School of the Ozarks & The Classical Thistle Annual Classical Christian Education Conference
March 8-9, 2019
College of the Ozarks
100 Opportunity Avenue, Point Lookout, MO 65726
School of the Ozarks and The Classical Thistle will once again join together on March 8-9, 2019, to host our annual Classical Christian Education Conference. Our conference explores the practical aspects of teaching classically within today’s classrooms. Through practical workshops that include ideas and tips from seasoned classical educators and that allow time for Q&A and discussion, this conference aims to equip teachers with practical tools to use right away. The conference is designed around three plenary lectures and over 30 workshops spread out over six breakout sessions. Video of the breakout sessions and audio of the plenary sessions will be available in the weeks following the conference and can be accessed at no cost! Although we aim to provide audio and video resources of this and future conferences, nothing can replace the great interaction with other classical Christian educators available at the conference. This year we are pleased to offer a Friday evening public forum open at no cost to conference attendees, parents, students, and community members. We will hear about the value of a classical Christian education from Dr. Louis Markos of Houston Baptist University, as well as have a time of Q&A and discussion with him. We hope you will make plans to join us on March 8-9, 2019.
Conference Videos
Schedule-at-a-Glance
Conference Schedule–Detailed
Plenary Addresses
Plenary #1: Ben Merkle (New Saint Andrews College): Education or Certification?
Plenary #2: Rebekah Merkle (Logos School): Reflections on Classical Education
Plenary #3: Louis Markos (Houston Baptist University): Aslan in the Academy
In addition to being a famed writer and speaker, C. S. Lewis was a dedicated teacher who, with the same synthetic, shaping imagination he brought to Narnia, creatively integrated his public, academic role as professor and scholar with his private, personal identity as follower of Christ and defender of the faith. In this talk I will suggest seven initiatives that modern Christian educator can take to follow in the footsteps of Lewis.
Friday Forum
The Friday forum will be held from 7-9pm and will feature Dr. Louis Markos speaking on the benefits of a classical Christian education, followed by a time of Q&A and discussion.
Workshops
Grammar Level Workshops
- Classroom Management–Lisa Glosson (Classical School of Wichita)
- Applying a Portrait of a Graduate to K-6–Kevin Thames (Classical School of Wichita)
- Partnering with Parents (K-6)–Kevin Thames (Classical School of Wichita)
- Progymnasmata in the Grammar Stage–Jenni Carey (School of the Ozarks)
- Making Classical Learning Fun through Review Games–Mandy Thomas (Classical Conversations)
- Discussions on Grammar Level Pedagogy–Chrissy Martin (School of the Ozarks)
- Helping Struggling Learners–Mary Kay Janke (School of the Ozarks)
- Sing, Spell, Read, Write–Lynn Brim (Prayer Mountain)
- Handwriting–Lisa Glosson (Classical School of Wichita)
- Songs in the Classroom–Beth Howard (School of the Ozarks)
- Classroom Management–Naphtali Garfield (Classical School of Wichita)
- Teaching Comprehension as a Skill–Becky Zellars (Ozarks Christian Academy)
- Tours of the S of O Lower School–Lindsey Hood (School of the Ozarks)
Dialectic/Rhetoric Level Workshops
- 5 Ways to Practice Discussion: Seven Laws Blend–Christine Norvell (Regent Prep)
- Developing Discussions Using the Trivium as a Model for Question Making–Jacob Allee (Classical School of Wichita)
- Mimetic Teaching–Vixie Friedman (Classical Conversations)
- Socratic Circles–Vixie Friedman (Classical Conversations)
- Discussions on Dialect/Rhetoric Level Pedagogy–Ian Mosley (School of the Ozarks)
- Anatomy & Physiology–Lisa Cloeter (Regent Prep)
- Teach Math Classically–James Seidel (Cair Paravel Latin School)
- The History of Math–James Seidel (Cair Paravel Latin School)
- Reacting to the Past History Games–Joe Western (College of the Ozarks)
- Asking Good Questions in Order to Engage the Student–Michelle Brayman (Classical Conversations)
- Rhetoric from Quintillian–Dan Snyder (Classical School of Wichita)
- The Death of Words–Sara Osborne (College of the Ozarks)
- Tales within Tales–Christine Norvell (Regent Prep)
- Reading the Great Books–Brad Pardue (College of the Ozarks)
- Classical Education vs. the Classics–Rebekah Merkle (Logos School)
- Upper Rhetoric Testing Strategies–Rebekah Merkle (Logos School)
- Classical Assessment: Using Classical Tools to Assess the Whole Student–Carrie Eben (Classical Conversations)
- Teaching Thomas Aquinas to Teenagers, and Other Exercises in Futility–Kyle Keating (Providence Classical Christian Academy)
- Teaching Formal Logic–Chris Buckles (Providence Classical Christian Academy)
Special Interest Workshops
- Visual Arts–Richard Williams (School of the Ozarks)
- Music–Louis Schuler (Whitefield Academy)
- Why Latin?–Kathy Becker (Memoria Press)
- What is Logic/Dialectic in Classical Education?–Ian Mosley (School of the Ozarks)
- ACT/SAT–Michelle Brayman (Classical Conversations)
- Trips and Tours–James Seidel (Cair Paravel Latin School)
All/Admin Workshops
- Yes is the New No–Josh Dyson (Classical School of Wichita)
- Cultivating the Intellectual Life of Your Students (and Yourself)–Kyle Rapinchuk (School of the Ozarks & The Classical Thistle)
- Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?–Louis Schuler (Whitefield Academy)
- Encourage and Equip Parents on this Classical Christian Education Journey–Kari Thompson (Classical Conversations)
- Asking Good Questions in Order to Engage the Student–Michelle Brayman (Classical Conversations)
- Administrators Q & A
Contact Kyle Rapinchuk at kylerapinchuk@theclassicalthistle.com with questions about workshop speakers or topics.
The Classical Thistle 