Classical Commons

Medievalist, educator, screenwriter, and media producer Shannon Valenzuela joins us from the University of Dallas to explore classical education as a living tradition—one that forms the whole person and continues to generate new stories, new art, and new cultural work. Drawing on her experience in K–12 classrooms, higher education, and film and television, Valenzuela reflects on formation, virtue,...

Poet, playwright, and critic Jane Scharl joins us to explore her debut poetry collection Ponds, the moral labor of finding a poetic voice, and the enduring power of language in an age increasingly dominated by abstraction. In a wide-ranging conversation, she reflects on the poet’s vocation, the dangers of reducing words to mere “tokens,” and why great poetry always returns us to reality. In this e...

Dr. Thomas Varacalli, Dean of the Honors College, and Dr. Christine Boor, Chair of Classical Liberal Education, join us from Belmont Abbey College to discuss the revival of Catholic liberal education, the distinctives of the Abbey’s Honors College, and the formative power of friendship, contemplation, and intellectual tradition. Together they explore what it means to build a genuinely Christian co...

Art Department Chair Meg Salazar and High School Principal Robert Robinson of Liberty Common Charter School join us to tell the story of Festival of Ideas—a decade-long experiment in classical community-building that has become one of the most vibrant regional events in the movement. They share how the festival began, how it has evolved, and why cultivating a culture of leisure, wonder, and cross-...

Policy analysts and educators Adam Kissel, Rachel Alexander Cambre, and Madison Merino Doan join us to discuss their new book Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation (Encounter Books)—an eye-opening look at the decline of liberal education in America’s most prestigious universities. Together they uncover what’s gone wrong with general education, what’s missing from modern curricula, and why t...

Writers and editors Timothy Lawrence and Timothy House join us from FilmFisher—a community of classically minded Christian film critics dedicated to bringing the Great Tradition into conversation with modern cinema. Together they discuss the site’s origins, its recent relaunch, and the enduring need for thoughtful film criticism in an age of algorithms and crowd-sourced reviews. In this episode, w...

Former congressman Bob Schaffer and physician Dr. Randy Everett—co-founders of Liberty Common School in Fort Collins, Colorado—join us to tell the remarkable story of how a small group of parents built one of the nation’s most successful classical charter schools. From living-room meetings to legislative battles, their work helped shape both Liberty’s founding and Colorado’s charter school law its...

Philosopher and educator Dr. Wes Siscoe joins us to discuss the renewal of philosophy as a lived practice—one that can transform not only university classrooms but also the wider culture of learning. Drawing on his work with the Philosophy as a Way of Life project and the Philosophy Teaching Library, Siscoe shares how a discipline often seen as abstract can again become formative and humane. In th...

Classicist, translator, and educator Brian Lapsa joins us from Europe to discuss faith, culture, and classical education across the Atlantic. A scholar of ancient education and an advocate for living Latin, Lapsa reflects on the decline of the humanities, the renewal of moral formation, and his work bridging British and American classical traditions. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 The “long withd...

Professor and founder Matthew J. Smith joins us to share the story of Hildegard College—a bold experiment in rethinking higher education by uniting the Great Books with entrepreneurship. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How a transformative encounter with the Great Books led Smith to his vocation 📖 Why graduate school often fails to cultivate wisdom—and how new colleges are reimagining liberal edu...

Dr. Jon Kirwan, director of the new Center for Educational Philosophy & Leadership at Christendom College, joins us to discuss how classical wisdom can revitalize leadership, teacher training, and Catholic education in the modern age. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How progressive education reshaped teacher training—and how Catholic schools can recover their roots 📖 Why the Ed. D. has become...

Allison Ellis (Mount Titano Media) and Martin Cothran (Memoria Press) join us to discuss "Finding Our Words," a collection of great American speeches and why recovering the art of rhetoric is vital for education and civic life today. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How homeschooling and publishing led to the revival of classical education 📖 Why rhetoric and speech are central to forming...

Professors and scholars Dr. Dan Coupland (Dean of the Graduate School of Education) and Dr. Ben Beier (Chair of the Education Department) join us from Hillsdale College to discuss the growth of classical education, the vocation of teaching, and how higher education can sustain this renewal. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 The surprising speed and scale of classical education’s growth 📖 Why leader...

Theologian, medievalist, musician, and storyteller Junius Johnson joins us to explore how Lewis, fairy tales, and the medieval imagination shaped his vocation—and why recovering this vision matters for classical education today. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 Falling in love with fantasy and theology through C.S. Lewis 📖 Why the modern world resists integration—and how the medievals held it toge...

Krystyn Schmerbeck and Andrew Salzmann join us from Benedictine College to share the story behind their brand-new Master’s program in Classical Education. Drawing on decades of teaching, consulting, and institution-building, they describe a bold effort to form the next generation of classical educators. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 Why the renewal of classical education now needs graduate-level...

Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins us to discuss the rising demand for classical schools, the challenge of preparing teachers for this model, and why curriculum and cultural literacy remain central to student formation. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How Pondiscio’s path from Bronx classroom teacher to policy scholar shaped his views 📖 Why cultural litera...

Rhetoric and humanities teacher Patrick Halbrook (Cary Christian School) and co-founder of Paidea Graphics joins us to share his journey into classical education, the evolving role of rhetoric in the classroom, and how beauty and design shape the way schools present themselves. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How Dorothy Sayers and The Lost Tools of Learning sparked his vocation 📖 Shifts in class...

Founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), Jeremy Tate, shares the story behind launching a disruptive alternative to the SAT and ACT, and his vision for restoring virtue and knowledge to education. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 The surprising origins of CLT and its explosive growth in under a decade 📖 Why standardized tests shape what schools teach—and why it matters 📖 The new Americ...

Ryan Hammill and Jonathan Roberts, co-founders of the Ancient Language Institute, share how their unique pedagogy is transforming the way students engage with Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and even Old English. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 Why the “dead language” critique doesn’t hold up—and what’s driving a resurgence 📖 The flaws of the traditional grammar-translation method 📖 A “mixed method” appro...

Brinton and Rebecca Smith, founders of Classical School Solutions, share their journey from homeschooling and leading schools to developing literacy resources that meet the needs of today’s classical classrooms. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 How COVID revealed gaps in teacher training and literacy programs, and encouragement for teachers navigating post-COVID challenges 📖 Building the Readers i...

Classicist and Cost of Glory host Alex Petkas joins us to explore how the ancient heroes still speak to modern life, why the classics matter for moral formation, and how his journey from gamer to scholar to entrepreneur reveals the enduring relevance of the classical tradition. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 Why heroic examples are central to the classical tradition 📖 The rise and fall of classi...

Allison Ellis, founder of Mount Titano Media, joins the Classical Commons Podcast to share how her journey from finance to homeschooling led her to advance liberal arts tradition for a new generation through publishing. In this rich conversation, full of encouragement for teachers and homeschooling parents, we explore: 📖 Why we should start transmitting the tradition earlier than we think 📖 Kids...

What do we gain reading together in the classroom? Poet and master teacher Christine Perrin joins us to reflect on poetry as a shared encounter. Drawing from decades of experience, she offers a powerful vision for how poetry can shape souls. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 The "choral" dimension of reading together 📖 Why Gen Z students fear taking interpretive risks—and how to invite th...

Is the traditional fine arts apprenticeship dead? Master painter and teacher Juliette Aristides joins us to explore the calling of the artist, the lost tradition of the Atelier, and how beauty and leisure shape the soul. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 The soul-shaping power of leisure, stillness, and contemplation 📖 Why artists must learn how to see before they can create 📖 The essential role o...

Is classical ed for everyone? Can it thrive in communities that have endured the "soft bigotry of low expectations?" Hope Academy founder Russ Gregg joins us to share a powerful story of urban educational renewal through classical Christian education. In this episode, we discuss: 📖 Founding Hope Academy in Minneapolis’ highest-poverty neighborhood 📖 The kind of teacher needed for the h...