Image Credit: Brett Jordan
I spoke to a teacher recently who was new to the classical model. I described a few main ways in which the classical approach to teaching was different than your run-of-the-mill ISD.
I said that when we teach, we use a text as the authority. So, the teacher’s summary is insufficient, and the teacher’s opinion of an historical event is incomplete. The text must be presented to the students, and they must interact with it—the text has authority.
I said that when we teach, we teach with virtue in mind. We are not transferring information. We are not fitting workers for the new economy by giving them technological skills. A fundamental human question should undergird our lessons; the pursuit of its answer should be driving our lessons forward.
I said that we are expecting students to do the work of learning themselves. Entertainment is not student engagement. Rather, student engagement is asking them to reproduce knowledge—to be accountable for the lesson learned. And the lesson will be more than facts to memorize.
While these three points are not all-inclusive, they were enough to give this teacher an idea of the differences—enough to expose that former methods of teaching would need to change. Some teachers will find this invigorating. Some will find it offensive.
As we open more and more classical schools—private, charters, hybrids, and co-ops—we are going to need to hire more teachers, teachers who will need to change their approaches to teaching.
We will need to have frank conversations with concise and clear ways of defining classical pedagogy and philosophy to these teachers. And just as I spoke with Joshua Gibbs about the overuse of the word “wonder” in classical education, I implore you to avoid catchphrases. Please use words other than “goodness, truth, and beauty.” Please use words other than “intellectual curiosity” and “wonder.”
We have an opportunity right now to provide clear direction, to redefine our terms, and to save our movement from becoming cliché.
Preorder Mrs. Gerth’s book:
Thoroughness and Charm: Cultivating the Habits of a Classical Classroom
Where Mrs. Gerth is speaking:
CiRCE Online Conference, May 15-16, 2025
ACCS Dallas, TX, June 18-21
CiRCE National Conference, Charleston, SC, July 16-19, 2025
What Mrs. Gerth is teaching:
The Thales College Certificate in Classical Education Philosophy Program(CCEP) consists of eight courses taken in any order culminating in a certificate. Courses cost just $300 each and are held through Google Meet once every other week. My course on Classical Pedagogy begins April 8.
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