We discuss the history of the concept of education being formation as it is seen in various sources: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and C. S. Lewis. As embodied souls, we must recognize that our actions shape our soul's desires. We delve into Plato's Republic, discussing Plato's vision of the just soul as it relates to Lewis's concept of "men without chests" seen in Abolition of Man. We connect these concepts to scripture by discussing the creation of man and Deuteronomy 6. Additionally, we discuss James K. A. Smith's work Desiring the Kingdom and how it sheds light on liturgies that shape us. W ..read more

In our first episode, we define the term "aporia" - a Greek term for "impasse" or "puzzlement" - and discuss how "aporia" appears in the Bible. Our discussion of "aporia" leads us to a deeper consideration of the Christian life and our experiences with education ..read more

This is an introduction to our next series that will take listeners through John Milton's Paradise Lost. This series, which is part audiobook, part teaching, and part discussion, will invite you to take part in the great conversation around this great work. For further study, see Milton's Sonnet 19 and Lewis's A Preface to Paradise Lost.  ..read more

In this episode, Danielle reads the first half of Paradise Lost, Book 1 with occasional pauses for reflection and clarification ..read more

In our Book Club series, we will be discussing The Great Tradition, an anthology edited by Richard M. Gamble; this work collects writings from the great minds of the West, and all of the selections center around the idea of education.  In our first episode, we discuss selections from Book 5, 6 and 7 of Plato's Republic. We discuss the allegory of the cave and how it connects to education. We also discuss the tripartite soul and other features of education for the polis that Plato outlines in the Republic ..read more

We discuss how Aristotle envisions education in Politics, and ways in which that vision is explained in greater depth in works like Nicomachean Ethics and Poetics ..read more

In this episode, a very special guest, Justin Dillenschneider (Danielle's husband), shares about his work with house leaders within a classical Christian school. The ideas of authority, leadership, submission, and service are revisited within student leadership contexts. We discuss the goal of the house system, leadership selection and training, various leadership opportunities for students, and potential difficulties that arise when training student leaders.  ..read more

In this episode, we apply the concepts of authority, leadership, and submission to the context of crisis and difficulty. In the midst of crisis, panic is too easily the first response. We discuss how leaders can be sober minded, tethered, and communicative when diagnosing the issue and implementing solutions. Often times when there is acute or chronic pain within an organization, we can jump to solutions or responses that cause us to lose sight of the goal. When leaders remember to own what they should (not all that they could) and resist the temptation to micromanage, this will keep them more ..read more

In this episode, we focus on the structures of leadership and the ways that administrators can use their authority to lead and empower their staff. We also brainstorm alternative ways to structure administrative leadership and faculty development. For administrators, building relationships, supporting those they lead, and empowering those they lead are core concepts for practical application ..read more

We may not exactly consider teachers to be leaders - but they certainly are. We discuss teachers as "tour guides" and "coaches" who lead students academically and spiritually. We compare the mental models of classroom management, which focuses on detail-oriented task-completion, to classroom leadership, which focuses on empowerment and a grander vision.  ..read more