Are all schools created equal when it comes to spiritually forming kids? Our guest today spent years researching this question and has hard data to prove a difference … stay tuned….

Did the Founding Fathers have prize boxes? Probably not, and neither should our students. Our guest, Headmaster Chris Stevens, tells us why extrinsic reward systems are a form of student management that do not build souls. We are what we love, and if we are in the business of building affections, then parents and teachers need to re-evaluate why rewards are not all they are cracked up to be. Tune in…

The book Evidence That Demands A Verdict celebrates 45 years since it was first published! That means it is older than most parents of current classical christian students! But is a book that boasts such a title still relevant in this new age where feelings rule? Do logical arguments and evidence even work anymore to convince people that Christianity is worth taking seriously? Dr. Sean McDowell offers classical Christian schools and parents practical advice about how to relate more intentionally, especially to young people who indulge their feelings and often believe that traditional values are mean, insensitive and bigoted. Dr. McDowell explains that there are definitely better ways to relate than just offering the evidence to believe – but we still need to do that, too! Tune in to find out how!

Can we have our cake and eat it too? Parents often worry that a Christian school may produce students who are strong spiritually but not academically. They sometimes feel forced to choose between a moral education and one that will help their child get into college. What if there was a type of Christian education that helps students far outperform not just their public school counterparts but students at other Christian schools as well?

When Christy Vaughan’s own grandchildren completely changed after beginning to attend a classical Christian school, she wanted to know more about this method of teaching and what difference it could make on a standardized test like the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test). The PSAT is not only prep for the SAT, but high scorers can qualify for a prestigious National Merit Scholarship. She compared scores of regular Christian schools and classical Christian schools.

She discovered a glaring difference. Why?

What if you could go back and get the education your children are having now?  It’s not too late! There’s still time for you and me to grow and learn in much the same way our kids in a classical Christian school are. Many parents think that it’s too late, that they’re too old, they can’t focus enough, etc. David Moore says IT’S NOT TRUE! He has yet to meet someone who can’t grow and learn right along with their kids. For a start, don’t be afraid to be curious! Nobody knows it all so don’t be embarrassed to ask questions, even if you feel like you should already know the answers.

What else can you do? David has some great suggestions to get you going in a new life of joyful discovery. Listen in…

Be sure to keep listening to hear the BACKSIDE where we continue our conversation with Mr. Moore beyond our usual half hour.

What in the world does “classical” even mean? Most people today imagine something out of date, old and not relevant for the modern world. Head of School Ty Fischer joins us today to tell his unbelievable story of how he was hired as Head of School at 25 years of age (you’ve got to hear it!) and gives us some practical ways to explain and really appreciate this important word…Listen in…

Decades ago now, memorization largely disappeared from the American classroom. What happened? Progressive educators had decided that memorization was just rote learning at best and at worst was oppressive and harmful to the creative mind of a child. Many classical Christian schools have revived memorization during the grammar stage when children’s minds are especially adept at absorbing large amounts of information. But why? Could we indeed be harming the creative mind, or might we actually be stoking the fires of creativity by filling students with beautiful words and amazing facts? Children will memorize whatever is in front of them, whether it be inspiring poetry or commercial jingles. Speech Meet is a great example of how memorization can impact a student’s life both now and in the future. Listen in…

Classical folks like to use fancy words that are often misunderstood. Some of our words may sound a little goofy in our contemporary culture, but are important to understanding the character traits we are trying to form in our children.

The word “virtue” is often tossed about but what does it really mean? The answer has a lot to do with the way we raise and educate our children. It involves both parents and teachers and is crucial to forming things like justice and hope in the next generation. Listen in…

CS Lewis left an indelible mark on culture. On this anniversary of Lewis’s death in 1963, we enlist the help of Lewis expert, Diana Glyer, to explore the evidence that Tolkien and Lewis’s influence on each other led to some of the finest literature ever published. Can classical Christian schools be the type of community that spurs us on to greater things? Can a classroom be a version of the Eagle and Child pub giving us an opportunity to grapple with other thinkers on why ideas matter and finding out not just what we believe, but why we believe it? Listen in…

CS Lewis left an indelible mark on culture. On this anniversary of Lewis’s death in 1963, we enlist the help of Lewis expert, Diana Glyer, to explore the evidence that Tolkien and Lewis’s influence on each other led to some of the finest literature ever published. Can classical Christian schools be the type of community that spurs us on to greater things? Can a classroom be a version of the Eagle and Child pub giving us an opportunity to grapple with other thinkers on why ideas matter and finding out not just what we believe, but why we believe it? Listen in…