That may seem like an odd title for a note in a classical school newsletter.  After all, isn’t classical education concerned with the eternal over the temporal, the lessons of human history more than the political demands of the present? ...

What should a classroom look like?  How should it be arranged?  And what belongs on the walls?  Is it the teacher’s responsibility, or should students have some say in creating the “learning environment” they like best? Many educators today will...

Why are classical schools obsessed with books?  Isn’t a picture worth a thousand words?  And aren’t there advantages to the use of screens, like keeping children engaged? Books are at the foundation of a classical education, not because technology lacks...

Are you inclined to think that the “life of the mind” is for scholars and savants? Have a nagging suspicion that classical education is for the leisure class and the literati, but not for the ordinary, American citizen? Nothing could...

View children as “little angels?” Believe they are naturally good, needing only to be encouraged to grow? This is the false foundation of progressive education—and it has profound implications for self-government. Thinkers like Rousseau, Froebel, and Dewey changed the course...

Think that a classical education imparts a great deal of knowledge that is neither useful nor practical? Believe that it often consists of subjects that are neither relevant to present concerns nor designed to accomplish tangible results? This view is...

Have you ever asked the question, “What philosophy does my child’s school teach?” If not, perhaps this New Year is the perfect occasion to do so. Perhaps, upon reflection, you will conclude that now is the right time to discover...

Shouldn’t school be fun? Don’t children do better when they are having a good time? Why must an excellent education be difficult? Despite appearances, these are questions of ends, not means—of purpose, not pedagogy. Struggle is an inherent part of...