The Consortium Podcast

This is Episode 70 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Eric Cook teaches a breakout session on the Prudent Teacher. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Eric Cook is the President of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL). Eric has been formally associated with SCL for over a decade serving in multiple roles, including Executive Director and Board Chair. He was the Head of School at Covenant Classical in Fort Worth, TX for 13 years before joining SCL full time. Prior to Covenant, Eric was the Head of Upper School at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, VA. Eric also taught and served in leadership at several public schools. Eric earned a bachelor's degree from Transylvania University, and a master's degree in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. He is currently working on an EdS in Classical School Leadership from Gordon College. Eric has taught a myriad of subjects from philosophy to thesis. He consults with schools and coaches leaders in a variety of contexts. He speaks and presents at conferences around the country. Eric and his wife, Liz, have six children. They live in Richmond, Virginia, home of the SCL headquarters.

This is Episode 69 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia delivers a breakout session on Homeschooling Classically: Beyond the Trivium. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Heatherly Sylvia is passionate about the Word and words; her love of literature, language, and classical pedagogy is contagious. A passionate speaker, teacher, and mentor, she has a reputation for making difficult concepts approachable and practical. Heatherly is co-founder of the Classical Learning Consortium for New England (now NECCE) and lives with her husband and two children in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

This is Episode 68 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia delivers a breakout session on how to homeschooling without losing your mind. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Heatherly Sylvia is passionate about the Word and words; her love of literature, language, and classical pedagogy is contagious. A passionate speaker, teacher, and mentor, she has a reputation for making difficult concepts approachable and practical. Heatherly is co-founder of the Classical Learning Consortium for New England (now NECCE) and lives with her husband and two children in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

This is Episode 67 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma delivers a breakout session on Mastering the Academic Essay. Fundamentally, good writing is clear thinking made visible. This means precision is the capital concern of any essay. This talk discusses how to teach students to say what they mean and say it appropriately, precisely, concisely, and vividly. This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Dr. Scott Postma lives in the chimney of Idaho with his wife of nearly 35 years. He has four adult children and more than a handful of delightfully rambunctious grand babies. He is the president of Kepler Education, edits The Consortium: A Journal of Classical Christian Education, teaches humanities courses for high school and college students, and is a religious practitioner of the ancient art of Tsundoku. He has two forthcoming books: A Primer on Classical Christian Education and a work on Recovering Christian Humanism for a Post-Christian Culture. You can find his other writings on Substack at Books and Letters.

This is Episode 66 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma delivers a keynote address titled, "Unstupiding Ourselves: The Truth About the High Calling of Classical Christian Education." His talk takes up a case made in a 2022 article by social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who argued that a particular change in the way social media works made the past 10 years of American life uniquely stupid. Drawing from the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, Haidt accurately describes a nation that is suddenly disoriented and unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. Dr. Postma argues classical Christian education is capable of unstupiding society in the generations to come by restoring a sensus communis and cultivating rational public discourse. This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Dr. Scott Postma lives in the chimney of Idaho with his wife of nearly 35 years. He has four adult children and more than a handful of delightfully rambunctious grand babies. He is the president of Kepler Education, edits The Consortium: A Journal of Classical Christian Education, teaches humanities courses for high school and college students, and is a religious practitioner of the ancient art of Tsundoku. He has two forthcoming books: A Primer on Classical Christian Education and a work on Recovering Christian Humanism for a Post-Christian Culture. You can find his other writings on Substack at Books and Letters.

This is Episode 65 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Sarah Abbott teaches the practice of "Navigating Stories with Students." Her talk provides criteria for classifying books by certain qualities and she provides examples of four kinds of stories that need to be negotiated: whole stories, broken stories, bent stories, healing stories. This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Sarah Abbott is a classical educator and student with over twenty-five years of experience teaching, training, writing, coaching, and administrating. She serves as the Head of Outreach and Teacher Training for the Consortium, which allows her to do exciting things like lead a one-of-a-kind book club in her home and conduct trainings in classical pedagogy. Sarah is a Lecturer of Classical Education at Southeastern University and an Area Representative for Classical Conversations. Since graduating her homeschooled son, Sarah now devotes her time to learning about literature and the arts to discover connections between them and culture, and ultimately to uncover what it means to be human.

This is Episode 64 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Sarah Abbott teaches the practice of "telling the truth through narration." Her talk provides models for helping students grow in attention and retention by using the method of "retelling after hearing or seeing." Charlotte Mason noted, “The mother who trains her child to strict accuracy of statement about things small and great fortifies him against temptations to the grosser forms of lying…” This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Sarah Abbott is a classical educator and student with over twenty-five years of experience teaching, training, writing, coaching, and administrating. She serves as the Head of Outreach and Teacher Training for the Consortium, which allows her to do exciting things like lead a one-of-a-kind book club in her home and conduct trainings in classical pedagogy. Sarah is a Lecturer of Classical Education at Southeastern University and an Area Representative for Classical Conversations. Since graduating her homeschooled son, Sarah now devotes her time to learning about literature and the arts to discover connections between them and culture, and ultimately to uncover what it means to be human.

This is Episode 63 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma leads a breakout session on Why Irving Babbitt Matters to the Modern Renewal of Classical Christian Education at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Babbitt sought to recover a moral imagination and revive the classical virtues of temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom—even the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity—as they were timeless and essential for the cultivation of a balanced and harmonious life. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Scott Postma is Christian humanist who lives in the chimney of Idaho with his wife of more than 30 years. He has four adult children and (presently) seven delightfully rambunctious grand babies. He is a practitioner of the ancient art of Tsundoku, president of Kepler Education, editor of the The Consortium: A Journal of Classical Christian Education, and teaches dual credit courses for high school students in partnership with Faulkner University and Colorado Christian University .

This is Episode 62 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia provides three principles for simplifying homeschooling that will provide your family with a restful learning experience without compromising quality or rigor. Her talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Heatherly Sylvia is homeschooling mom and the head of mentorship and discipling at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators. She is passionate about the Word and words; her love of literature, language, and classical pedagogy is contagious. A passionate speaker, teacher, and mentor, she has a reputation for making difficult concepts approachable and practical. Heatherly is co-founder of the New England Consortium for Classical Educators, where she focuses on equipping life-long learners and homeschooling parents. She lives with her husband and two children in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

This is Episode 61 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Joshua Mayo, associate professor of English at Grove City College, gives his second keynote address on Cheerful Truth—the need to let go of pretentious sophistication—at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Josh Mayo is chair and associate professor of English at Grove City College, where he teaches British literature, composition, and the “Good Books” (feel free to ask him about this favorite term). He and his wife Bethany, along with their five children—Ezra, Silas, Ainley, Zoe Claire and Finn—live in Western Pennsylvania (in a technical sense). But for most of the year, Josh's soul dwells in a little fishing village in Maine called “New Harbor.” Additional relevant notes: he feels inspired by Beowulf, confused by Flannery O'Connor, and elated by Dickens.

This is Episode 60 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Josh Mayo delivers a keynote address at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Josh Mayo is chair and associate professor of English at Grove City College, where he teaches British literature, composition, and the “Good Books” (feel free to ask him about this favorite term). He and his wife Bethany, along with their five children—Ezra, Silas, Ainley, Zoe Claire and Finn—live in Western Pennsylvania (in a technical sense). But for most of the year, Josh's soul dwells in a little fishing village in Maine called “New Harbor.” Additional relevant notes: he feels inspired by Beowulf, confused by Flannery O'Connor, and elated by Dickens.

This is Episode 59 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Timothy Knotts, Chief Philosophical Officer and Bursar for the New England Consortium of Classical Educators, delivers the opening keynote address for the 2024 conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences.----more---- Timothy Knotts is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four protégés. He is the author of Reasoning Together: Philosophy, a soon to be released high school introduction to philosophy, and is occasionally published on the CiRCE and Kepler blogs. Timothy is a Lead Curriculum Developer for Classical Conversations, a CiRCE Institute certified master teacher, a recovering attorney, an amateur poet, and lover of the beautiful.

This is Episode 58 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In the final episode of this series, Dr. Robert Woods wraps up the conversation surrounding the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored the human condition in relationship to the philosophical ought, the Norms relating to man's ideal conditions and purposes. Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University, and most recently, he earned a D.A. from Harrison Middleton University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education, published by Classical Academic Press. Dr. Woods teaches adult learning courses and leads the Teacher Certification Program at Kepler Education. You can find his courses at the link provided.

This is Episode 57 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods returns to the Consortium Podcast to walk us through more of the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods further explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored the human condition in relationship to the philosophical ought, the Norms relating to man's ideal conditions and purposes. Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University, and most recently, he earned a D.A. from Harrison Middleton University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education, published by Classical Academic Press. Dr. Woods teaches adult learning courses and leads the Teacher Certification Program at Kepler Education. You can find his courses at the link provided.

This is Episode 56 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods returns to the Consortium Podcast to walk us through more of the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods further explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored the human condition in relationship to the philosophical ought, the Norms relating to man's ideal conditions and purposes. Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University, and most recently, he earned a D.A. from Harrison Middleton University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education, published by Classical Academic Press. Dr. Woods teaches adult learning courses and leads the Teacher Certification Program at Kepler Education. You can find his courses at the link provided.

This is Episode 55 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods continues his discussion on key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast, and explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored the human condition in relationship to the philosophical ought, the Norms relating to man's ideal conditions and purposes. Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University, and most recently, he earned a D.A. from Harrison Middleton University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education, published by Classical Academic Press. Dr. Woods teaches adult learning courses and leads the Teacher Certification Program at Kepler Education. You can find his courses at the link provided.

This is Episode 54 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods discusses key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast, and explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored the human condition in relationship to the philosophical ought, the Norms relating to man's ideal conditions and purposes. Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University, and most recently, he earned a D.A. from Harrison Middleton University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education, published by Classical Academic Press. Dr. Woods teaches adult learning courses and leads the Teacher Certification Program at Kepler Education. You can find his courses at the link provided.

This is Episode 53 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, George Harrell discusses our classical inheritance and what it means to receive it. He explains how we have all received an intellectual and cultural inheritance; most of us in North America have received, in large part, a classical Christian inheritance whether we realize it or not. Even when attempting to reject the inheritance, it is confirmation that we have received something to reject. Listen in as George brilliantly unpacks the deeper goodness of inheriting our Western heritage. George is a classical educator and the executive director of the George Buchanan Forum. He grew up in the foothills of northern Idaho, where he immersed himself in the classics, both old and new, as well as the historical worlds that created them. He graduated with an MA in Trinitarian Theology and Letters from New Saint Andrews College in 2013. Since then he has developed and taught online high school courses in the humanities, in addition to writing and publicly lecturing on these topics. This fall, George is teaching American History, Biblical Narrative and Imagery, and Unlocking Middle-earth: How to Read Like Tolkien at Kepler Education.  

This is Episode 52 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Karla Memmott champions Classical Education, discusses the theory and practice of Rhetoric for the modern age, and discusses the reasons why she is hosting the Western Consortium of Classical Educators. Dr. Karla Memmott is a long-time resident of the Sacramento, California area where she lives with her husband, Kyle and dog, Kona. She home-schooled her children. She continues to support homeschooling parents by teaching online and in-person courses which include history, literature, writing, public speaking, and German. Additionally, she and her husband have coached high school mock trial. She is the founder of Acacia Classical Academy, teaches Rhetoric at Kepler Education, and is hosting the Western Consortium of Classical Educators in Sacramento, CA on July 27, 2024.

This is Episode 51 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. This episode is a talk given by Dr. Scott Postma titled "The Undeniable and Universal Value of Beauty" at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. Dr. Scott Postma served as a minister for 20 years and as a Christian educator for nearly 30 years. He is currently the president and CEO of Kepler Education. He has earned degrees in the humanities (Ph.D., Faulkner University), Christian and classical studies (M.A., Knox Theological Seminary), religion and English literature (B.S., Liberty University), and creative writing (A.A., College of Southern Nevada).

This is Episode 50 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Timothy Knotts sits down with Dr. Scott Postma to talk about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators and their mission to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Timothy is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four protégés. He is the author of Reasoning Together: Philosophy, a soon to be released high school introduction to philosophy, and is occasionally published on the CiRCE and Kepler blogs. Timothy is a Lead Curriculum Developer for Classical Conversations, a CiRCE Institute certified master teacher, a recovering attorney, an amateur poet, and lover of the beautiful. Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators. Learn more about the New England Consortium Summer Conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.  

This is Episode 49 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. This episode is a workshop on Reading Poetry given by Jennifer Courtney at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.  Jennifer Courtney has a passion for developing curriculum that helps homeschool parents to give their children a classical, Christian education. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma and have home educated their four children, three through graduation. She currently serves as the Sr. Global Curriculum Director for Classical Conversations MultiMedia. Jennifer is the author of Ancient World Echoes, Old World Echoes, and New World Echoes. These readers include fairy tales, fables, and poems designed to be read as a family. As a child, Jennifer loved Charles Dickens so much that she used to carry a hardback copy of his stories to kindergarten. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators. Learn more about the New England Consortium Summer Conference in Maynard, MA on Jul 12-13, 2024. For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.  

This is Episode 48 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. This episode is a talk titled "Some Enchanted Reasoning: Music's Joy and Beauty in Classical Christian Education" given by Jarrod Richey at the Southern Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. Jarrod Richey is a music educator, choir director, church musician, and author living in northeast Louisiana with his wife and children. He writes about music and education at Musically Speaking. The Southern Consortium of Classical Educators is a teaching and training event for anyone interested in Classical Christian Education. Educators, families, and community leaders can receive professional development and a greater understanding of the purpose and practice of the educational movement sweeping the nation. Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators. For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.

This is Episode 47 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. This episode is a talk titled "Seven Steps Toward a Classical Life" given by Heatherly Sylvia at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) is a institutional partner of Kepler Education and exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences. Learn more about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators or to register for the 2024 NECCE Conference.  For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education at www.kepler.education. 

This is Episode 46 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Postma is joined by Daniel Foucachon, CEO of Roman Roads Press, to talk about Old Western Culture and what it looks like to be a classically educated entrepreneur and publisher of classical Christian curriculum.  Old Western Culture is an expression coined by C. S. Lewis to talk about historical periods of time and the thinking and philosophies that influenced those periods. Taking a cue from Lewis's observation, Daniel launched a Christian approach to the Great Books curriculum that has become the hub of Roman Roads Press and its growing curriculum and monograph publication arms. To learn more about Old Western Culture or Roman Roads Press, visit their website. Or, to find live online course using Roman Roads Curriculum, visit Kepler at www.kepler.education. 

This is Episode 45 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma is joined by Dr. Gregory Soderberg and his wife, Cynthia, a trained S2C Practitioner, and the director of Spellibrate. Spellibrate is a S2C (Spelling to Communicate) education model that presumes competence in children with special needs while building the skills they need for reliable communication and simultaneously equipping the parents to work with their child. Because Classical Christian Education focuses on teaching students rather than merely teaching a curriculum, there is much in common between these pedagogical methods of education. In this way, Classical Christian Education is poised to help students with special needs, like Autism and Down's Syndrome. To learn more about Classical Christian Education, or online course opportunities for students with special needs, visit Kepler at www.kepler.education or contact Dr. Gregory Soderberg at gregory.soderberg@kepler.education.    NOTE: we apologize for the low-quality audio glitch at 1:15-2:30.

This is Episode 44 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma is joined by Kepler's Academic Advisor, Joffre Swait, to discuss generalization and specialization. In a world that is increasingly more specialized, research is demonstrating what classical educators have known all along—generalists are typically more successful in life and work that specialists. While specialists tend to excel in their profession more quickly at the outset, they also stagnate quicker; whereas, generalists are slower out the gate but tend to flourish in a longer more sustained fashion, and do so in all areas of life and work. Learn more about Kepler and Classical Christian Education at www.kepler.education.  

This is Episode 43 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Brent Pinkall, a lecturer in rhetoric at New St. Andrews College and author of the new book, Redeeming the Six Arts: A Christian Approach to Chinese Classical Education joins Scott Postma to talk about the characteristics of the six classical Chinese arts and how they relate to the Western liberal arts.  Brent argues that classical Christian education is not fundamentally a canon of fixed texts or subjects but rather an approach rooted in the Fifth Commandment: Honor thy father and thy mother. Insofar as our ancestors differ, the languages, literature, and arts we study will also differ. Although Chinese Christians share the same "spiritual" fathers as their Western counterparts, their "earthly" fathers are different, and therefore their curriculum must reflect not only a shared "Christian" heritage but also a unique "classical" heritage. Purchase Redeeming the Six Arts here. Learn more about New Saint Andrews College here. Read the Consortium Blog here.  

This is Episode 42 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Dante Scholar, Joe Carlson, about his new translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Joe is a graduate of New St Andrews College, in Moscow, ID, completed his MA and is now pursuing PhD in Literature at the University of Dallas. He is married to Jen, they have one son, Joseph Benaiah, and prior to pursuing his doctorate, he served as a pastor in California for seven years. Joe's books can be found at Roman Roads Press and he is teaching a Dante course on the Kepler Education platform in the Spring of 2023. In addition to reading Dante, Joe highly recommends listeners read Michael Ward's book, Planet Narnia.

This is Episode 41 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Mike Wilhelm joins Scott Postma to talk about the Great Books and the life of the mind, ministering to youth as the senior chaplain at a residential child care facility, and the Iona Project—a quasi-neo-monastic gap-year opportunity for college graduates. Dr. Wilhelm is the senior chaplain at Cal Farley Boys Ranch near Amarillo, TX. Cal Farley Boys Ranch is NOT actually exclusively for boys and has been a leader in residential childcare services for over 80 years. CFBR meets the needs of children and families by way of the continued generosity of supporters while never seeking state or federal funds to support the work.  Learn more about the Iona Project, here, or watch the promo video here (3 min). Find, The Brothers Karamazov, here. Find The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris, here.

This is Episode 40 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Dr. Junius Johnson joins Scott Postma to talk about Liberal Arts Education, Great Books, Fantasy, and redeeming the human Imagination. Dr. Johnson is a Yale-trained, independent scholar of theology, philosophy, and literature who devotes his time to thinking and writing about whatever is good, noble, and excellent, and how to bring these things to bear to nurture meaningful lives. He resides in Memphis, TN with his wife, Rebekah, and their two children. You can learn more about Dr. Junius Johnson and the courses he teaches at Junius Johnson Academics. In the podcast, he recommends G. K. Chesterton's Tremendous Trifles.  In November 2022, he is speaking at the Eliot Society on The Imagination at the Heart of Discipleship.    

This is Episode 39 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Carrie Eben, a classical educator and the founding consultant at Classical Eben. Carrie was introduced to classical education and Douglas Wilson's book Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning in 1999 when she began working at St. Augustine's Classical School in Tulsa. Since then, she has provided a classical education for her children in both private, classical schools (where she taught) and classical homeschool. She joined Classical Conversations in 2010 as an Essentials of the English Language tutor in Keller, Texas and has served in many other leadership and teaching capacities. Today she serves on the board of Sager Classical Academy, a classical Christian school in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Carrie holds a BSEd degree from John Brown University and MSEd from Oklahoma State University and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at Faulkner University.  Together with Dr. Albert Cheng, director of the Classical Education Research Lab at the University of Arkansas, Carrie has a research article forthcoming in The Consortium Journal, "Assessing the Pedagogical Power of Poetry for Poetic Knowledge." In the podcast, Carrie mentioned the book, Deep in Thought: A Practical Guide to Teaching for Intellectual Virtues. Learn more about our sponsor, Kepler Education, and how this consortium of classical Christian educators is helping families connect with some of the top teachers in classical Christian education.

This is Episode 38 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma talks with the executive director of the Rafiki Foundation, Karen Elliott. Rafiki means "friend" in Swahili and depicts the purpose of the Foundation - to help people know God and raise their standard of living with excellence and integrity. Since 1985, the Foundation has been building Rafiki Villages throughout Africa that seek to cultivate human flourishing through Bible study and classical Christian education. Karen has served with Rafiki since 1990, including twelve years on the mission field, primarily in Nigeria. She is now Rafiki's executive director. She holds a BBA in finance/accounting and music minor from Southern Methodist University, Masters degree in Education from UTA and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at Faulkner University.   

This is Episode 37 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma interviews Dr. Chris Swanson, president of Gutenberg College in Eugene, Oregon. Dr. Swanson shares his own unique education journey, Gutenberg's innovative (but not new) approach to a liberal arts education, and why educators should consider attending the Learning for Life Education Conference hosted by Gutenberg College in September each year. This year the conference is September 8-10, 2022.   Learning for Life Education Conference speakers and topics include: Amanda Butler of Classical Conversations “Reclaiming the Art of Conversation” Scott Postma Kepler Education “Preparing Students for a Life Worth Living” Andrew Pudewa Institute for Excellence in Writing “However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Teaching” Kathryn Smith Templeton Honors College “A Fairy Tale Education” Andrew Zwerneman Cana Academy “History: Seeing the Whole” Eliot Grasso Gutenberg College “Learning for an Integrated Life” Chris Swanson Gutenberg College “An Inquiry Approach to Mathematics and the Sciences”

This is Episode 36 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education. In this episode, Sarah Abbott and Tim Knotts of the Classical Learning Consortium for New England join Scott Postma to discuss the need for classical education in New England. Given the number of Ivy League schools in New England, it is only obvious that it once was the epicenter for liberal education in the United States; In the 19th century, however, it became a leader in the push for the modern education of Horace Mann and John Dewey.  Learn why, like never before, New England needs Classical Christian Education. Listen in to a fascinating discussion about what classical education is, what the Classical Learning Consortium for New England is doing, and why Kepler Education is joining the CLCNE to host the New England Consortium of Classical Educators on July 15-16, 2022.   Learn more about or get tickets for the New England Consortium of Classical Educators.

This is Episode 35 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Andrew Kern of the CiRCE Institute about Classical Education and Andrew's 3-part article, What Happened to Classical Education? Listen in as Andrew brilliantly answers some of the big questions educators should be (and are) asking: What is classical education? What forms or variations does it offer? Is it an identifiable method? Is it a formula or even a form? Is it a creed, a value system, a set of skills? What do we mean when we claim to be classical educators? Read all three parts of What Happened to Classical Education? Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Learn more about CiRCE and Andrew Kern here. Learn more about Kepler and classical Christian Education here.

This is Episode 34 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Joffre Swait to discuss Fox Nation's recent 5-part documentary on classical Christian education and what the growing spotlight means for Classical Christian Education. First, we discussed the various themes and implications treated by each episode and then we looked at the larger consideration of how to reclaim the Christian Paideia in the 21st-Century. You can find the Fox Nation documentary here and use code: classroom to watch it free. You can also watch the short film Kepler produced last year, We've Been Schooled. Learn more about classical Christian Education here.

This is Episode 33 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Jake Litwin to discuss the Integrated Humanities and Apologetics, and why the various concepts studied in these subjects are essential to a well-rounded high school education. Jake is a teacher at Kepler Education, teaching Ancient and Classical Humanities and Apologetics. He is also part of The Doane Creative Agency team, a brand building and content communication company. Jake earned a B.A. in Christian Studies with an emphasis in Christian Education. He lives in Idaho with this wife and two children and enjoys reading, watching and discussing movies, playing guitar, hiking and traveling. You can find Jake's courses at here at Kepler Education.

This is Episode 32 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Dr. Chris Schlect to discuss the Liberal Arts, its history in classical thought, what the liberal arts are, and what they are not. Dr. Schlect is the Senior Fellow of History at New Saint Andrews College, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, the history of American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. Dr. Schlect is also the Director of New Saint Andrews College's graduate program in Classical and Christian Studies. He has taught courses in US history and Ancient Rome at Washington State University and has authored, as well as contributed to, numerous books and articles, appearing in several classical Christian publications as well as the National Park Service's “Getaway” series. Dr. Schlect is also a teaching elder at Trinity Reformed Church (CREC) in Moscow, Idaho. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and five grandchildren.  

This is Episode 31 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, we announce the new lineup of podcasts for the upcoming year. The Consortium Podcast is where listeners can listen into engaging academic conversations with teachers, authors, and professors engaged in Classical Christian Education.  The Everlasting Education podcast will continue in same vein as the earlier episodes of the Consortium podcast with Scott Postma and Joffre Swait taking a cue from Chesterton's view of "having a gentle contempt for education" and engaging the day-to-day questions and concerns that affect parents and educators who are engaged in the trenches of Classical Christian Education.  The Eccentric Podcast is the podcast for students and eavesdropping parents of Kepler Education. Taking its name from our student magazine, The Kepler Eccentric, Joffre Swait (Kepler's Academic Advisor) will tackle student issues, feature Kepler students, and bring Kepler student life to the streaming airwaves. All three podcasts can be found wherever you listen to you podcasts

This is Episode 30 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.   Classes at Kepler Education have begun and in this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss some of the important ways students can have a successful academic year. Education is a student's vocation. It's a real calling for a specific time of a young person's life and there is much to be gained by a thankful and thoughtful student. Student listening in will gain some real valuable help and encouragement in this episode.   Learn more about Online Classical Christian Education at https://kepler.education.  

This is Episode 29 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait interview Dr. Mitch Stokes to talk about his new Calculus textbook., Calculus for Everyone, and what it means to teach math classically. Mitch Stokes (Ph.D., Notre Dame) is a senior fellow of philosophy at New St. Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. In addition to studying philosophy under world-renowned philosopher Alvin Plantinga, Stokes holds degrees in philosophy, religion, & mechanical engineering. He is the author of Calculus for Everyone, books on apologetics, and biographies of Newton and Galileo.   To learn more about classical education and browse courses, visit us at http://kepler.education.

This is Episode 28 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.   In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the important (and sometimes annoying) question about how homeschool students are going to get any "socialization." Adding an additional dynamic to this question is the fact that many students are now taking online classes--like Kepler Students.    But the question assumes that "socialization" is a good thing and that students who are not in traditional brick and mortar schools are going to miss out on an important aspect of life. In this episode, Scott and Joffre take on that false assumption and discuss productive and enriching ways of cultivating a social life in a homeschooling or online learning environment. Listen in to learn more and check out http://kepler.education to learn about Student Life and clubs at Kepler Education.

This is Episode 27 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.   In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait host a top-twenty countdown of Great Books that should make every student's reading list. Books are listed and discussed briefly according to historical time periods. While this list is far and away from being exhaustive, it will give listeners a solid picture of each period of time and set students on track for obtaining a liberal arts education.   Learn more about acquiring a liberal arts education at https://kepler.education.  

This is Episode 26 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the importance of Logic and Latin in Classical Christian Education. Stratford Caldecott asked the important question, “What kind of education would enable a child to progress in the rational understanding of the world without losing his poetic and artistic appreciation of it?” The short answer is only a truly liberal arts education can enable a child to gain a rational understanding of the world while still maintaining, and even enhancing, his poetic and artistic appreciation of it. Two of the foundational aspects of this kind of education are Logic, the clear-sighted arguments which separate the true from the false, and Latin, the language of antiquity and Christendom by which a student learning the language is able enter into the texts which shaped the western world while also cultivating his poetic and artistic appreciation of the world. Learn more about the Logic and Latin of liberal education by visiting https://Kepler.education.  

This is Episode 25 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode we interview Will Boyd, scientist, teacher, and homeschool dad, and talk about the fundamentals of science and its marriage to the humanities in a liberal arts education. Will blogs at the Reformed Environmentalist and you can learn more about the science homeschooling resources he mentions in the podcast below: https://homeschoolscience.org https://undsci.berkeley.edu/interactive/#/intro/ https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/howscienceworks_01

This is Episode 24 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. At Kepler, online education is not just the Zoomification of the classroom. It's so much more than that! In this episode Scott and Joffre discuss the various ways in which families are talking about the surprising benefits of online education. As they share quotes from conversations with Kepler families, they dive into the dynamics of what parents are celebrating.  They discuss the various ways in which, as well as the reasons why, the home and family lives of Kepler students are being impacted, why parents are more than just satisfied with their children's academic achievements (they are delighted by them), and how wonder and curiosity are being fostered in an online classroom, all while Kepler teachers maintain their commitment to liberalis, and scholé learning.

This is Episode 23 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. The widespread notions of cultural appropriation, political correctness, outrage culture, identity politics, and cancel culture did not arrive on the scene in the late 2010s in a vacuum. What is today colloquially known as “woke mentality” stems from a postmodern-academic-ideology-turned-activism known as Critical Theory and its being aggressively propagated in schools and other cultural outlets. In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the origins and consequences of Critical theory in its various manifestations and suggest the most practical thing we can do to fight back is to stand up to it with the gospel of Jesus Christ and Christ-centered education.  Critical theory has gone beyond activism and social media movements and instigated the widespread notion of cultural appropriation, political correctness, outrage culture, identity politics, and cancel culture. And under the umbrella of Social Justice Theory, it has become insidious in the culture at large manifesting itself in the various theories and movements like Disability and Fat Studies, Queer Theory, Postcolonial Theory, Critical Racial Theory, and Gender Studies. Not only is this "other gospel" being propagated in hollywood and behemoth corporations, but churches are adopting forms of it and legislators across the nation are attempting to have critical theories incorporated into the curriculum as the accepted worldview. To learn more about Classical Christian Education, visit https://kepler.education   *Definitions and descriptions for this episode are taken from Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity - and Why This Harms Everybody by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay.  

This is Episode 22 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. Reading is fundamental to an education. It is the intellectual backbone of every literate person. If one cannot read, one cannot be educated, as least in the liberal arts sense of being educated. But reading is difficult for some people and reading challenging, dense texts doesn't make the task any easier. In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss and break down the Four Levels of Reading as taught by Mortimer J. Adler in his acclaimed work, How to Read a Book. Learning to implement these four levels of reading will help us reach above our heads, intellectually, and grasp the meaning of difficult ideas, thus strengthening our intellect and broadening our understanding. In other words, mastering the four levels of intellectual reading will help us become autodidactic. To learn more about Classical Christian Education, visit https://kepler.education

This is Episode 21 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the importance of collaboration in Classical Christian Education because education in central to building up the kingdom of Christ: recovering a virtuous cultural and fighting the battle for the hearts and minds of the children of the Saints. Too often, Christians tend to silo and huddle around personal agendas and secondary and tertiary beliefs instead of working together for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel in education and culture. To jump between metaphors, while we need to be cultivating our own proverbial gardens it's also essential that Christians collaborate for the greater good of gardening and agriculture in general. If Classical Christian Education is good, then it's good for everyone. To learn more about Classical Christian Education, visit https://kepler.education  

This is Episode 20 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education. In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the Art of Rhetoric, including misconceptions about what it means, and why it's so important for students to study in the modern age of cancel culture.  Being apt in the art of rhetoric is part of what it means to be fully human. To be an apt rhetorician is to be able to speak truth with our lives and with our words about the world and into the world. To help students develop in the art of rhetoric, Kepler offers courses in rhetoric and hosts an annual Summer Speech Competition with an opportunity to compete for the Leonberg Prize for Excellence in Rhetoric.