The Christopher Perrin Show

In this episode, Dr. Perrin gives a foretaste from his forthcoming book with Carrie Eben, The Good Teacher, as he advocates for singing as a powerful and now neglected pedagogical tool. Drawing from traditional sources like Plato and Augustine, Scripture, and personal anecdotes, he explores how music—especially in the form of singing and chanting—can shape the soul, foster joy, and make learning permanent. Perrin traces the etymological and cultural significance of music (from the Greek muse and mousikē), noting how integral it once was to early education and soul formation. He challenges modern classical educators to break free from their limited educational upbringing and rediscover this method of teaching, particularly in the lower grades. Through vivid examples—such as his daughter's ability to recall scripture, history, and Latin years later through song—Perrin demonstrates how singing enables children to internalize and retain knowledge in a joyful and embodied way. He urges educators to sing far more often than feels natural to the adult mind, to make use of existing resources, and to partner with others in creating musical material. The episode concludes with a compelling invitation: to teach in a way that aligns with the nature of children and the harmonious order of the cosmos—by singing what is true, good, and beautiful.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Perrin draws upon his forthcoming book with Carrie Eben, The Good Teacher and invites listeners to reconsider the meaning of virtue. It once stood at the heart of education but now often eludes clear definitions. Considering personal experience and the broader tradition of liberal education, Perrin explores how the modern educational landscape has drifted from its roots, leaving many unable to articulate what virtue—or even education—truly is. He explains the classical understanding of virtue as human excellence, rooted in the Latin virtus and Greek aretē, and discusses the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage.Perrin then turns to the forgotten tradition of the liberal arts, challenging even well-educated listeners to name and understand them. From this foundation, he builds toward a vision of education as the cultivation of virtue—not only moral and civic but also intellectual and even physical and spiritual. He provides a taxonomy of intellectual or academic virtues—including wonder, zeal, humility, attentiveness, courage, and discipline—and discusses how these can and must be cultivated in students and educators alike. Throughout, Perrin emphasizes that true education forms not just the mind, but the whole person, and that the rediscovery of this vision requires a recovery of vocabulary, tradition, and purpose.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Perrin explores the often-neglected role of beauty in classical education, emphasizing the importance of engaging all five senses in the learning experience. He challenges the text-centered focus of modern education and invites educators to rethink school environments, advocating for spaces that reflect truth, goodness, and beauty. Through thought experiments and practical suggestions, he encourages schools to move beyond utilitarian aesthetics toward classrooms that feel more like homes, museums, or gardens. He also highlights schools that have successfully integrated beauty into their educational philosophy and provides resources for further exploration. Listeners might also enjoy the book Making School Beautiful by Dr. John Skillen.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Perrin explores the tension between rigor and rest in classical education, drawing on Aristotle's concept of virtue as a balance between extremes. He examines how rigor is often emphasized as a corrective to declining academic standards but warns against its overuse, which can lead to a rigid and joyless educational experience. Discussion includes monastic traditions, the etymology of “school” (scholé), and scriptural examples to illustrate how classical education thrives when both rigor and rest are harmonized. By drawing on historical and philosophical insights, as well as practical examples from classical schools, Dr. Perrin advocates for a blended approach that includes contemplation, wonder, and delight alongside academic challenge.

Great teaching isn't about mastering techniques—it's about embodying principles. In this episode, Dr. Christopher Perrin explores how classical education prioritizes the formation of virtue in both teachers and students through time-tested pedagogical wisdom and Christian tradition. Using the analogy of carpentry, he explains how principles provide the foundation for effective teaching, allowing educators to apply techniques with wisdom. He also introduces The Good Teacher, a book co-authored with Dr. Carrie Eben, which outlines 10 key pedagogical principles that transform the classroom. Tune in for an inspiring and practical conversation on the art of teaching.

In this episode, Christopher Perrin explores the profound theme of the hero's arduous journey home—as depicted in Homer's The Odyssey. He discusses how Odysseus's return to Ithaca not only signifies a physical homecoming but also a reclaiming of identity and status. Consider in this epic tale the timeless human longing for home and the trials faced along the way.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin who teaches the Odyssey to a college class every year, traces the life and quest of Odysseus noting the ways in which his life turns and twists much like our own, and the way his yearning and the story itself anticipate a kind of fulfillment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin notes the ways we have forgotten the meaning of words that related to education and revives the meaning of about 20 key words we need to know in order to better understand what education really is.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the way that Christian classical education must offer hospitality to students seeking an intellectual home and healing to the sickness of their souls. While this is not the whole of a robust classical education, it is integral and vital part. (Also with connections to Augustine: Rejoicing in the Truth by Jeffrey Lehman.)

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses the difficulty and the importance of keeping with classical learning throughout the entirety of a student's education, and of finding times to be wisdom-seeking Mary in a society that expects everyone to be always-busy Martha.

In this episode Dr. Perrin considers this traditional maxim. Can authors and their books become meaningful teachers and even life-long friends? What is the link between an author and authority? Do we still need living teachers if we have really good books?

In this episode, Dr. Perrin traces that part of the Christian tradition of education that regarded education as a preparation not only for one's earthly life but ultimately for the next, heavenly life. Can such a heavenly focus be of real, earthly merit? The tradition says yes.  

 In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the pedagogical maximum of Repetitio Mater Memoriae, noting that repetition can be a delightful activity of seeking and experiencing the same good thing again and again until it is permanently possessed. 

 In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the ways that teaching a few things deeply and well accelerates learning much better than by superficially covering or skimming over content.  

In this episode, Dr. Perrin retrieves and describes one of the most essential pedagogical principles every teacher should employ--the art of going farther and faster by going slower.  

What is an educated mind? Newman says the mature mind "discerns the end in every beginning, the origin in every end, the law in every interruption, the limit in each delay; because it ever knows where it stands, and how its path lies from one point to another." In this episode, Dr. Perrin summarizes Newman on what the grand goal of education truly is--"the perfection of the intellect."  

In this episode, Dr. Perrin laments the ways that classical schools, like progressives schools, regularly "cut up" the curriculum into too many disconnected fragments that become "subjects." 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin hosts a guest speaker, Davies Owens, from Basecamp Live. They touch on many topics in classical education, including friendship, educational theory, and community. 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses the how formative and powerful a great education can be. He focuses on how tradition is formative while a great tradition is transformative.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses what makes the canon of the Great Books worthy of being studied and discussed. 

In this episode Dr. Perrin discusses the canon of both the Great Books and theology to explore how they can complement each other in the education of children.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin continues to explore faith as a theological virtue. 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin explores how theological virtues such as faith, hope, and love complement the four cardinal virtues. 

In this episode Dr. Perrin describes justice as the virtue that enable us to act properly and fairly after having accurately perceived what is real, or the true state of affairs. 

In this episode Dr. Perrin describes how prudence can become falsified so that we are not able to perceive what is truly real. 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses the cardinal virtue of prudence.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin continues exploring the virtue of fortitude and he discusses the fortitude that is necessary to be a teacher. 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses the virtue of fortitude in classical education and how it relates to teaching. 

 In this episode, Dr. Perrin continues his discussion with Tim McIntosh, a former professor at Gutenberg College and a current creative director, actor, and playwright. They discuss the importance of Shakespeare and other great authors in classical education, and particularly how plays and other creative outlets positively impact students.  

In this episode, Dr. Perrin talks with Tim McIntosh, a former professor at Gutenberg College and a current creative director, actor, and playwright. They discuss the importance of Shakespeare and other great authors in classical education, and particularly how plays and other creative outlets positively impact students. 

In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the importance of temperance in everyday life and in education.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the importance of friendship in everyday life and in education.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes how metaphors can be used to understand classical education.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin explores the meaning of Christian nationalism and how it relates to classical education.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin explores the many contributions Augustine made to the modern understanding of history, education, philosophy, and theology.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin describes the ongoing importance and relevance of both Augustine and Kuyper in classical Christian education.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin explores the meaning of the word, "college" and its role in classical education. What does a college curriculum look like today and how does it compare to what it could look like if classical methods were applied?

In this episode, Dr. Perrin explores the true meaning of the word, "education". What do we mean when we use it and how has this meaning changed over the course of history?

In this episode, Dr. Perrin builds upon Episode 10 by exploring the etymologies and histories behind words that are commonly used in education today.

In this episode, Dr. Perrin discusses words and their importance in education. What words do we use in traditional liberal education? How have we lost the meanings of certain words in our lives?

In this episode, Dr. Perrin and Greg Wilbur of New College Franklin discuss the importance of the intersection between theology and classical education. This conversation was recorded at CiRCE Institute National Conference in Charleston.

How have we, as a modern society, forgotten how to lament? What could lamentation do for us, on an individual level and as a whole?

What was the earliest classical school for African Americans and what effect did it have on the resurgence of the classical movement today?

How do we encounter the classical tradition? How do we engage with the sacred inheritance of great writings?

What does Jerusalem have to do with Athens? Can the Greek and Roman tradition of classical thought be harmonized with what is taught in the Old and New Testaments or in the Christian tradition?

What are the liberal arts? Why are they liberal? And why are they arts?

Conversation is a dance of ideas with at least one partner. Find out why.

What is it for which education should aim and seek? Virtue. Find out why.

In this inaugural episode, Dr. Perrin make a case for wisdom being the chief aim of education. Sadly, few us can even define wisdom much less know how to...