Author Archives: Jason

Coronavirus Contagion

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Poem: “Stay Home” by Wendell Berry  

Statement of the Whole: Our world is in a state of quarantine with the Coronavirus, and the boys on the podcast want to share a few ideas for those having to figure out educational questions during this unique time.  Join Jason and Steve as they discuss sane advice for this unusual time in our history.  Take a deep breath, and jump in. 

Here is a link to a board game Jason mentions in the podcast: 

Agricola: https://www.amazon.com/Mayfair-Games-MFG3515-Agricola/dp/B01DREMT68 

Another great place for ideas while the kids are at home: 

Ambleside Online 

Have You Met: Buck Holler?

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An interview on teaching Latin. 

Statement of the Whole: One of the more important aspects of a great education is forming a mind that can handle language, and that can interact with the primary sources of our educational heritage.  In this interview, Steve talks with Latin teacher Buck Holler about his journey into teaching the Latin language, why it is important, and encouragement for others wanting to get into it. Beatus marialis. 

Resources:  Below are some of the resources mentioned in the interview: 

Accademia Vivarium novum, Luigi Miraglia, Tusculum Italy 

Schola Latina, Roberto Carfagni, Montella Italy 

University of Kentucky, Terence Tunberg 

Conventiculum Lexingtoniensis 

Conventiculum Dickinsoniensis 

Can the Internet Replace School?

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Why school when there is the internet? 

Poem: What’s the Railroad to Me?  by Henry D. Thoreau 

Statement of the Whole: Even as internet technologies provide more and more “educational” opportunities, schools are seeking to remain relevant to the educational process.  Are there things only a brick and mortar school can do?  Why have all the trouble and expense of schools if we can simply Google our way to an education?  Join in the conversation with Jason and Steve. 

Should Teaching Be Fun?

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Poem: none 

Statement of the Whole: Fun is a fun word to define.  It is even funner to try and inculcate into today’s educational world.  Jason and Steve play around with the word for a while in this episode on how enjoyable learning can be and what the expectations for today’s classroom imply about good learning and teaching.  Come join in the fun; you may be surprised by the experience. 

Adjusting the Climate of the Classroom

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The Thermostat Episode  

Poem: Section 106 from Tennyson’s In Memoriam 

Statement of the Whole: 

Every classroom has its own unique temperature or climate.  What determines how that classroom feels?  Given that each student is unique, is it even possible to form a specific climate in the room, or will everyone perceive it differently?  What kinds of things go into classroom climate formation?  Jason and Steve discuss their own classrooms and their assessment of these and many other questions.  This discussion should apply to any classroom (home or school) at any age level. 

Resources: 

  • Gibbs, Joshua.  Something They Will Not Forget: A Handbook for Classical Teachers. Circe Instititue, 1 July 2019. 
  • Hicks, David V. Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education. University Press of America, 30 Sept. 1999. 
  • Palmer, Parker.  The Courage to Teach.  Jossey-Bass, 1998.  
  • Taylor, James.  Poetic Knowledge: the Recovery of Education. SUNY, 1998. 

Is School a Prison?

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Poem: “We Real Cool,” by Gwendolyn Brooks 

Statement of the Whole:  Comparison is a valuable and powerful form of education.  In this episode Jason and Steve take on a common student comparison: school is too much like a prison.  Is this true?  To what extent?  Should we do anything to change the comparison?  Why are questions a bad thing to ask in prison?  Join them in the exercise yard to a lap or two around this topic. 

Resources:  We could not help noticing that this topic is being considered by others in various places.  The following might further your thinking on this topic. 

Foundation for Economic Education article 

New York School Talk post 

Business Insider article 

Why Teach Fiction?

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Poem: “But I am Growing Old and Indolent,” by Robinson Jeffers 

Statement of the Whole: 

It seems we live in a utilitarian or practical time when education wants to cut straight to the “facts.”  So why spend so much time in school learning about things that are just made up?  Jason and Steve defend the use of fiction in the classroom as one of the great moral tools in the cultivation of wisdom and virtue. 

Books: 

Anything by Wendell Berry 

Wallace Stegner: Angle of Repose 

The Education of Ebenezer Scrooge

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Reading: from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens 

Statement of the Whole: 

From the transformation of the Grinch who stole Christmas, to the moral found at Charlie Brown’s Christmas Dinner, to the rescue of George Bailey by a timid angel, Christmas stories love to tell about changed hearts.  In this special Christmas episode of the podcast, Jason and Steve reflect on the education of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol.  May these thoughts bring your own heart closer to a truly merry Christmas.  God bless us; every one! 

Have You Met: David Kern?

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An interview on education podcasts. 

Poem: Blackberry-Picking, by Seamus Heaney 

Statement of the Whole: Steve invites a guest onto the podcast to talk about various podcasts on education.  David Kern oversees several podcasts for the Circe Institute and is an avid listener to others as well.  He and Steve discuss what is out there, what he is doing, and how podcasting is growing and changing.  And Jason was so proud of David for bringing a poem with him! 

Resources: 

Link to Circe Podcast Universe: Click here 

A Defense of Poetry

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This is a follow-up to our “Build Soil” Episode 

Poem: Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher, Walter Savage Landor  

Statement of the Whole:  Poetry has become the turf of the professional poet in our day.  Jason and Steve challenge teachers to bring poetry back into the front of every classroom, not just the English class.  Only by wrapping Truth in goodness and beauty will it find root in the souls of our students.  Just the right words will nourish the soul that is hungry for reality.