I’ve found that life presents a series of bizarre paradoxes. One of the more profound of these paradoxes is the desire of everyone to fit in. We all want to belong to something, to feel at home in it—whether it’s a family, a group of friends, a club. But simultaneously, we each like to conceive of ourselves as unique, not like anyone else. We want … Continue reading On Rearranging My Classroom (Mundane Meditations Series)
In the previous post in this series, I considered how vocabulary and prior content knowledge could perhaps play a significant role in reading comprehension and understanding. In the final paragraph I wrote: Unfortunately, fewer and fewer students are taught the languages in which the Great Books are written, and not many more are taught the vocabulary they will encounter even in translations of these Great … Continue reading The Death of Words, the Old Testament, and the Great Books (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #2)
I was reading an article earlier this spring[1] that talked about literacy and the importance of content knowledge and vocabulary for understanding. The article revisited a 1988 published study by Recht and Leslie, oftentimes referred to as “the baseball experiment.” In short, the article, and the study by Recht and Leslie, addressed how after reading a passage about a half-inning of baseball, “good readers” who … Continue reading Words in Context (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #1)
At the 2012 ETS Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Stephen Dempster of Crandall University presented a paper entitled “Resurrection on the Third Day in Accordance with the Scriptures.” As suggested by the title, Dempster set out to explain what Paul may have been thinking when he said that Christ’s resurrection on the third day was “in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3). Dempster ultimately concluded … Continue reading Forty Days of Faithful Waiting (An Ash Wednesday Reflection)
One of the foundational aspects of classical Christian education is our commitment to reading the Great Books. But many students, despite an increasing number of them growing up in classical Christian schools, find the jump from what they read in the earlier grades to the Great Books themselves to be a difficult and daunting task. How do we help them take this next step in … Continue reading Four Questions for Reading the Great Books
“My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken. “While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was taught to … Continue reading Can Virtue Be Taught?
By Christine Norvell This time of year seems to both sadden me and lighten my heart. In the school year, I grow sad because I realize that my time of influence with my students is even shorter. Only months remain, not an entire school year. Yet I’m grateful for a two-week reprieve. Not seeing each other for a time does help us appreciate each other … Continue reading Halfway: Moments That Sadden and Gladden
The first lecture in this series was “Life Lessons from The Oresteia.” This book was impactful to me during my college years, so I was excited to revisit it and introduce it to our students. Below you will find links for the written transcript, the audio, and the video. Please keep your eye out for further videos in this series. “Life Lessons from … Continue reading Life Lessons from The Oresteia
This fall at School of the Ozarks we launched a “Life Lessons from the Great Books” Humanities Lecture Series for our 7-12 grade students. You can learn more about the series in this short, 8-minute video. Continue reading Life Lessons from the Great Books
The following is one of the sessions from our 2019 Conference co-hosted by School of the Ozarks and held at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. Cultivating the Intellectual Life of Your Students (and Yourself) If classical Christian education desires to cultivate wisdom and virtue in its students, then it cannot ignore the importance of cultivating an intellectual life. In a … Continue reading Cultivating the Intellectual Life of Your Students (and Yourself)
Tears flowed freely as our seniors led chapel during their final high school chapel service. After a superb sermon from one of our seniors, our Dean stepped up to the microphone and reminded us all, “This group will never again assemble in this chapel.” The statement likely elicited more tears and emotions as we each realized the truth of those words. As I listened, I … Continue reading Graduation and the Soul of a School
I have found that one of the most effective things I can do as a teacher is be transparent with my students. When I am willing to share with them areas of struggle in my own thinking, I think they gather encouragement that they are not alone in their confusion. I can sympathize with their intellectual weaknesses. But I think they also find encouragement in … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 2: Transparency
The Classical Thistle 