A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. So goes the ancient proverb. The longer I teach, the more I know it is true. I want so many good things for my students. Principally among them is a complete immersion in formative content. But how do I make sure they can take in everything I teach? I teach in little, tiny, bite-sized amounts.…
As we set up our notes for the day, my fourth grade students are quick to point out the large empty rectangle in the corner of the chalkboard. I tell them to copy it down and we will talk about it later. At this point in the year, we have just finished studying the the Hundred Years War, a war that unexpectedly had tipped to the brink of victory for the English until the arrival of the unexpected figure of Joan of Arc.…
Very few men have stood as tall as George Washington in their character, nobility, and humility. Among his peers of founding fathers, he is known as THE founder. The one who led his tattered army to victory in the fight for independence. The one who led his country toward stability as the first president. The one who stepped down from leadership in humility to create a stronger union not based on a monarchy.…
We began our lesson on fractions, and I prepared to say the words I read in the manual the day before. “The numerator is the number above the fraction line. The denominator is the number underneath the fraction line. They represent parts being taken or the total number of parts in the whole, respectively.” As I considered these words, I realized how abstract these ideas are.…
As a teacher in a classical classroom, I hope that my teaching will be effective for all my students. But recently, I heard another educator claim that the education we offer doesn’t work for boys. It is too still, too boring, and too structured. Being in a very full classroom with more boys than girls this year, I would like to speak to this critique.…
We all want to be good. We think things like honesty and kindness are important. Then why are some of us dishonest and unkind?
In my fourth-grade classroom this year, we are working to understand the difference between valuing something and actually doing it. A value is something we intellectually hold as important, but a virtue is a very different thing.…
When I was gathering school supplies in my classroom as a first-year teacher, I had no idea how important the humble ruler would be. Of course it would be used when we learned about inches and centimeters, or even serve as a ramp when we studied motion and force in science. But I didn’t think we’d need it in literature or history class.…
Movies can be so captivating. They take us on a journey through events, lives, struggles, and victories. For me, I am particularly drawn in when the movie ends and right before the credits, I see the words based on a true story. When the movie is based on real events, I relate more to the characters and to their struggles. I feel their victories more acutely.…