As the school year concludes, teachers are inevitably exhausted, but every June, the teachers from our Hillsdale College K-12 member schools get to look forward to attending our annual Summer Conference in Classical Education. Teachers, leaders, and school staff from across the country descend on Hillsdale’s campus ready to learn from the best, engage in great discussions with colleagues from around the network, and get some well-deserved downtime. Participants travel far and wide to attend this event. This year, we met a dedicated educator from Africa who flew to Michigan to learn more about the work we do. Another teacher from Las Vegas makes the trek to Hillsdale College by car each year and stays for the duration of the two-week conference.
Teachers report that coming to Hillsdale for the conference makes them feel like adults at summer camp, and they eagerly anticipate attending it each year. In reality, they are housed in campus dorms and take the majority of their meals in the college’s dining hall, so the experience probably harkens back to their college days rather than summer camp. Either way, it fills us with joy knowing they love coming to summer conference.
The availability for network-wide support and collaboration from our office is plentiful throughout the school year. However, the summer conference affords attendees opportunities to learn from master teachers in the network, Hillsdale College professors, and leading experts on classical education. Time spent together, away from work and the never-ending deluge of tasks on their own campus also solidifies the relationships between colleagues, which in turn enhances school culture.
Our goal is for this experience to be one that is transformative, enjoyable, and professionally worthwhile. We want attendees to leave the conference having learned something new that positively influences their professional practice.
The teacher support team eagerly anticipates the summer conference as well. Our team values the collaborative time and space the summer conference provides because we simultaneously congregate as a nation-wide network of schools. During the conference, school staff, teachers, and administrators forge relationships with other schools and our office. These relationships are of paramount importance to our team. We get to know one another on a more personal level. Ultimately, our work is an endeavor which focuses on what is good, true, and beautiful; fostering relationships with the educators living out the mission on a daily basis is the conduit which makes that work a meaningful experience for everyone involved in educating children.
Our goal is for this experience to be one that is transformative, enjoyable, and professionally worthwhile. We want attendees to leave the conference having learned something new that positively influences their professional practice. Additionally, we hope the conference ignites educators’ passion for a commitment to lifelong learning, plan for the upcoming school year with eager anticipation, and strengthen their overall commitment to the American classical education mission.
The summer conference is divided into three sessions over the course of two weeks. The first session is for upper school teachers and those who teach co-curriculars; the second session is for school leaders, office staff, and special education teachers; the third session is for lower school teachers. The daily schedule during summer conference is robust. Attendees rise early, eat breakfast, attend presentations during the first half of the day, eat lunch, attend presentations again in the afternoon, eat dinner, and participate in an evening activity such as a plenary talk or trivia night.
During these busy days, attendees choose from a plentiful itinerary of topics. Presentations are enriching and deepen the attendees’ knowledge of philosophy, curriculum, and instruction. The presentation offerings center around a multitude of topics. Most days, teachers, school leaders, and staff have the opportunity to hear three to five different speakers on a variety of topics that range from those that are practical in nature to those that enrich their understanding of content-specific subjects or classical education philosophy. Much thought is put into summer conference planning as we want there to be something of interest for everyone.
Contrary to the frenzied pace of a typical school day, discussion during presentations, meals, and hospitality times is dynamic because teachers have been afforded time to pause, reflect, and collaborate with their peers. Evenings close with hospitality time where a steady drum of conversation and laughter fills the air.
This year, headline speakers Andrew Pudewa, Dr. Leonard Sax, John Mays, Dr. James Hankins, Matthew Crawford, and Andrew Zwerneman spoke on topics ranging from reading aloud to the reasons we continue to study Western civilization. The content shared during these presentations were thought-provoking and deepened the audience’s appreciation of the roots of Classical Education as well as the students whom we serve. Hillsdale College professors generously provided their time to connect with the K-12 schools by presenting on topics within their specialization. Teachers from around the network were also invited to present. We extend our sincerest gratitude to all invited speakers for their willingness to share their wisdom and insight with the Hillsdale network of K-12 schools.
Thank you to those educators who put their summer vacation plans on pause to attend this year’s conference. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
