The Classical Academy Podcast

Student discipline is a crucial part of education. It's how we teach right from wrong, how we teach not just information but character formation. At Trinity Classical Academy, we've developed an intentional process of student discipline aimed at producing virtue and wisdom. Our grammar school principal, Dr. Dixon, is here to share all about it, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian educati...

Can a man escape his fate? Does wisdom lead only to sorrow? What if the detective is the murderer without knowing it? Do you know yourself—and what price do you pay to learn that truth? The master playwright Sophocles raised these questions in Oedipus Rex, the play that Aristotle considered the supreme tragedy. But how do we answer such questions with eighth graders in a Christian context? Find ou...

What actually is a "gospel"? Why are there four gospels in the Bible, not just one? Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke so similar, and John so different? Are the gospels really the true account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? And how do we teach them at a Classical Christian high school? Find out in this friendly guide to classical Christian education.  The Classical Academy Pod...

In Pride & Prejudice , Jane Austen charmingly constructed the archetypal "enemies to lovers" plot. But is the love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy mere romantic fantasy from a forgotten era? Or can it teach life-changing lessons and timeless truths for young men and women today? Find out in this friendly guide to classical Christian education.  The Classical Academy Podcast, presented by T...

Christians believe the universe has a creator. But what does science show? It turns out that signs of an intelligent designer are everywhere—from within the tiniest cell to beyond the grandest galaxy. What does the theory of "intelligent design" mean for the science classroom? Find out how in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

Francis of Assisi: was he a mystic, a heretic, or the saintliest among saints? An animal-loving, poverty-embracing, creation-caretaker genius of the Christian walk... or was he bonkers? Some combo of all these, or just a simple, committed follower of Christ? Dr. Andrew Selby will help us find out in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

Yarns, tall tales, mysteries, romances, thrillers, myths, fables—we all love a good story. Why? On a deep level, stories and narratives shape how we see truth and gain wisdom. When students get how narratives work, they can think clearly, speak eloquently, and love what is true and good.  But can you teach narratives to grammar school students? Yes, with the Progymnasmata's Narrative stage! Find o...

Saucy stories, moralistic narratives, comic tales, cutting criticism, incisive insights, pilgrims pious and phony alike—just what was Geoffrey Chaucer up to in his provocative Canterbury Tales ? Zach Weichbrodt, literature teacher extraordinaire, will help us find out in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

Classical Christian schools have inspiring goals for their students and offer a stunning curriculum of Homer, Plato, Dante, Shakespeare, and many more great books. But our education won't work without good teachers. How do we spot a good teacher? How can teachers become better? And what can parents do to help? Dr. Chris Perrin, a leading figure in the Classical Christian education movement, joins...

High school students at Trinity love their House System. But new students and families may wonder what exactly are these "Houses"? Just some Christianized Hogwarts from Harry Potter? Or something deeper, richer, most powerful?   Kaeli Collver, Trinity's Dean of the House System, will help us find out, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

John Milton—the sixteenth-century blind Puritan poetic genius, reviled by some, beloved by most, second in greatness only to Shakespeare—pens an epic poem: Paradise Lost. In astonishing beauty and depth, he retells the tragic fall of man in the Garden of Eden. But did he make Satan the poem's hero?    Dr. Grant Horner, Professor of English, Renaissance, and Reformation at the Masters University, w...

Classical ideas profoundly shaped the United States, from the colonial era to the Revolution and Founding to the Civil War and beyond. But how exactly did "Athens" and "Rome" help build "Washington"? Zach Weicbrodt, Trinity's Dean of Classical Learning, will help us find out, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

The Old Testament is long, sometimes perplexing and, well, old. Yet great treasures lie within. How do classical Christian educators help their students extract truth and wisdom from the Old Testament?     Trinity's Dean of Students Aaron Fudge will help us find out, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

"Why would they change math?! MATH is MATH!!" complained Mr. Incredible in Incredibles 2. Many parents sympathize. What's this new type of math called Singapore Math? Is it just extra work for no reason? And does it fit with Classical and Christian values? Trinity grammar school teacher Sarah Hwang will help us find out, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

If God is good and all powerful, why does he allow pain? It's one of the deepest questions Christians wrestle with, and one we pose to our Seniors in their Apologetics class. To help them form an answer, we give them a brilliant little book by CS Lewis. What do our students learn about suffering and God through reading The Problem of Pain ?  Trinity apologetics teacher Eric Margrave will help us f...

We must make our kids feel happy… right? Keith McCurdy, an experienced family therapist and popular Classical Christian education speaker, argues that following feelings leads to disaster. Instead, the path to growth, maturity, and lasting happiness—at school and home—means embracing healthy struggle.  How can parents and teachers work together to produce thriving, sturdy children? Find out in thi...

Who killed Fyodor Karamazov? Wealthy, boorish, debauched: the man made many enemies. The prime suspects are his three sons. Was it Dimitri, the hot headed eldest? Ivan, the atheist intellectual? Or young Alyosha, who loves holy living?  This murder mystery is at the heart of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov . Dostoyevsky's tale is a masterpiece, filled with unforgettable characters, nar...

Teaching logic to middle schoolers—isn't that asking for trouble? Or perhaps it's just what the doctor ordered: young men and women learning careful, responsible rules of reasonable argument. Still, it takes a bright and brave teacher to guide thirteen-year-olds into the land of logic. Find out how and why it's done, in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.

Augustine had wealth, prestige, power—and gnawing void inside. How did God draw this sinner to himself? How did this restless man find rest? Augustine revealed all in his Confessions . Hear what Augustine confessed in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.  Presented by TrinityU, a service of Trinity Classical Academy in Santa Clarita, CA.

Are the stars, planets, and the galaxies in the night sky just a swirling mass of chaos? Or a divine dance of beauty, harmony, and order? And does being a Christian help or hinder our quest to understand the universe—and our place in it?   Find out how studying Johannes Kepler's revolutionary approach to classical astronomy helps us answer these questions, in this friendly guide to the world of Cl...

Ancient writing teachers trained students to produce powerful and elegant writing on command. How? Through a writing practice called the "Chreia." Find out how the Chreia works and how it trains students in wisdom, in this friendly guide to the world of Classical Christian education. Presented by TrinityU, a service of Trinity Classical Academy in Santa Clarita, CA 

How do weasels live? And why would a famous writer like Annie Dillard write a stylish, provocative, and potentially life-changing essay about living like one? Find out in this friendly guide to the world of Classical Christian Education.     If you would like to read the short essay for yourself, you can do so from this link.  Presented by TrinityU, a service of Trinity Classical Academy in Santa...

Napoleon Bonaparte: hero or villain? Military genius or narcissistic tyrant? A curious historical figure to forget or one who helped make the modern world? Find out in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education. Presented by TrinityU, a service of Trinity Classical Academy in Santa Clarita, CA

Literacy is the foundation of all learning. But learning to read English can seem messy, illogical, even random. It doesn't have to be, though. Find out how the "Logic of English" program makes reading clear and simple in this friendly guide to the world of classical Christian education. Presented by TrinityU, a service of Trinity Classical Academy in Santa Clarita, CA.

The Bible and Ancient Greek and Roman education: do these really go together? Joe Rigney, theologian and author of Live Like A Narnian , joins us to explain how the Biblical pattern of priest, king, and prophet gives us a model for raising mature, thoughtful students, ready to engage and transform the world.     Find out more in this friendly guide to Classical Christian Education.