Developing Classical Thinkers Developing Classical Thinkers

This week, we are reposting this episode in honor of Memorial Day, a holiday that honors those who have given their lives in service to our country and in preserving our freedom.

In this episode, we look at the beginnings of Memorial Day, why we celebrate the holiday and how long we have done so. Then, we draw out the significance of the day by looking at the life and education of Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you to everyone who serves or has served in our military for your time, support, and sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy each day.

In this webinar, Dr. Anthony Esolen examined three seminal works art: Raphael's "The School of Athens" and two paintings from John Singer Sargent's "The Triumph of Religion" with "The Israelites Oppressed" and "The Messianic Era." The beauty we see, hear, or touch has the power to enter our minds and memories more powerfully than do philosophical or political abstractions expressed in words.

As teachers, we must remember this, especially when we want to introduce our students to ways of life embodied in another culture. A painting--even the decorated hilt of a sword--can work wonders. 

Dr. Anthony Esolen received his A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Renaissance English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Esolen has been a professor of literature and humanities for 35 years and is the author or translator of more than 30 books, which include a range of English translations, analyses of culture, literary and Biblical criticisms, meditations on modern education, meditations on the Christian life, and original poetry.

Dr. Esolen is a senior editor and regular writer at Touchstone magazine and has published well over 1000 articles in a wide variety of journals. With his wife, Debra, he writes a daily a web magazine, Word & Song, dedicated to language, music, poetry, and classic film.

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Heather Bakogiannias, Brittney Massey, and Katherine Greco-Fortney about their recent trip to the National Symposium for Classical Education held in March of 2024 in Phoenix Arizona. 

The National Symposium for Classical Education is hosted by the Great Hearts Institute and this year, focused on the theme of "Renewing the Great Conversation." For these classical educators, their highlights from the trip included leadership insights from former prime minister of Australia Tony Abbott, the need for more Socrates and more classical wisdom from Roosevelt Montás, and wisdom on how to deal with (or avoid) social media usage from Jane Austen. 

For classical educators, stay tuned to the Great Hearts Institute for more information about next year's conference: https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/

In November of 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of answering simple questions from users to writing papers, essays, blogs, and other forms of longform communication–sometimes so well that people cannot tell that the difference between a paper written by a student and one written by a machine.

Since then, educators have been divided in their response to ChatGPT: do we embrace this new form of technology and teach students how to use it effectively, or do we encourage students to refrain from using it, even as more and more professionals in a wide number of fields are using chatbots to do their work for them–marketing, insurance, finance, healthcare, and more. But in the field of education, will this form of technology actually deliver on its promises to students. Or, will it be as earlier innovations, like devices in classrooms, that underdelivered on its promises and may have actually impeded student progress?

In this panel, classical education leaders Joe Davison (Thales College), Chelsea Wagenaar (Ph.D., Thales Academy Rolesville), Winston Brady (Thales Press), and Matthew Ogle (Thales Academy Rolesville) on the background of ChatGPT, hy students should not use these products, and what these AI-empowered technologies mean for students and educators going forward. In short, this panel of teachers and leaders explained why students should refrain from using artificial intelligence chatbots students in their writing because such programs shortcircuit the valuable process of writing, researching, and ultimately thinking for oneself.

This panel was held on April 25, 2024 at the Thales Academy Rolesville campus.

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations. During the conversation, they discuss her philosophy of education, homeschooling and its relationship to educational freedom, and how to nurture a community of parents and students and orient them to what is good, true, and beautiful. 


Leigh Bortins is a nationally acclaimed educator, perhaps best known for her ability to demystify the fundamental tools of learning. As a teacher, author and commentator, Leigh is credited with helping to launch the “home-centered learning” education movement.After earning a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, Leigh worked in the aerospace industry before beginning her work as an educator. She also holds a D.Min. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

In teaching study skills for 30 years to children and adults, she has written several books including "The Core," "The Question" and "The Conversation," a series which explores the classical trivium from a parent’s perspective. She has also authored complete K-12 curriculum guides for parents and homeschool tutors all across the country.

More information about Leigh Bortins and Classical Conversations can be found here: https://cchomeoffice.com/leigh-bortins-bio/

In today's episode, Winston Brady speaks with Daniel Coupland, author of the new book "Tried & True: A Primer on Sound Pedagogy" published by Hillsdale College Press. 

During the conversation, they discuss the parameters of good teaching, the advantages of a seating chart, the need for a small number of fair, rational, and easy-to-enforce rules, and how a great teacher can help create a classroom where students can be their very best. 

"Tried and True" is available from Hillsdale College Press here: https://shop.hillsdale.edu/products/tried-true-daniel-b-coupland

Dr. Daniel B. Coupland is dean of the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education and a professor of education at Hillsdale College, and he formerly served as the dean of faculty at Hillsdale. He earned a B.A. in Spanish from Liberty University, an M.A. in Linguistics from Oakland University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Michigan State University.