"The end of education is not thinking; it is acting. It is not just knowing what to do; it is doing it. The sublime premise of a classical education asserts that right thinking will lead to right, if not righteous, acting."

David Hicks, Norms and Nobility

What: Online teaching and live discussion of Norms and Nobility every two weeks, plus access to study material to accompany your reading, as well as discussion space to explore ideas together and ask questions outside of live meetings. This book is an investment to purchase and requires an investment of time and thought as well; however, it has the potential to transform your thinking about education in a way that will be a positive benefit to a teacher, and that teacher's students, forever after.

Who: This study is for thoughtful educators who wish to deepen their knowledge of classical education and consider how ancient ideas about education and its purposes can be implemented in contemporary times. This book is for those who want to challenge themselves, as it requires effort to read.

Class Limit: Places are limited so we can all participate in discussion.

Course Dates: The course will run from September 3, 2024 to March 4, 2025.  There will be 13 live meetings, plus online discussion.

Recordings: Recording of live meetings will be sent within 24-48  hours after the meeting and available for two weeks after each class.

Time: Every other Tuesday, 7:00pm-8:00pm (CENTRAL TIME)

Cost:  $249

 $249 if registered after August 6.

Course Map 

2024

September 3 - Preface and Prologue

September 17 - Chapter 1, Virtue is the Fruit of Learning

October 1 - Chapter 2, The Word is Truth

October 15 - Chapter 3, Teaching the Father of the Man

October 29 - Chapter 4, The Tyrannizing Image

November 12 - Chapter 5, Saving the Appearance

November 26 - Chapter 6, On the Necessity of Dogma

December 10 - Chapter 7, The Ennobling of the Masses

January 7 - Chapter 8, The Promise of Christian Paideia

January 21 - Chapter 9, A Curriculum Proposal (What Might Have Been)

February 4 - Chapter 10, Some Questions and Assumptions

February 18 - Chapter 11, Three Schools in One Academy

March 4 - Chapter 12, The School Within the School, and Epilogue

About the Teacher 

Karen Glass is a homeschool mother who has taught her four children through graduation and spent over two decades delving into educational philosophy, beginning with Charlotte Mason and extending to classical educators throughout history. She has a B.A. in English, but her real education has been self-education, and her passion for education has led her to write several books, including Mind to Mind (an abridgement of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy of Education), Know and Tell: The Art of Narration, In Vital Harmony: Charlotte Mason and the Natural Laws of Education, and A Thinking Love: Studies in Charlotte Mason's Home Education.  When she asked David Hicks, the author of Norms and Nobility, to read and consider writing a Foreword to her first book, Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, he graciously consented to do so.

Description:

At the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of how to enjoy and approach the Bard with your students.

Few authors play so important a role in the curriculum of a classical school as Shakespeare. Yet the language and complexity of his plays can prove daunting to classroom teachers, home educators, and students. In this six-week intensive, you will work with three experienced teachers, who will share proven approaches to bring the Bard alive with students from grades 3-12.  Several of the most commonly taught plays will be discussed, and you will have the opportunity to gain insight into these works, as well as come away with strategies to teach children to read, listen to, understand, write about, and perform the plays of Shakespeare.

Syllabus:

• March 1: Introducing Shakespeare: Enjoying Shakespeare with Students
• March 8: Reading Shakespeare: Reading & Understanding the Plays
• March 15: Talking About Shakespeare: Dialoguing about the Plays in class
• March 22: Writing About Shakespeare: Using Writing & Assessment to Improve Students' Understanding of the Plays
• March 29: Performing Shakespeare: Staging Productions with Multiple Ages
• April 5th: Putting a Shakespeare Play Together: The Tempest on stage for all levels

Who: This is for classroom teachers, home educators, and drama teachers 

When: 6 weeks - Every Saturday Morning March 1 through April 5, 2025

Time: 10-11 am CENTRAL

Zoom: A link will be emailed the day before the session. 

Recorded: Every session is recorded and will be available to view for one month after the session. Recordings are sent to paid participants approximately 24-48 hours after the live session.

Cost: $99/teacher

About the Instructors

Kiernan Fiore: Mrs. Fiore fell in love with A Midsummer Night's Dream as a homeschooled 6th grader and has never forgotten her first literary love. She eventually lived her dream and studied for an MA in Shakespeare Studies at the Globe Theater in London. She now teaches Shakespeare to students from grades 4th-12th at Holy Innocents School, where she also serves as the Director of Academics and tries to weave Shakespearean language into every professional development presentation she gives. Mrs. Fiore married a fellow teacher -- their first date was watching Shakespeare's Henriad -- and raising their three rambunctious children is like living in a Shakespearean comedy. 

Mark Signorelli: Mr. Signorelli has taught Shakespeare to high school students for over twenty years, in a variety of classroom settings.  He was one of the founders of the Atlantic Poetry Guild, which ran seminars on teaching Shakespeare for high school English Teachers in New Jersey.  He has been both a teacher and administrator in classical schools, and currently consults with Beautiful Teaching on a variety of humanities-related topics.

Benjamin Lyda: For over 10 years, Benjamin Lyda has been producing and directing Shakespeare’s plays, introducing the bard’s works to children ages 9-18.  From homeschool living rooms, small reader’s theater productions with homeschool families, to large productions on professional stages with classical schools, he offers practical advice for all kinds of situations.  In addition, he has over 20 years of experience as a teacher and administrator.  He has a Master of Humanities and a Master of Theological Studies.  He is happily married to his highschool sweetheart and together they are bringing up 6 children with insatiable curiosity.  

What: In this session, teachers will learn why fables and fairy tales help children develop a well-ordered imagination. We will discuss how to approach stories without getting in the way of the child's imagination. Experience the role, and proper ordering of the imagination through reading, narrating, and discussing a fable and a fairy tale. Teachers will learn the importance of respecting the imagination through reading, narrating, and properly discussing the moral of a story. We will include a progymnasmata fable writing exercise! 

Who: For parents, classroom instructors or home educators.

(good course for parents whose children are at classical schools)

Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025

Time: 6-8 pm CST Central Time

Cost: $30 (non-refundable)

Zoom: A link to the class will be shared on the day of the class. 

(Live attendance is encourged for an immersive experience.)

Recorded: This will be recorded and available approximately 48 hours after the class. The video will be available to view for one month. 

About the Instructor

Adrienne is the founder and director of The Classical Education Podcast as well as Beautiful Teaching Consulting. Her expertise is in collaborating and guiding new, and established schools in classical curriculum and professional development needs. She has worked as the Classical Education Advisor for the K-12 Curriculum and Professional Development Project at University of Dallas and served as the Director of Classical Methods for Responsive Education Solutions. In both roles, Adrienne has collaborated with districts, boards, school leaders, and thousands of teachers, helping nearly 30 schools transition to a classical model. She has led teams creating classical professional development, leading parent education workshops, and writing customized educational materials that promote a strong virtue-based humanities curriculum for K-12 schools.

She specializes in Coaching and transitioning schools into the liberal arts tradition; K-8 classical curriculum development; Charlotte Mason pedagogy; Trivium-Based Lesson Planning, classical charter schools; Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant education; Homeschooling.

Adrienne has been married to Brian for 32 years. She is a retired homeschool mother of four adult children and the grandmother of five. She works part-time as a Classical Pedagogy and Curriculum Specialist for Coram Deo Academies in DFW. 

Description

I have written a new curriculum called Poetic Language Lessons: A Gentle Primer in Grammar and Rhetoric (primarily for children ages 6-8). This is a free introduction to the philosophy of the curriculum.

Ideas we will cover include:

• What is a poetic imagination?
• How do you truly integrate multiple subjects?
• Introducing grammar to children
• Rhetoric for little people
• Elements of music as it pertains to the art of rhetoric
• Incorporating wonder and a curiosity framework

When: Saturday, May 3, 9:30-11 am CENTRAL

Zoom: A link will be sent the day before the session

Recorded: This session will be recorded and available 24-48 hours after the session. It will be available for one month. 

About the Instructor

Adrienne Freas is the founder and director of The Classical Education Podcast as well as Beautiful Teaching Consulting. Her expertise is in collaborating and guiding new, and established schools in classical curriculum and professional development needs. She has worked as the Classical Education Advisor for the K-12 Curriculum and Professional Development Project at University of Dallas and served as the Director of Classical Methods for Responsive Education Solutions. She also served as a curriculum and pedagogy specialist for Coram Deo Academies, a university-collaborative model school in DFW. In each role,  She led teams creating classical professional development, parent education workshops, and writing customized educational materials that promote a strong virtue-based humanities curriculum for K-12 schools. Adrienne has been married to Brian for 32 years. She is a retired homeschool mother of four adult children and the grandmother to eight (plus a grand-puppy).