Schooling America

Erik Twist
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  • EDUCATION

The Schooling America podcast covers issues and ideas relevant to leaders in American education. We bring in the brightest minds in administration, philosophy, culture, and beyond to reflect on topics that directly impact schools, organizations, and the children and families they serve. From cultural issues to operations to curriculum and pedagogy, Schooling America seeks to enrich the ideas, strategy, and execution of education institutions nationwide.

  1. 5D AGO

    Philosophy as Preparation for Death w/ Jonathan Mueller (Part 2) | The Furrows

    Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of their conversation with Jonathan Mueller, Ryan and Alex pick up where they left off—tracing the circuitous path from Torrey Honors College through Boethius, Plato, and the Phaedo that eventually led Jonathan into classical education.  What's in This Episode: How Jonathan went from Biola/Torrey to dancing Greek waiter before finding his way into classical education through the Academy at HCU with John Mark ReynoldsThe encounter with Boethius and Plato at age 19 that harmonized philosophy and theology and set the course for everything sinceWhat Socrates means in the Phaedo when he says philosophy is the preparation for death — and why it's a deeply hopeful claim, not a morbid oneWhy "we don't teach them what to think, we teach them how to think" is a phrase that hasn't aged well, and what students actually need to believe firstMisology, intellectual ferocity, and the moment Jonathan ripped up his eighth graders' homework mid-discussion of The Man Who Was ThursdayChapters: 00:00: Introduction15:22: Philosophy as Preparation for Death30:52: Lao Tzu, Plato, and the Return to Christianity34:18: Teaching What to Think vs. How to Think38:08: Intellectual Ferocity and Misology51:43: Marriage and the C.S. Lewis Principle59:56: Great Books for Eighth Graders01:06:18: The Man Who Was Thursday in the ClassroomResources Mentioned: Aristoi Classical AcademyThe Consolation of Philosophy by BoethiusThe Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. ChestertonArcadia EducationClassical Learning TestHosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1h 13m

  2. APR 14

    Jonathan Mueller on Faith, Dialectic, and the Education That Endures (Part 1) | The Furrows

    Send us Fan Mail Jonathan Mueller grew up at the intersection of classical homeschooling and community college, encountering Plato in ninth grade and the Tao Te Ching at seventeen—two texts that cracked open the difference between a conception of God and the eternal thing itself. In part one of this two-part conversation, Jonathan traces a winding path through dialectic and doubt, a year of construction work and wanderlust, and three months teaching English to atheist teenagers in Czech Republic. Along the way, the conversation circles one persistent question: what kind of education can't be taken away from you? What's in This Episode: How Jonathan's homeschool foundation and a ninth-grade encounter with Plato's Euthyphro first opened him to the thrill of dialecticWhat the Tao Te Ching taught a seventeen-year-old about the difference between talking about God and the eternal God himselfThe tension between building faith and testing it—and why classical education treats truth as a tuning fork rather than a fragile inheritanceJonathan's year of construction and waiting tables before heading to Czech Republic, where teaching English to atheist teenagers rekindled his desire to share the faithHow George MacDonald's Phantastes, Plato's Phaedo, and a "concentration camp education" philosophy shape Jonathan's vision for what education should do for the soulChapters: 00:00: Welcome and Introduction01:10: Jonathan's Background and Classical Formation03:50: The Euthyphro and the Thrill of Dialectic08:44: The Tao Te Ching and Rethinking God20:38: Building Faith vs. Testing Faith37:47: Foundations for Children—Memory, Story, and Song42:33: Working Construction and Heading to Czech Republic47:50: Encountering Atheism in Prague51:37: Phantastes and "Good Is Always Coming"55:17: Discovering Torrey Honors CollegeResources Mentioned: Torrey Honors Institute at Biola UniversityArcadia EducationClassical Learning TestHosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1h 3m

  3. MAR 31

    From Numbness to Conversion: A Teacher's Confession w/ Betsy McClelland | The Furrows

    Send us Fan Mail Betsy Brown McClelland spent over a decade teaching medieval history and humane letters in the Great Hearts network—watching students encounter saints, suffer through Socratic seminars, and walk out of her classroom different people.  In this episode, she traces her own story: from a rich homeschooled childhood into a season of spiritual and intellectual numbness, through a college awakening, and into a classroom conversion she never anticipated.  What's in This Episode: How Betsy's transition from homeschool to public school left her desensitized—intellectually and spirituallyThe role of college, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and learning that pursuit itself is the pointHow teaching eighth grade medieval history accidentally led to Betsy's own Catholic conversionWhat a generation of students dealing with social media, COVID, and loneliness taught her about the healing power of great booksWhy Socratic discussion, not social-emotional programming, is the activity that actually unifies intellectual and moral formation                                                                                                                                                  . Chapters: 00:00: Welcome and introduction to Betsy McClellan09:47: Homeschooling, early reading, and the first signs of numbness19:14: What was at the center of your education growing up?25:24: College, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and learning to pursue truth35:15: Writing, poetry, and becoming a liberal arts student44:18: How Betsy became a teacher51:30: Teaching eighth grade and medieval history01:00:42: Students, the supernatural, and a generation in crisis01:12:38: Socratic discussion and the healing power of the classroom01:19:55: The community of teachers and a closing poem                                                                                                                                                  . Resources Mentioned: City Nave by Betsy K. BrownThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtThe Dignity of Dependence by Leah Libresco SargeantArcadia EducationClassical Learning TestHosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1h 17m

  4. MAR 17

    The Four P's of a Thriving Classical School w/ Matt Skinner | Part 2 | The Furrows

    Send us Fan Mail Matt Skinner, longtime head of school at Heritage Classical Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, returns for part two of his conversation with Ryan and Alex.  This time, Matt unpacks the four-pillar framework: purpose, people, programs, and place, that guided Heritage from a bold vision to one of the most respected classical high schools in the country. What's in This Episode: Why purpose must come before everything else, and how a clear destination statement creates guardrails for every major decisionHow Matt recruited top-tier talent from within his own community, often before he had a defined role for themThe financial philosophy behind investing in people ahead of revenue, and why a scarcity mindset quietly kills school growthWhat "hoarding talent" actually looks like in practice, and why a three-year investment horizon is essential for developing leadersHow Heritage approached beauty in its facilities as a direct expression of its mission, and why stewarding what you have matters more than the size of your buildingChapters: 00:00: Welcome and Introduction01:43: The Heritage Story and the Four P's Framework02:52: Purpose: Building a Clear and Compelling Vision05:17: People: Hiring for Mission Alignment Over Credentials16:09: Fundraising and the Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset21:00: How to Identify and Recruit Leaders34:27: The Portrait of a Graduate40:22: Programs: Letting People Build What They Believe49:41: Place: Beauty as a Reflection of Mission57:29: The Strategic Financial Plan: Define, Determine, DeliverResources Mentioned: The Herzog FoundationJim Collins, Good to Great (the flywheel concept)C.S. Lewis, "First and Second Things" in God in the DockSociety for Classical LearningArcadia EducationClassical Learning Test (CLT)Hosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1 hr

  5. MAR 11

    Becoming a Head of School—on Accident w/ Matt Skinner | Part 1 | The Furrows

    Send us Fan Mail Matt Skinner spent over two decades leading Christian schools—most notably as the longtime head of school at Heritage Preparatory School in Atlanta, Georgia.  But he didn't start there. He's a Texas-raised athlete, former CPA, and reluctant educator who found his calling at a school board meeting in 1995—having never once set foot in a school as anything other than a student. Today he does consulting work, helping schools and leaders think through the kind of formation and culture that actually sticks.  What's in This Episode: How an athlete and CPA became a head of school—by accidentWhy easy schools produce fragile studentsThe case against snowplow parenting and what to do insteadHow The Lost Tools of Learning flipped his view of Christian educationWhat it actually takes to build a high school from scratchChapters: 00:00: Intro & Guest Welcome02:32: Growing Up in Texas04:55: Flaming Out at Rice07:45: A Damascus Moment10:05: Baseball, Tracy, and Starting Over14:26: The Board Retreat That Changed Everything28:04: Failure, Grit, and Snowplow Parenting40:12: Stepping Into the Head of School Role49:55: Discovering Classical Education59:27: Building Heritage's High SchoolResources: The Lost Tools of Learning — Dorothy SayersSociety for Classical LearningArcadia EducationClassical Learning Test (CLT)Heritage Preparatory SchoolHosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1h 9m

  6. FEB 25

    The Furrows | Joyful Rigor: What a Classical Education Actually Feels Like w/ Dr. Kathleen O'Toole

    Send us Fan Mail Dr. Kathleen O'Toole is the Associate VP for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College. However, she didn't arrive at classical education through a straight line. She grew up attending a good-but-not-classical school, survived a grueling private prep high school, found her footing at Hillsdale Academy, and finally experienced the full power of a classical curriculum at the University of Dallas.  Today she leads Hillsdale's K–12 Schools office, helping communities around the country start and sustain classical schools.  What's in This Episode:  The difference between a good school and a classical school Joyful rigor vs. rigor for rigor's sakeThe moment classical education clickedWhat Hillsdale's K–12 office actually doesWhy K–12 matters for teachers; not just students Chapters:  00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome 01:30 Growing Up at St. Mark's Episcopal School 07:30 The Power of Joyful Rigor 10:30 School Culture & Traditions That Stick 14:00 Classical Education at Home Before It Had a Name 16:00 Rigor Without Purpose 27:00 Moving to Michigan & Hillsdale Academy 35:00 The Startup School Experience 44:00 University of Dallas & the Core Curriculum 52:00 Finding a Calling: Political Philosophy 55:00 Teachers as Fellow Students 1:01:00 Joyful vs. Joyless Rigor: The Key Difference 1:05:00 Hillsdale's K-12 Office Today Resources: Hillsdale K–12 Schools   Arcadia Education  Classical Learning Test  Hosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education. Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

    1h 11m

  7. 09/06/2024

    Schools and the Wisdom of Patrick Lencioni

    Send us Fan Mail

    50 min

  8. 07/31/2024

    Education Savings Accounts, Vouchers, and the Charterization of Private Schools

    Send us Fan Mail Education Savings Accounts

    44 min
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Trailer

About

The Schooling America podcast covers issues and ideas relevant to leaders in American education. We bring in the brightest minds in administration, philosophy, culture, and beyond to reflect on topics that directly impact schools, organizations, and the children and families they serve. From cultural issues to operations to curriculum and pedagogy, Schooling America seeks to enrich the ideas, strategy, and execution of education institutions nationwide.

Information

  • Creator
    Erik Twist
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Arcadia Education
  • Show Website
    Schooling America

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