Tag: teaching tips

Against Indignation 

Mr. Ian Nugent
School administrator hands character awards to students.

“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?…

Planning a History Lesson with the Trivium in Mind

Mr. Steven Battaglia
Teacher instructing students in the Medieval Era.

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.…

Why take notes?

Miss Jennifer Mulvey

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?…

Kindergarten To Calculus: Taking Advantage of a K-12 School 

Sam Clausen
Middle school student cheers in celebration.

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.…

When Next Week Isn’t Going to Slow Down 

Sam Clausen
Close up of a High School humanities teacher explaining something to his students sitting around the table.

I often catch myself thinking that if I just make it through this day or until that break, then I’ll get a chance to catch my breath. Despite my hopes, the next week is almost always full of its own new challenges and problems that I could not or did not anticipate. The following is a list of five truths and their corresponding disciplines that help me teach well when I realize that next week isn’t going to slow down. …

Using the Land of Hope Textbook – 3 Ideas

Mr. Steven Battaglia
Cover of the Land of Hope textbook. picture is an impressionistic rendering of a city skyline with a harbor in the foreground.

Wilfred M. McClay’s Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story is the recommended student text for the eleventh-grade American history course. The text tells the story of America through a compelling narrative that appears and reads more like a novel than a textbook. McClay, himself, in his “Introduction” acknowledges the objective of his writing is “to offer to American readers, young and old alike, an accurate, responsible, coherent, persuasive, and inspiring narrative account of their own country – an account that will inform and deepen their sense of the land they inhibit and equip them for the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship.” …

Let the Children Speak

Mrs. Emily Williams
A young student holding a book speaks to a teacher.

Watching a video of yourself teaching is simultaneously painful and illuminating. While you continually cringe at your every movement and the sound of your own voice, you are also given the opportunity to honestly and objectively observe your practice. Having gone through this many times in my teaching career, I can say with confidence that the pain is worth it. Every time I watch myself teach, I learn about a way that I can improve my practice. …

Part 2: How to Use Mini Whiteboards

Mr. Matthew Nolan
Elementary students at desks solving math problems on whiteboards.

This post is a follow-up to my recent post: The Case for Mini Whiteboards. If you have not read that post, I recommend you do so, as it lays out an argument in favor of the use of mini whiteboards in the classical classroom. This post will discuss the procedures, routines, and general advice that will allow you, the teacher, to get the most out of mini whiteboards in your classroom.  …