A 20-minute podcast featuring professors, K-12 teachers, and friends of Hillsdale College, all speaking about classical education—what it is, why it’s still relevant today, and what makes it unique. Hosted by Scot Bertram.
Noah Bush and Gina Capaldi join host Scot Bertram to discuss art as a discipline, how the arts change students for the better, and building collaboration between art and music teachers. Noah is upper school music and fine arts director, and Gina is an art, art history, and studio art teacher at Orange County Classical Academy in Orange, California. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Michele DiCristoforo, lead third grade teacher at Cincinnati Classical Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss instilling a sense of wonder in students, extending the sense of wonder to wider classical education community, and discovering resources for teachers looking to improve their pedagogy. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Matthew Mehan to discuss his new book The American Book of Fables . Matthew Mehan is associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C.. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education at Hillsdale College, delivers a lecture on instilling wonder in your students when teaching mathematics. This lecture was given at the Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence seminar, “The Art of Teaching: Mathematics” in September 2025. The Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, an outreach of the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, offers educators the opportunity to deepen their content knowledge and refine their skills in the classroom. ...
Eric Hutchinson, associate professor of classics and chairman of Collegiate Scholars Program at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the foundations of Roman mythology, best practices for teaching Virgil's The Aeneid , and the differences between Aeneas and other heroes of antiquity. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Diana Kinser, French teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss teaching a modern language at a classical school, how modern languages helps teach students virtue, and the rewards from seeing students succeed. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Charles R. Kesler to discuss the Declaration of Independence and the legacy of the American Founding. Charles R. Kesler is editor of the Claremont Review of Books and professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Join Michael Berndt, director of curriculum at the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, Allison Postell, assistant professor of Philosophy at Hillsdale College, Paul Rahe professor of history and Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee chair in the western heritage at Hillsdale College, and Joshua Gibbs, director of the classical teaching institute, for a panel on the classical virtue of ambition. The four discuss whether the virtue of ambition can exist in a Christian world, ambition in the classi...
Kayla Cruthers is the Head of School at Ivywood Classical Academy in Plymouth, Michigan. Join Scot Bertram as he and Kayla discuss why classical education is important to a community and how Hillsdale’s K-12 Education Office helped shape her understanding of and vision for an American Classical Education. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Paul Mittermeier, Upper School Humanities teacher at Cincinnati Classical Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the importance of formal logic, why formal logic plays such an important role in classical education, and how formal logic helps student improve their reading comprehension. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Matthew Spalding to discuss his new book, The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence , and the importance of teaching American history properly. Matthew Spalding is vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener...
Join John Peterson, lecturer in education and politics at Hillsdale College, Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education at Hillsdale College, Kevin Gary associate professor of education at Hillsdale College, and Ryan Hammill, executive director of the Ancient Language Institute , for a panel on David Hick's Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education . The four discuss the degree with which classical education is consistent with democracy, the focus on forming students instead of empowerin...
Tina Bolin, literacy coordinator at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, and a literacy trainer with Hillsdale College K-12 Education, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss her journey from home school teacher to classical school teacher, the unique challenge of teaching teachers, and the joy that comes from seeing students learn to read. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sonja Bindus, teacher support lead for Hillsdale College K-12 Education, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss teaching students how to appreciate art, learning from the artistic masters, and how to help students develop artistic skills. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joshua Villarreal, teacher support lead at Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the classical themes in the film Die Hard , the importance of education in forming character, and the differences between classical and progressive methods of education. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by James Hankins to discuss the first volume of his co-authored series of textbooks, The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition , and the importance of classical education. James Hankins is a visiting professor of humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Julie Apel, assistant headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss Hillsdale’s Master Teacher Program, what makes a teacher a master teacher, and how the program aligns with classical education principles and best practices. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Peterson, assistant director of curriculum at Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the concept of history as rhetoric, the importance of speeches and arguments in history, and how the American education system typically teaches history. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vivian Stewart, a student at Hillsdale College and graduate of Atlanta Classical Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss how her experience at a liberal arts school prepared her to study at Hillsdale, building friendships in a new place, and how she's adjusting to the cold weather of southern Michigan. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Benjamin Payne, Director of School Leader Support at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the Hillsdale College K-12 School Leader Fellowship, the diverse range of skills that make a good school leader, and the benefits of joining the Hillsdale College K-12 network. For more info, and to apply to the School Leader Fellowship, follow this link: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Schools/School-Leader-Fellowships/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Robert Pondiscio to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators should emphasize resiliency and hope in the classroom. Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies, where he focuses on K–12 education, curriculum, teaching, school choice, and charter schooling. Learn more: https://k12.hil...
Julie Apel, assistant headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss what makes classical education different, why there is a renewed interest in classical education, and what students can expect to learn in a classical classroom. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Abigail Teska, lower and upper school art teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss using narration to help students understand artistic concepts, how to help students understand a work of art, and what narration activities students respond to the best. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jennifer Jackett, a fifth grade teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, and Julia McNeely, director of Title I at Seven Oaks Classical School, join host Scot Bertram to discuss the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum , principles for better writing, and how writing helps students succeed throughout a school's curriculum. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Ben Payne, director of leader support for Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss helping students build emotional durability, focusing on developing virtue over value, and the essential principles when helping students to reframe their attitudes. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Christopher Nadon to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators are failing their students by embracing the importance of “lived experience.” Christopher Nadon (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago) has taught political philosophy and humanities at Emet Classical Academy, Claremont McKenna College, Trinity College, and Kyev-Mohyla Academy. He writes on the character and history of republica...
Stephen Cox, a founding board member of Thomas More Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his role in starting a classical school in Alaska, the decision to make Thomas More Classical School a private institution, and the process of becoming a Hillsdale College K-12 Education partner school. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Gabrielle Lewis, a teacher support lead and Core Virtues director at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the relaunched Core Virtues program, cultivating the moral imagination through stories, and how schools can utilize the Core Virtues program. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Justin Jackson, English professor and Edrie Seward Kennedy Chair in English at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his upcoming co-authored book on teaching students the elements of analysis, the art of close analysis, and what texts teachers should use to teach close analysis. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss why short stories are worth studying, how to prepare your class to learn from a short story, and why reading short stories out loud can help your students better understand them. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
