A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
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?…
I have always loved reading books. Ever since I was a child, books felt like a magical object that, when opened, would invite me into a vivid other world where I could do and be things I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. The feeling of finishing a book and ending my time in that other world always filled me with acute sadness.…
Last month, my students performed their formal recitation for the semester in front of their parents. This is a day of great anticipation and, sometimes, anxiety for the students. When we had finished our performance and returned to our classroom, my whole class was a bundle of excitement, adrenaline, and relief. We still had about 10 minutes before they needed to head to music class, plenty of time to fit in some math fact review or to go over our spelling list.…
When we study the framing of the Constitution in 4th grade, I highlight with my students how important it is that they understand the function of our government. Indeed, we discuss how, sadly, many Americans have not been equipped to really know the system outlined in this foundational document. Understanding the Constitution is an important conversation to have. Even at the simpler level in which we discuss it in my 4th grade classroom, it can be difficult for the students to grasp.…
A few weeks ago at our faculty in-service week, I had a meeting with several of our grammar school teachers with the aim of discussing our alignment in our writing curriculum. At the time, this meeting felt rather routine. The faculty at our school are constantly holding meetings like this, both formal and impromptu, to ensure we are forming our students well to ready them for the next year’s curriculum or adjusting our grade’s instruction to appropriately support our students’ growth.…
Have you ever walked into a classroom and your eyes are immediately overwhelmed. From the bright colors, to the dozens of anchor charts, to the pompom decorations hanging from the ceiling, some classroom decorations can make you feel disoriented and over-stimulated. Now, imagine being a student sitting in that classroom. These distractions will prevent you from being able to focus on even the most well-planned, interesting lesson as your eyes keep being drawn to the numerous bright colors and visuals.…
A few weeks before the beginning of every school year, I eagerly look over my class lists. Will I know any of the students coming into my class? What will the dynamics of the class be like this year? Most veteran teachers have probably gone through this same exciting mental exercise. However, in the first few years of teaching, my class list meant nothing to me.…
As teachers, our main goal is to help our students learn something new every day. But how do we know if the words we are saying are actually being understood by our students? I remember my first year of teaching, I planned out these, in my opinion, beautiful lectures filled with information I found to be fascinating. I left most of these lessons feeling like I had inculcated my students’ minds with great stories that they would remember forever.…