The Consortium Podcast

This is Episode 84 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Ben Merkle discusses the decline of American colleges, the impact AI has on students' education, and the importance of parents and teachers alike to direct students toward worthy higher education. Learn more about New Saint Andrews College here.

Dr. Merkle's current book recommendation:

• Animal Farm by George Orwell

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Dr. Ben Merkle is the president of New Saint Andrews College, as well as a Senior Fellow of Theology. He holds a DPhil in Oriental Studies and an MSt in Jewish Studies from Oxford University, England; a Greyfriars Letter; an MBA from Washington State University; an MA degree in English Literature and a BS in Education both from the University of Idaho. He is a teaching elder at Christ Church, Moscow. Dr. Merkle is the author of The White Horse King and Defending the Trinity in the Reformed Palatinate. He and his wife Rebekah have five children and a growing generation of grandchildren.

This is Episode 83 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Joffre Swait discusses his newest work Word Hoard: The Rhetoric of Poetry and explains the value of teaching rhetoric through poetry. Listen as Joffre describes why he selected the poems he believes every Christian should know and check out the list of included poems here.

Joffre's current most recommended book:

• Sunday: Keeping Christian Time by Jack Franicevich

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Joffre lives in Moscow, Idaho with his wife and five children. He is a dual citizen, holding American and Brazilian passports. He is a teacher with Kepler Education, teaching Old Western Culture and Spanish. He is the author of two poetry collections and now his newest work: Word Hoard: The Rhetoric of Poetry

This is Episode 82 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Andrea Lipinski shares her incredible journey of becoming a believer as a little girl, describes the moments God used to direct her in choosing a Classical Christian Education for herself and her children, and gives us an inside look into the CiCRE Apprenticeship and the projects being developed there. 

Andrea's current most recommended book:

• The Princess and The Goblin by George MacDonald

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Andrea Lipinski is the Vice President of Training for the CiRCE Institute and a head mentor in the Rocky Mountain Apprenticeship, where she forms teachers and school leaders in the art of teaching through mimetic and Socratic methods. She is co-author of A CiRCE Guide to Reading, and she speaks nationally for organizations including the Society for Classical Learning, Gutenberg College, Belmont Abbey College, and Great Homeschool Conventions. Andrea lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys growing fruit, backpacking the mountains, and sailing the Salish Sea.

This is Episode 81 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Joshua Herring articulates the differences between a Liberal Arts Education and Classical Christian Education, discusses his new book Sons of Adam, Daughters of Eve: C. S. Lewis’ Images of Gender, and presents The Logres Institute.

Josh's current most recommended books:

• The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity - Carl Trueman
• A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education - Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark
• The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What It Means to Be an Educated Human Being - Richard Gamble

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Dr. Josh Herring holds a doctorate in the Humanities with a concentration in Literature from Faulkner University. He spent 13 years working for Thales Academy as a classical instructor, administrator, and college professor. He is the author of Sons of Adam, Daughters of Eve: C.S. Lewis's Images of Gender. He loves helping students of all ages and stages discover their intellectual heritage; he is the founder of The Logres Institute for Classical Liberal Studies, a member of both the Ciceronian Society and the Academy of Philosophy and Letters, and a follower of Jesus. He and his wife Jennifer live in the Raleigh, NC area.

This is Episode 80 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Mandi Gerth discusses how to create a love of reading in the home, delves into her newest book Thoroughness and Charm, expresses her concerns of the rapidly-growing, therapeutic age in education, and gives us a sneak peek into her current writing projects.

Read Dr. Scott Postma's review of Thoroughness and Charm here.

Mandi's current most recommended book:

• Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up - Abigail Shrier
• Everything Sad is Untrue - Daniel Nayeri

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Mandi Gerth is a teacher, author, and classical education consultant who lives in Dallas, Texas. She holds a Master of Humanities degree from the University of Dallas with a classical education concentration.

This is Episode 79 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa recounts his own educational experience, discusses the nine units of learning to write taught at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, and shares his concerns about AI and the future “think nots” produced by modern schooling.

Andrew's current most recommended book:

• Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Andrew Pudewa is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Presenting around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, and spelling. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan (Suzuki Method) and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his beautiful, heroic wife, Robin, homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of nineteen, making their home in Northeastern Oklahoma’s picturesque Green Country.

This is Episode 78 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. David Russell Mosley discusses his love of poetry and especially Dante, describes his pilgrimage into loving and teaching Classical Christian Education at Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame, and gives us an inside look into his current and upcoming writing projects. 

Dr. Mosley's current most recommended book:

• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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David Russell Mosley has a PhD in theology from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and is a humanities teacher at the Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame. Mosley is the author of several liturgical and poetic works. He is married to his wife Lauren and the father of twin boys, Theodore and Edwyn. In his spare time, he likes to read fiction and poetry, as well as write fiction and poetry; work in the garden; smoke pipes; drink good ale and whiskey; write hand-written letters; and read to his children.

This is Episode 77 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Carrie Eben discusses what it means to be a good teacher. She dives into just a few of the ten pedagogical principles found in her and Dr. Christopher Perrin's new book The Good Teacher. Learn more about the principles here. As a Master Teacher at the CiRCE Institute, Carrie invites homeschool teachers, brick-and-mortar teachers, and even just life-long learners to explore what it means to be a truly good teacher. Visit her website here.

Carrie Eben's current most recommended book:

• Reaching Out: The Three Movements of The Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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For over twenty-six years, Carrie Eben has championed classical education in both the private school classroom and homeschool arenas. She currently serves as founding board member at Sager Classical Academy in Siloam Springs, AR and is a Head Mentor for the CiRCE Institute Master Teacher Apprenticeship for the Ozark Mountain region. As a consultant, she develops and delivers customized workshops and mentorship for administrators, teachers, and parents in both classical school and homeschool settings. Carrie holds a BSE in Intermediate Education, a MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction from Oklahoma State University and is currently a PhD (ABD) candidate in the Great Books Humanities program at Faulkner University. She is co-author of The Good Teacher: Ten Pedagogical Principles That Will Transform Your Teaching with Dr. Christopher Perrin. She loves to sing, read, horseback ride, and provide hospitable places for transformative conversations in her home.

This is Episode 76 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

This episode is a monologue by Dr. Scott Postma, entitled "Cosmos or Chaos: Words Create Worlds" taken from Volume 4 Issue 1 of The Consortium Journal. Do words have intrinsic meaning or are they defined only by the general consensus? How important is language to individuals' effective fight back against evils and manipulations? Find this essay and other Classical Christian works in The Consortium Journal here.

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Dr. Scott Postma is a veteran educator living in northern Idaho with his bride of more than 30 years where he leads Kepler Education and practices the ancient art of Tsundoku. He earned a PhD in Humane Letters at Faulkner University and blogs at scottpostma.net.

This is Episode 75 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Louis Markos discusses his introduction to Classical Christian Education through Greek Mythology and his own personal heritage, the absolute necessity of the Great Books in education, and his hopes and cautions for the future of Classical Christian Education. Find Dr. Louis Markos' written works here.

Louis Markos' current most recommended books:

• The Way of Dante by Richard Hughes Gibson

Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.

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Dr. Louis Markos is a Professor of English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) University, where he holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. He is a teacher, author of thirty published books and two lecture series, and a popular speaker in Houston. Louis holds a BA in English and History from Colgate University and an MA and PhD in English from the University of Michigan.