my teaching career. The recollection of this moment still makes my stomach twist and starts me muttering “what was I thinking?” and “you truly were an idiot, Ian…” What was the sin committed by this hapless group of barely-teenagers to elicit such a withering opening line, delivered with a look of utter contempt, and followed by an equally vitriolic monologue?…
When talking with teachers who are new to classical education, I am often asked about planning a lesson “classically.” In response I suggest that a classical lesson is distinct from all other lessons in that it possesses elements of the classical Trivium: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
If the ingredients of a lesson contain three features: deciding what to teach, organizing materials and activities, and bringing the lesson to life, then the Trivium is most readily applicable in the organization of the lesson.…
In every upper elementary and high school classroom across America, you will see students taking notes. Everyone reading this article probably remembers the days of scribbling down math example problems or frantically trying to keep up with an enthused history teacher in writing down important names, dates, and details. But why do we have students take notes? What is the purpose and benefit for a student?…
When I talk to teachers or parents about our rich art curriculum and displays of student artwork, I often hear, “I wish I had that opportunity. I could never do something like that. I’m just not artistic.” Being an artist is an undeniably vulnerable task that requires truthfulness of expression and, as artist Henri Matisse proposes, takes courage. Each person has the ability to be an artist and as Pablo Picasso once said, “every child is an artist.”…
Families attend my classical charter school for many reasons. Our curriculum brings students into contact with the greatest books, ideas, and role models in Western civilization. Our students have incredible success in their collegiate years after the education they receive from us. Our families pay no tuition and need not fit into any social, economic, or political mold in order to attend our school.…