Broken, But Beautiful (A Poem)
I have spent much of my life writing poetry, but I often do so VERY sporadically. I get an itch to write, I fight over a poem or two for a couple weeks, then I leave poetry aside for many, many months. My hope over the next year is to faithfully engage in poetry writing more consistently, so here is a poem I will share … Continue reading Broken, But Beautiful (A Poem)
The Centrality of the Trivial: Grammar as a Liberal Art (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #6)
The Centrality of the Trivial: Grammar as a Liberal Art (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #6)[1] By Anthony G. Cirilla It has often been debated whether grammar is useful when studied “out of context,” though I have my suspicion that few who teach grammar actually envision their project in the classroom as ideally contextless. What would that mean? In absolute terms, the closest … Continue reading The Centrality of the Trivial: Grammar as a Liberal Art (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #6)
What’s Your Aim?
What’s Your Aim? By Sara Osborne The midpoint of a semester naturally prompts some reflection, for both teachers and students. This half-way point often reveals whether a teacher’s fresh plan, new curriculum, or adjusted content has yielded its desired results. Similarly, students take stock of their performance on class assignments and assessments and consider whether or not their study strategies are working as planned. Interestingly, … Continue reading What’s Your Aim?
The Unmighty Aphrodite: Lessons from the Goddess-Mother
By Carrie Eben, http://www.classicaleben.com Mothers are many things, but they are not goddesses. Aphrodite was both. During my apprenticeship journey with CiRCE, I observed this goddess-mother. At first, I was angry and harshly judged her actions, but I came to realize I had more in common with her than I originally realized. Don’t think I am referring to her beauty. If only. Uncomfortably, it was … Continue reading The Unmighty Aphrodite: Lessons from the Goddess-Mother
5 Ways Summer Can Serve Your Struggling Students
As the final days of the school year approach, teachers and students alike are eager for the long, lazy days of summer. Summer break does offer a less cluttered calendar for increased rest and play, but it also offers unique opportunities to help meet the needs of struggling students. Consider these five ways summer can serve struggling students in the months ahead. Remediation End-of-school assessments … Continue reading 5 Ways Summer Can Serve Your Struggling Students
Get Thee to a Classical Education Conference!
By Carrie Eben The church is meant to be a body of Christian believers to encourage each other in their faith. Just as Christ’s body of believers gather to fellowship and edify each other around a common belief, classical Christian educators have opportunities to come together and share the same liturgies of Christian education. Although each church, or group of believers, looks different, they all … Continue reading Get Thee to a Classical Education Conference!
Words Don’t Mean Things (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #5)
I meant to post this near the end of summer 2022 as part of our series on Grammar, but alas, it got away from me. If you want to read the rest of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. One of the more surprisingly enjoyable reads of my college career was Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson. I loved (and still … Continue reading Words Don’t Mean Things (Explorations in the Art of Grammar Series #5)
Classical and Christian: Abraham Kuyper on the Nature of Genuine Study
The classical renewal has been prompted—at least in part—by evident student skill and knowledge deficits, virtue-less environments for learning, disordered curricula, and postmodern pedagogies. However, a true classical education aims to do more than simply plug the holes of a failing public education. If the purpose of genuine study is to know, analyze, and articulate what is True, Good, and Beautiful, the truest form of … Continue reading Classical and Christian: Abraham Kuyper on the Nature of Genuine Study
Assessment for the Classical School, Part 3: Facts, Skills, or Ideas?
By Carrie Eben, guest author In the first article in this series, I related the importance of assessment aligning with the purpose of a classical education. The purpose of a classical education is leading a student toward intellectual skills and virtue. This alignment happens best when education takes a contemplative posture which Josef Pieper calls, leisure, or rest (schole). In the second article of this … Continue reading Assessment for the Classical School, Part 3: Facts, Skills, or Ideas?
Assessment for Classical Schools, Part 2: Relationship, Soul-Orienting Conversations, and Types of Assessors
By Carrie Eben, guest author In the last article about classical assessment, I discussed that assessment needs to align with the purpose of classical education—which is growing in intellectual skill and virtue. This is achieved through a contemplative posture of what Josef Pieper calls “leisure,” otherwise known as “schole” or rest. While this sounds beautiful, what are the important components for contemplative growth in a … Continue reading Assessment for Classical Schools, Part 2: Relationship, Soul-Orienting Conversations, and Types of Assessors
Assessment for Classical Schools, Part 1: A Philosophy of Leisure
By Carrie Eben, guest author Every time I teach a seminar on authentic assessment for classical teachers and homeschool parents, I begin by asking the question, “What is the purpose of education?” following up with, “Who do you want your students to be when they leave your school/home? Without fail, teachers and parents, give answers such as “Lifelong and autonomous learners,” “A person who loves … Continue reading Assessment for Classical Schools, Part 1: A Philosophy of Leisure
My Top 5 Books of 2022 (Kyle Rapinchuk)
As 2022 draws to a close, I have been planning a reading list for next year. Every year I toy with the idea of choosing a prolific author and reading 10-15 of their books. I have never really done that, at least not as I planned it. I did, however, read a lot of P. G. Wodehouse this year—kind of on accident. I was working … Continue reading My Top 5 Books of 2022 (Kyle Rapinchuk)
The Classical Thistle 