The Consortium Podcast

Ep. 53 - George Harrell and Our Classical Inheritance

This is Episode 53 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, George Harrell discusses our classical inheritance and what it means to receive it. He explains how we have all received an intellectual and cultural inheritance; most of us in North America have received, in large part, a classical Christian inheritance whether we realize it or not. Even when attempting to reject the inheritance, it is confirmation that we have received something to reject. Listen in as George brilliantly unpacks the deeper goodness of inheriting our Western heritage.

George is a classical educator and the executive director of the George Buchanan Forum. He grew up in the foothills of northern Idaho, where he immersed himself in the classics, both old and new, as well as the historical worlds that created them. He graduated with an MA in Trinitarian Theology and Letters from New Saint Andrews College in 2013. Since then he has developed and taught online high school courses in the humanities, in addition to writing and publicly lecturing on these topics.

This fall, George is teaching American History, Biblical Narrative and Imagery, and Unlocking Middle-earth: How to Read Like Tolkien at Kepler Education.  

Ep. 52 - Dr. Karla Memmott on the Theory and Practice of Rhetoric and the Western Consortium of Classical Educators

This is Episode 52 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Karla Memmott champions Classical Education, discusses the theory and practice of Rhetoric for the modern age, and discusses the reasons why she is hosting the Western Consortium of Classical Educators.

Dr. Karla Memmott is a long-time resident of the Sacramento, California area where she lives with her husband, Kyle and dog, Kona. She home-schooled her children. She continues to support homeschooling parents by teaching online and in-person courses which include history, literature, writing, public speaking, and German. Additionally, she and her husband have coached high school mock trial.

She is the founder of Acacia Classical Academy, teaches Rhetoric at Kepler Education, and is hosting the Western Consortium of Classical Educators in Sacramento, CA on July 27, 2024.

Ep. 51 - Dr. Scott Postma on The Undeniable and Universal Value of Beauty

This is Episode 51 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

This episode is a talk given by Dr. Scott Postma titled "The Undeniable and Universal Value of Beauty" at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.

Dr. Scott Postma served as a minister for 20 years and as a Christian educator for nearly 30 years. He is currently the president and CEO of Kepler Education. He has earned degrees in the humanities (Ph.D., Faulkner University), Christian and classical studies (M.A., Knox Theological Seminary), religion and English literature (B.S., Liberty University), and creative writing (A.A., College of Southern Nevada).

Ep. 50 - Timothy Knotts on the New England Consortium of Classical Educators

This is Episode 50 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Timothy Knotts sits down with Dr. Scott Postma to talk about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators and their mission to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences.

Timothy is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four protégés. He is the author of Reasoning Together: Philosophy, a soon to be released high school introduction to philosophy, and is occasionally published on the CiRCE and Kepler blogs. Timothy is a Lead Curriculum Developer for Classical Conversations, a CiRCE Institute certified master teacher, a recovering attorney, an amateur poet, and lover of the beautiful.

• Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators.
• Learn more about the New England Consortium Summer Conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
• For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.

 

Ep. 49 - Jennifer Courtney Presents a Workshop on Reading Poetry

This is Episode 49 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

This episode is a workshop on Reading Poetry given by Jennifer Courtney at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. 

Jennifer Courtney has a passion for developing curriculum that helps homeschool parents to give their children a classical, Christian education. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma and have home educated their four children, three through graduation. She currently serves as the Sr. Global Curriculum Director for Classical Conversations MultiMedia. Jennifer is the author of Ancient World Echoes, Old World Echoes, and New World Echoes. These readers include fairy tales, fables, and poems designed to be read as a family. As a child, Jennifer loved Charles Dickens so much that she used to carry a hardback copy of his stories to kindergarten.

The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences.

• Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators.
• Learn more about the New England Consortium Summer Conference in Maynard, MA on Jul 12-13, 2024.
• For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.

 

Ep. 48 - Jarrod Richey on the Role of Music and Singing in Classical Christian Education

This is Episode 48 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

This episode is a talk titled "Some Enchanted Reasoning: Music's Joy and Beauty in Classical Christian Education" given by Jarrod Richey at the Southern Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. Jarrod Richey is a music educator, choir director, church musician, and author living in northeast Louisiana with his wife and children. He writes about music and education at Musically Speaking.

The Southern Consortium of Classical Educators is a teaching and training event for anyone interested in Classical Christian Education. Educators, families, and community leaders can receive professional development and a greater understanding of the purpose and practice of the educational movement sweeping the nation.

Learn more about the Consortium of Classical Educators. For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education.

Ep. 47 - Heatherly Sylvia on Seven Steps Toward a Classical Life

This is Episode 47 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

This episode is a talk titled "Seven Steps Toward a Classical Life" given by Heatherly Sylvia at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.

The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) is a institutional partner of Kepler Education and exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences.

Learn more about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators or to register for the 2024 NECCE Conference. 

For live, online courses in the classical Christian tradition, visit Kepler Education at www.kepler.education. 

Ep. 46 - Daniel Foucachon on Old Western Culture and What it Means to Inherit the Humanities

This is Episode 46 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Postma is joined by Daniel Foucachon, CEO of Roman Roads Press, to talk about Old Western Culture and what it looks like to be a classically educated entrepreneur and publisher of classical Christian curriculum. 

Old Western Culture is an expression coined by C. S. Lewis to talk about historical periods of time and the thinking and philosophies that influenced those periods. Taking a cue from Lewis's observation, Daniel launched a Christian approach to the Great Books curriculum that has become the hub of Roman Roads Press and its growing curriculum and monograph publication arms.

To learn more about Old Western Culture or Roman Roads Press, visit their website. Or, to find live online course using Roman Roads Curriculum, visit Kepler at www.kepler.education. 

Ep. 45 - Serving Students with Special Needs in Classical Christian Education

This is Episode 45 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.

In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma is joined by Dr. Gregory Soderberg and his wife, Cynthia, a trained S2C Practitioner, and the director of Spellibrate. Spellibrate is a S2C (Spelling to Communicate) education model that presumes competence in children with special needs while building the skills they need for reliable communication and simultaneously equipping the parents to work with their child.

Because Classical Christian Education focuses on teaching students rather than merely teaching a curriculum, there is much in common between these pedagogical methods of education. In this way, Classical Christian Education is poised to help students with special needs, like Autism and Down's Syndrome.

To learn more about Classical Christian Education, or online course opportunities for students with special needs, visit Kepler at www.kepler.education or contact Dr. Gregory Soderberg at gregory.soderberg@kepler.education. 

 

NOTE: we apologize for the low-quality audio glitch at 1:15-2:30.

Ep. 44 - Generalization vs. Specialization

This is Episode 44 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.

In this episode, Scott Postma is joined by Kepler's Academic Advisor, Joffre Swait, to discuss generalization and specialization. In a world that is increasingly more specialized, research is demonstrating what classical educators have known all along—generalists are typically more successful in life and work that specialists. While specialists tend to excel in their profession more quickly at the outset, they also stagnate quicker; whereas, generalists are slower out the gate but tend to flourish in a longer more sustained fashion, and do so in all areas of life and work.

Learn more about Kepler and Classical Christian Education at www.kepler.education.