It was slow going as we set off on a new trail, traversing downhill across damp rocks and roots. My daypack was heavier than I had expected; I had double the water that I needed and various odds and ends from previous adventures – fourteen Band-Aids, a beautiful rock, an ankle compression sleeve from an […] The post Ultralight Homeschooling: Gracious Curriculum appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Relevance isn’t a virtue. Relevance, attempting to disguise itself as a virtue, seeks to transform eternal goods, beauties, and truths into culturally palatable ones. Relevance is a danger to classical schools, to classical teachers, and to Christians. Because culture is ever-changing like a swift river, relevance is not merely difficult to attain but is unattainable […] The post Relevance Isn’t a Virtue appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

We are the few, the happy few, who get to read Plato with friends and take our students on nature walks and enjoy art museums and classical symphonies. “The happy few?” we challenge. We have sacrificed to get here; we know how little we have in savings and how little promise our 401-Ks hold. We […] The post Where are the Orphans and Widows? appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Considering we have a government that spends 794 billion on pre-college education alone, it’s kind of important that we know why we’re doing it. Luckily nothing could be more obvious. Education is a great thing. It builds community and fosters growth (whatever that means). Mostly it makes it so that people can get money when […] The post When Education is Worse than Useless appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

For more on the impetus of this list, see my previous articles, “We Need a Great Films List,” and “A Great Films List.” As I developed the Great Films List, it became apparent to me that many of the films I think everyone should watch (like my oft-mentioned Ox-Bow Incident) would not end up being […] The post A Good Films List appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Trees really are wonderful. They provide shade, fruit, heat, furniture, and beauty. The first garden was filled with trees as will be the new Jerusalem. Trees grow slowly and imperceptibly from tiny seeds yet become towering giants which can live for thousands of years. Almost like magic, all trees need for this is water, sunlight, […] The post On Trees appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Within the walls of K-12 classical schools, you will nearly always find at least one of a particular type of teacher. You will have the most luck finding this teacher in front of the chalkboard in upper school humanities classrooms. Primarily, this teacher desires to teach because he adores his subject matter rather than his […] The post In Defense of Tweed, Pipes, and Classical Education appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Legends of the Round Table: 7 Essential Arthurian Legends & Discussion Questions. Vol. 1. Edited by Katerina Kern. Concord: CiRCE Institute, 2023. 351 pages. $19.99, softcover.  For centuries, Arthurian legend has captivated child and adult readers alike with tales of wizardry, mystery, and chivalry. While unanswered questions revolving around origin, characters, and events lend a certain […] The post Experiencing Tales of Wizardry, Mystery, and Chivalry: A Book Review appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

From the second I set foot in the classroom a dozen years ago I began wrestling with the puzzle of learning differences. I found that charity and attentiveness went a long way. For example, I noticed the connection between outbursts from a child with ASD and the use of the overhead projector. This was an […] The post Classical Education and Learning Differences: 5 Resources appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more

Nine days. Nine days since I settled in the Francis Marion’s cozy couch, swathed in my fuzzy sweater, holding Judi Dench’s book about Shakespeare in my lap, surrounded by CiRCE friends. Nine days since we worshiped and listened and talked and grew together with these precious people from across the country. Nine days since my […] The post Hall of Mirrors appeared first on CiRCE Institute ..read more