Transformational Moments with Aslan: Encountering Christ in Narnia

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia offer young readers both delightful stories and incredible spiritual insights. In this presentation, we will explore the transformational power of Aslan as the Christ figure of Narnia. We will look at seven scenes in the Narnia books, one from each Chronicle, in which Aslan has a special moment with one of the children. The way Aslan speaks and acts toward Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, Jill, Shasta, Digory, and Emeth can help our students grasp how Christ speaks and acts toward them in pivotal moments in their lives. He is their redeemer, guide, leader, teacher, and much more. Attendees will come away refreshed by these wonderful stories and equipped to share Christ with their students through the literary character of Aslan.

Alex Markos

Alex Markos is the Grammar School Latin teacher at Geneva School of Boerne, TX, where he has taught 3rd-5th grade Latin and 3rd grade ancient history for five years. He received a bachelor’s degree in History and Classical Languages from Hope College and recently graduated with a master’s degree in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. During his time at HBU, he had the privilege of studying The Chronicles of Narnia under Oxford professor and C. S. Lewis scholar Michael Ward. He has also spent the last 20+ years learning from another Lewis scholar—his father, Dr. Louis Markos. He recognizes the powerful influence that story and imagination have on the spiritual formation of children. In class, he loves sharing stories, like those from Narnia and mythology, with his students in a way that points them to Christ.

Classical Assessment: Using Classical Tools to Authentically Assess the Whole Student

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Carrie Eben

Carrie Eben has been working in Classical education leadership for over 20 years in both private, Classical schools (where she taught) and classical homeschool. She conducts classical education seminars around the nation regarding authentic classical assessment and currently mentors teachers at Sager Classical Academy as Board Vice-Chair and Curriculum Chair. Carrie holds a BSEd degree from John Brown University and MSEd from Oklahoma State University. She is currently working on her PhD in Humanities at Faulkner University and a Circe Institute Teaching Apprenticeship simultaneously . She is passionate about both educating students toward academic excellence and virtue as well as empowering educators and parents using the classical tools of education.

The Why and How of Teaching Poetry to Children

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Poetry is our human inheritance. Children deeply know this and learn it avidly and with great pleasure. I have experienced this firsthand in my own children’s lives and in the classical school environment. I will teach what I have done and seen and why it matters. I began doing this as a college student in the late 1980s.

Christine Perrin

Christine Perrin has taught literature and creative writing at Johns Hopkins University, Gordon College’s Orvieto Program, and Messiah College where she is the Director of Writing and a Senior Lecturer. She has taught at SCL, ACCS, Circe, and Kindred conferences. She is the author of The Art of Poetry and a book of poems Bright Mirror published by University of St. Katherine’s Press in 2016. She is married to Christopher Perrin and their children and grandchildren are: Zoe, Scott, Elle, Noah, & Samuel and Owen; her godchildren are Matrona, Grace Catherine, Amelia, Grant Matthew, Catherine, Nora Genevieve, Jesse, & Sophia.

The Craft of Teaching: “Teaching Like a Champion”

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For some time now, classical educators across the country have found the techniques compiled in Teach Like a Champion 2.0 by Doug Lemov to be beneficial for growing in the craft of teaching. And for good reason! This data-informed field guide, which emerged out of the charter school movement, is filled with insight for teachers who want to cultivate high-performing classrooms and provide a rigorous education for their students. At the same time, not a small number of classical educators have developed a healthy skepticism regarding whether this book rightfully belongs in their school libraries. After all, isn’t Teach Like a Champion 2.0 based largely on modernist assumptions about the nature and purpose of education? Will adopting the techniques it contains water down the purity of the efforts of those who would seek to offer a truly classical education?
In this workshop, I walk participants through an in-depth analysis of Teach Like a Champion 2.0 from a classical perspective. In doing so, I help teachers discern which techniques can and should be implemented in their classrooms. This workshop is therefore intended to be both inspirational and practical. Participants will walk away inspired to take up the craft of teaching for themselves and equipped to implement an assortment of tools for immediate use in their classrooms.

Kolby Atchison

Kolby Atchison is Principal at Clapham School in Wheaton, Illinois. He earned his BA in Philosophy from Biola University and his MA in Systematic Theology from Wheaton College. While at Biola, Kolby studied Great Books in the Torrey Honors Institute. He began working at Clapham in 2013 and has gained a variety of teaching experience across grade levels, including P.E., pre-algebra, logic, and humanities. Kolby blogs and podcasts regularly on the intersection of modern research and ancient wisdom at www.educationalrenaissance.com. He is the author of an eBook entitled, "The Craft of Teaching: 'Teach Like a Champion' for Classical Educators,” which is accessible online. Kolby and his wife Bethany live in Carol Stream, Illinois, with their son Justus and daughter Vivienne.

Classical Mobius: Integrating the Liberal, Common, and Fine Arts

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Chris Hall

Christopher Hall has a BA in Philosophy from Gettysburg College and an MAT in Elementary Education from Towson University. He has been a classroom educator and administrator for 25 years, having served in public, independent, and Classical schools. Along with his professional pedigree, he is the Founder of Always Learning Education, an organization dedicated to teaching, learning, and propagating the liberal, common, and fine arts in resonance. Chris is the author of Common Arts Education: Renewing the Classical Tradition of Training the Hands, Head, and Heart, published in February, 2021 by Classical Academic Press, and he serves as a national-level Alcuin Fellow. He lives on a small homestead in central Virginia with his wife and three homeschooled sons.

Teaching Socratically in the Grammar Classroom

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Socratic methods aren’t just for high school! In this session, you will learn how to utilize Socratic methods to facilitate rich discussions in your grammar school classroom. Teachers will learn how to implement Socratic-based teaching techniques to help students question texts, engage in classroom dialogue, and participate in lively debates that encourage deep thinking and enthusiastic participation in the grammar classroom. During the workshop, you will have the opportunity to not only learn about but also participate in structured discussions pairing classical curriculum with instructional strategies like philosophical chairs, pyramid discussions, and the fishbowl. Additionally, Amy will share real examples from grammar students in second through fifth grades at The Academy engaging in dialogue using these strategies.

Amy Allen

Amy Allen currently serves as the Director of Educational Development at The Academy of Classical Christian Studies. In this role, she is responsible for the development of new curricular projects and professional development for staff and faculty. Previously, she taught second and third grade as well as grammar Latin, also at The Academy. She has been involved with classical education for 13 years. In addition to her full-time work at The Academy, Amy is affiliated with the University of Oklahoma where she is an Adjunct Professor teaching courses on Elementary Education and a Ph.D. Candidate in the field of Curriculum and Instruction. She is also a published author and has presented at multiple education conferences nationally and internationally.

The Logic of English: Seeing Words in New Ways

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Discover answers to your students’ questions about English spelling! Together we will explore rules that help explain 98% of English words and facilitate orthographic mapping. Together we will learn a few phonograms, spelling rules, and morphemes while demonstrating their application to both high-frequency words and advanced vocabulary. Practical tools for teaching will be interwoven with the neuroscience of reading to provide educators a better understanding of the roles of phonemic awareness and systematic phonics in learning to read.

Denise Eide

Denise is the president and founder of Logic of English, a mission-driven publisher that empowers students of all ages to become fluent readers and spellers. Denise is passionate about providing all students access to evidence-based literacy education. When her sons struggled to learn to read, Denise discovered that one of the core instructional tools used to help students with dyslexia is to teach them how English really works. Upon seeing her sons go from nonreaders to reading chapter books within months, she decided to write Uncovering the Logic of English, an award-winning book about reading. She continues her life work of sharing the power of knowing how English works by speaking, writing, and publishing.

Investing in Teacher Wellness: Recovering from the Pandemic

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

As classical educators, we know how to teach to cultivate virtue and wisdom in our students yet there are times where we or our colleagues struggle to thrive professionally. Last year teachers across the country were forced to pivot at a moment’s notice due to the pandemic. Since then, there has been a disruption in the status quo for good and for ill. Teachers are continually asked to wear many hats and the pandemic exacerbated existing challenges in the culture of our schools. Many teachers have experienced anxiety and contemplated leaving the profession. It has become a challenge to recruit and retain teachers as fewer and fewer people pursue the profession. Come to this workshop to learn how administrators and teacher leaders can help support the faculty’s spiritual, mental, and emotional health. We will share a multitude of resources and practical tips that will reduce teacher burnout and turnover, and increase faculty and staff morale.

Jeffrey Andre

Jeffrey Andre is the assistant dean and a teacher at the Eccessial School at Saint Alban’s. He is a passionate, K-6, licensed teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools in the state of Florida from grades 2 to 6. Jeffrey was first introduced to Classical Education in 2013 when he joined the faculty of The Geneva School in Winter Park. Jeffrey graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Florida’s ProTeach program. He is currently working on another Master’s degree in theological studies from Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando. Jeffrey has served over five years on the board of the Christian Study Center of Gainesville where their mission is to intersect faith and academic discourse. Jeffrey is passionate about teacher development and wellness, school policy, and curriculum design. He knows the importance of cultural competence and brings a wide range of pedagogical practices to best meet the needs of each student. Jeffrey loves children’s books and relating stories to the greater narrative of God’s redemptive story. Jeffrey and his wife Colleen live in Winter Park and have two little boys.

Alicia VanDerhoof

Alicia VanDerhoof is a 6th-grade teacher and team lead at The Geneva School in Winter Park, Florida. She has had the desire to teach for as long as she can remember, whether it was “helping” her first-grade teacher manage the class or playing school in the basement with her sisters. Her passion for teaching classically is owed to her Savior and also to her role model, her father, who has served as her teacher in and out of the classroom. Alicia graduated from Grove City College, PA, in 2018 where she received a BA in English and a minor in classical education. She graduated cum laude and with honors in English. During her three years at her current school, Alicia has enjoyed teaching 6th graders, introducing and developing new curriculum, and growing in her understanding of what it means to teach classically. Hailing from Michigan, Alicia is used to the “mitten’s” four beautiful seasons and lush forests. Her summers are spent on the water with her family where they perfect the art of tubing, wakeboarding, surfing, and other water sports. In her leisure time, Alicia enjoys playing board games, reading, hosting tea parties, swimming, and spending time with her family.

Speaking and Singing Latin in the Classroom: Where to Begin

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Discussion will include some introductory ideas and experiences for people who want to incorporate Latin songs and spoken language but who have not had the training or context and don’t know where to start.

Noah Perrin

Noah graduated from Messiah University with a B.A. in Philosophy. While there he studied spoken Latin at Oxford with the Oxford Latinitas Project and spent a year studying immersive Latin in Rome. He grew up attending Covenant Christian Academy and writing poems and songs.

What the Greatest Grammar Book Teaches Us about Grammar School

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

While grammar schools are a strength in the classical Christian education movement, they probably have not received as much help or assessment from the classical tradition as have upper schools. How do we discern what is classical and what is not when considering what we teach in Pre-K through 6th grade? This workshop proposes a method often used by upper schools: “ad fontes” (go back to the great sources). Arguably the greatest—because longest lasting—text for elementary education is the fourth-century A.D. schoolbook by Donatus, the Art of Grammar. Classical Christian grammar schools would do well to measure their reading and writing scope and sequence by this text. If we evaluate ourselves this way, we will gain wonderful inroads to improving our curriculum and might even find ourselves challenged to refocus our curricular goals in grammar school. This workshop takes up the task by explaining the content and structure of Donatus’ work in a way accessible to those who haven’t learned Latin. Then, we will think through how the Art of Grammar comports (or doesn’t) with the way we classical Christian schools teach English phonics, grammar, and basic writing skills. Donatus’ student, Jerome, the great Bible translator, wrote this advice on education: “Those things ought not be despised as if small without which great things cannot come to be.” Let us love these “little things” and given them our careful attention!

Andrew Selby

Andrew Selby serves as Assistant Headmaster at Whitefield Academy in Kansas City, MO. He has been in classical education for over a decade. He and his lovely wife enjoy reading books together when they are not caring for their five children, four of whom are old enough to attend Whitefield. He has a PhD in early Christian theology from Baylor University, an MA in Historical Theology from University of Toronto, and a BA in Humanities from Biola University (Torrey Honors College).