"We become what we behold." William Blake(ish)

"Virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions.” Aristotle

"We are what we repeatedly do... therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit." Will Durant

What: Human beings are natural imitators. From the time we're born until we die, we tend to learn many things best by copying the movements, words, expressions, and behaviors of those we love and admire. Join me to explore ways to harness the power of imitation in the classroom beyond conventional copywork.  

Who: Teachers for all ages are welcome. I will focus more on ages 11-18, but the principles are universal for ages 0-99.

Cost: $25 (non-refundable)

When: Saturday, October 12, 2024, 10:00-12:00 AM CENTRAL.

Recorded: Our courses are interractive, so we encourage live attendance. All courses are recorded and available 48-72 hours after the course and will be available for 1 month. You will be sent a YouTube link. 

About the Instructor: 

Mariah Martinez has worked in education since 2015 as a teacher, curriculum developer, and mentor teacher. Mariah attended the Honors College at Houston Baptist University where she received a B.A., double majoring in Philosophy and English. In 2021, she received a Master of Humanities in classical education from the University of Dallas. She is certified as a 7-12 ELAR instructor in the state of Texas. She began her teaching career at a Great Hearts school in San Antonio and now works at a Founders Classical charter school in Texas. She has eight years of middle and high school teaching experience and is a founding faculty member of the high school at her current location where she now serves as the assistant headmaster for the upper school. She has experience not only with developing classical curricula for the high school environment but has also developed guides for creating house systems and student leadership positions. Mariah's goal is to help make the methods of classical education and the philosophies behind them accessible for all.

What: This course teaches how to produce Shakespearean plays with child actors.  Wouldn't you love to see Shakespeare come alive for your students? Instead of just reading Shakespeare, what if they could perform his work? Whether your students are ready for Readers' Theater in your living room or full productions of the bard's plays in a professional theater, this course will give you instruction on how to involve students from 4th grade and up in Shakespeare. Mr. Lyda will draw from his years of experience and offer step by step instructions on how to plan a production, run rehearsals, and make specific plays come alive with thematic ideas. 

Who: Everyone who will wants Shakespeare to come alive for their students through performance, the way Shakespeare intended. All experience levels welcome.

Cost: $25 (non-refundable)

When: Saturday, October 12, 2024, 10:-00 AM - 12:00 PM CENTRAL.

Recorded: Our courses are interractive, so we encourage live attendance. All courses are recorded and available 48-72 hours after the course and will be available for 1 month. You will be sent a YouTube link. 

About the Instructor: 

Benjamin was on The Beautiful Teaching Classical Education Podcast discussing his Shakespeare Academy. Click here if you want to listen to that episdoe.

Benjamin Lyda holds a Master of Humanities degree from The University of Dallas and is certified by the state of Texas to teach 6-12 grade literature, history, speech communication, special education, and debate. He is the author of Scriptorium – Writing with the Progymnasmata, a 3rd-8th grade curriculum. 

He has been head of a classical charter high school and founder of a Charlotte Mason inspired K-12 school.  His more than 20 years of teaching experience is wide and varied including teaching in urban and suburban settings.  In addition Benjamin regularly works with both advanced and struggling students in public, private, and homeschool settings.  He founded and ran The Children’s Shakespeare Academy, directing full productions of the bard’s plays for homeschool and private schohol children 9-18.   He is married to his high school sweetheart and together they are bringing up six children. 

Couse Description: This course will discuss the fundamental principles of history instruction in classical schools. Discussions will include content, socratic discussion, primary sources, the importance of memorization, and cross-curricular connections. 

Date: October 22, 2024

Time: 6-7 pm (CENTRAL)

(Live attendance is encourged for an immersive experience. Recordings will be made available 48 hours after the session and will be available till Oct. 31.)

Cost: $30 (non-refundable)

About the Instructor:

John Heitzenrater is the headmaster of St. John Chrysostom Academy in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Mr. Heitzenrater has nearly 20 years’ teaching and administrative experience in classical schools. He began his career teaching history and humanities at the Lady Margaret Roper School and St. Peter’s Orthodox Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas.

John received his A.B. magna cum laude from the College of St. Thomas More where he studied literature, philosophy, theology, classical languages, and history. In graduate school he attended the University of Dallas where he received his Master of Humanities with a concentration in history in 2016. He and his wife Christina have 11 children, seven girls and four boys, many of whom attend St. John Chrysostom Academy.

Class Description: A single class on how to integrate the arts into other subjects, including mathematics, science, history, literature, philosophy, and more. The talk will include practical how-to suggestions and implementation strategies. Fine art is mimetic, and all art forms (from music to painting, architecture to film) tell an aspect of the human story. The beauty of human art not only reveals truths about the subjects we teach, it deepens and enriches the classroom lessons themselves. Time will be set aside for questions and discussion. 

This class is designed to provide a framework and support for teachers learning how to integrate the arts if they do not yet know how to do so.

A resource list will be provided to attendees after the conclusion of the class.

Date: October 26th, 2024

Time: 1-2:30 (CENTRAL)

(Live attendance is encourged for an immersive experience. Recordings will be made available 48 hours after the session and will be available till Oct. 31.)

Cost: $15 (non-refundable)

About the Instructor:

Peach Smith is the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at Koinonia Academy, the founder of Sacred HEART Academy, a consultant for Beautiful Teaching, and has been a classical educator for over 30 years. Peach has taught a wide variety of subjects, and works with both gifted and special needs students in classical, private, and home schools. Peach has led workshops on homeschooling, classical education, and school professional development seminars at conferences and schools throughout the United States. 

Peach specializes in classical curriculum development, transitioning schools to a classical model, Roman Catholic Liberal Arts education, Charlotte Mason pedagogy, differentiation and accommodation in classrooms and homeschools, college consulting, the Catholic Imagination, and in supporting homeschooling families.

Peach has been married to Domecq Smith for 30 years; they are parents to adult children, and are both active in teaching classes from elementary to the college level.

What: The art of toasting at holidays and special events like birthdays and weddings is a lost art. The toast expresses the values of a community, making a statement of the purpose of the celebration. This course will teach the why and the how of toasting, so at your next celebration, you can raise your glass with confidence. 

Who: Anyone who wants to learn how to give a toast.  Bring a drink!  

Cost: $20 (non-refundable)

When: Thursday, November 7, 2024, 7:00-8:00 PM CENTRAL

Recorded: Our courses are interractive, so we encourage live attendance. All courses are recorded and available 48-72 hours after the course and will be available for 1 month. You will be sent a YouTube link. 

About the Instructor: 

Benjamin Lyda holds a Master of Humanities degree from The University of Dallas and is certified by the state of Texas to teach 6-12 grade literature, history, speech communication, special education, and debate. He is the author of Scriptorium – Writing with the Progymnasmata, a 3rd-8th grade curriculum. 

He has been head of a classical charter high school and founder of a Charlotte Mason inspired K-12 school.  His more than 20 years of teaching experience is wide and varied including teaching in urban and suburban settings.  In addition Benjamin regularly works with both advanced and struggling students in public, private, and homeschool settings.  He founded and ran The Children’s Shakespeare Academy, directing full productions of the bard’s plays for homeschool children 9-18.   He is married to his high school sweetheart and together they are bringing up six children.

Join married teachers, Jonathan & Kiernan Fiore, for a journey through their mutual favorite novel to teach high school students: Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. We'll study the novel as teachers to see how studying it helps students to learn to read classics, helps teachers to teach great literature, and helps everyone gain a more keen insight into human nature.  This class is for teachers, parents, and all curious readers who want to grow as educators and as human beings.

The Ignatius Critical Edition is recommended, but not required, and will be referred to during the session. Participants can find a free copy on Gutenberg.

Dates & Time: Wednesdays, September 25th - October 30th from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. CENTRAL TIME

Recorded: All courses are recorded and available 48-72 hours after the course and will be available for 1 month. You will be sent a YouTube link. 

About the Instructors: Kiernan Fiore has worked as a teacher, administrator, trainer, and curriculum developer since 2011. Kiernan was classically home educated using a Charlotte Mason methodology, and her own educational experience is the inspiration for her work. She holds a BA in English from Hillsdale College and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College London and is certified in 4-8th Grade ELAR and Social Studies in Texas. After six years of working with the Founders Classical network of charter schools in Texas, she now serves as Dean of Curriculum at Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, CA. She has been married to Jonathan, also a classical educator, for six years and is the mother of three children.

Jonathan Fiore is a veteran classical educator devoted to reinvigorating classical catholic liberal arts education for the poor. He was born in California, grew up in New York, and received a classical liberal arts education at home. He studied history at Hillsdale College, and is currently obtaining his M.A. in Classical Education from the University of Dallas. He teaches Western Civilization & Humanities at Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California. In his free time he loves to visit America’s beautiful national parks, of which his favorite is Yosemite. He is married to Kiernan, also a classical educator, and together they have three children: Catherine, Francis, and Joseph.