The keynote address from the Fall Classical Summit, 2024. In this talk, Dr. Ryan Olson examines the value of classical education and the role the study of great books and great ideas contributes to the formation of great character. to resist the sweep of impoverished influences by nurturing your personal and professional soul in the moral sources o…

In 1845, Congress passed a law designating the first Tuesday in November as election day. Henceforth, the nation would vote every four years for a Presidential candidate, members of the House of Representatives, and, depending on the year, a suite of Senate candidates, with elections for other offices occurring in by-years depending on the state an…

Why do we dedicate one night of the year to wearing costumes and asking for candy? How did such an odd holiday become an established part of the American calendar? Should students at a classical school be celebrating such a holiday? Is Halloween classical? In this episode, Winston Brady and Josh Herring talk through the ways Halloween may or may no…

In this webinar, Winston Brady, Kellie Scripter, Chris Scripter, and Matt Ogle conducted a model seminar for teachers over the opening chapters of Quintilian's "On the Education of an Orator." They presented and modeled best practices for seminar teaching and the kinds of habits, disposition, and overall love of learning teachers need to encourage …

History, as the name implies, is a story, and history, at its best, is the most engaging and exhilarating story. As a story told about the past, the study of history contains meaningful insights about the present; insights that, if properly presented, should inspire students to make better choices in the future. Thus, the study of history holds a p…

Today's episode is from a short training video produced by Thales Press for classical educators. Classical educators use conversation in the classroom as a teaching method. By asking questions, we can determine if a student is off task and not listening, and we can help students understand a difficult concept. And thoughtful, meaningful engagement …

Today's episode is from a short training video produced by Thales Press for classical educators. In this recording, Winston Brady covers three helpful, simple rules (although they are more like “hypothetical scenarios") gleaned from years he taught middle school. Classroom management for classical educators requires a unique mix of leadership princ…

In a sense, grades shouldn't matter. Learning should be a joyful activity undertaken for its own sake. Grading and assessing can do much to stifle a student's appreciation, curiosity, and wonder. Yet, at the same time, a contemporary school with large classes has few other means to encourage students to do the work and provide feedback on their beh…

Dorothy Sayers presented a paper entitled The Lost Tools of Learning at a summer conference at Oxford in 1947. In the paper, she makes a rather astute observation about “end-of-term reports” which should “combine a deep veneration for truth with a tender respect for the feelings of all concerned.” Ms. Sayers’ description of comments is profound. Th…

Recently, the Mises Club of the Carolinas hosted their annual meet-up at Sugar Mountain, North Carolina. Dr. Paul Cwik of the University of Mount Olive delivered this address looking at the significance of the Austrian School of Economics. Dr. Cwik looked at the assumptions of the Austrian School including its emphasis on human action, individual l…

The virtue of prudence is one of the four cardinal virtues, and yet, it is often overlooked. Prudence is the virtue of making wise, reasoned decisions, absorbing the collected wisdom of the Western canon and applying that wisdom to the situation at hand. In this talk from the Conference of Miletus, Matthew Ogle, Head of Classical Education at Thale…

Where you begin largely determines where you end. The modern, secular world defines human beings as being basically animals, but often dismisses the conclusions of such an idea. If man is basically an animal, then ideas of human dignity and the value of human life are easily subsumed in the reality of “might makes right.” Such a starting place and …

Today, many educators downplay the value of the Western canon. They discount any wisdom or insights one may glean from being steeped in the tradition we have inherited. In this lecture from the Conference of Miletus, Anthony Esolen presents five reasons why teachers ought to teach the great works of the Western tradition and the impact it can have …

Today, many schools disconnect the teaching of science and the scientific process from ideas of design, natural order, and natural law. As a result, students lose sight of the purpose and limits of the scientific process and lack the habits of intellectual curiosity and academic rigor that lie at the heart of science education in grades kindergarte…

Each year, Thales Academy and Thales Press hosts the Conference of Miletus, a series of short lectures on topics related to classical education and practical teaching tips. This year, the theme of the conference was "First Principles for Classical Educators." In this episode, Winston Brady and Matt Ogle discuss each of these four principles. A firs…

In case you didn’t know, summer vacation largely came about for two reasons. The first was to free up children to help with important farm chores as the time for harvesting came close. The second reason was the lack of air conditioning. Since more and more Americans are out of farming, and the invention known as air conditioning has made it possibl…

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Matthew Young, Site Manager of the CSS Neuse and Governor Richard Caswell Memorial Museum in Kinston, North Carolina, part of a collection of North Carolina Historic Sites. In the episode, they discuss the history behind this Civil War-era ironclad, the battles in which it took place, and how such a massiv…

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Lauren Spier about the Fort Raleigh historical site, better known as the "Lost Colony." They discuss the history of the site--who founded the colony and how the site became "lost"--as well as suggestions for parking and food options for teachers and parents planning a field trip to visit the site. The park…

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Dr. Gary Hartenburg, director of the Honors College at Houston Christian University and an Associate Professor of Philosophy. In the episode, they discuss the dialogues of Plato, the questioning habits of Socrates, and the very nature of truth, goodness, and reality itself--a can't miss episode, to be sure…

This week, we are reposting this episode in honor of Memorial Day, a holiday that honors those who have given their lives in service to our country and in preserving our freedom. In this episode, we look at the beginnings of Memorial Day, why we celebrate the holiday and how long we have done so. Then, we draw out the significance of the day by loo…

In this webinar, Dr. Anthony Esolen examined three seminal works art: Raphael's "The School of Athens" and two paintings from John Singer Sargent's "The Triumph of Religion" with "The Israelites Oppressed" and "The Messianic Era." The beauty we see, hear, or touch has the power to enter our minds and memories more powerfully than do philosophical o…

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Heather Bakogiannias, Brittney Massey, and Katherine Greco-Fortney about their recent trip to the National Symposium for Classical Education held in March of 2024 in Phoenix Arizona. The National Symposium for Classical Education is hosted by the Great Hearts Institute and this year, focused on the theme o…

In November of 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of answering simple questions from users to writing papers, essays, blogs, and other forms of longform communication–sometimes so well that people cannot tell that the difference between a paper written by a student and one written by a machine. Since then, educators have been divided …

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations. During the conversation, they discuss her philosophy of education, homeschooling and its relationship to educational freedom, and how to nurture a community of parents and students and orient them to what is good, true, and beautiful. Leigh Bortins is a na…

In today's episode, Winston Brady speaks with Daniel Coupland, author of the new book "Tried & True: A Primer on Sound Pedagogy" published by Hillsdale College Press. During the conversation, they discuss the parameters of good teaching, the advantages of a seating chart, the need for a small number of fair, rational, and easy-to-enforce rules, and…

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Ken Pope, Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships. In the episode, they discuss the history of Communist regimes and Mr. Pope's experience working in countries such as East Germany that suffered under Communist regimes. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is an educ…

In this presentation, Ken Pope, Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships, addresses the deadly history of Communism. Mr. Pope begins with his own experience in the military serving in West Berlin, addresses the life and writing of Karl Marx, then examines the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century from the Soviet Uni…

Professor Adrian Bejan traces his approach to science to growing up during a totalitarian Communist regime in Romania during the 1950s and 60s. Dr. Bejan witnessed the destruction of his parents, their generation, and the values they held dear. During this time, he learned to question in silence the difference between the truths spoken at home and …

Robert L. Luddy is the founder of CaptiveAire Systems, Thales Academy, and Thales College. He is a lifelong entrepreneur and philanthropist and in this lecture, Mr. Luddy examines skills such as alertness, personal integrity, and a willingness to serve the customers he considers essential to success in any entrepreneurial venture. Bob Luddy is the …

Famously, our school’s spiritual founder, Thales of Miletus, made his reputation as a wise and noteworthy scientist predicting an eclipse. The event is recorded in Herodotus’ "The Histories" as the armies of the Lydians and the Medes were fighting for control of Anatolia. Thales predicted an eclipse would happen on May 28, 585 BC, and when the cele…

In this panel discussion, Winston Brady interviews Dr. Adrian Bejan of Duke University about his childhood growing up in Romania and the influence that life growing up under a Communist regime has had on his work in thermodynamics and physics. Dr. Bejan is a J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, a notable…

To celebrate and explain St. Patrick’s Day, today’s episode features a brief biography of St. Patrick. Roman-British missionary St. Patrick lived from 385 to 461 and is famous for bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. Learn the full story and how Patrick’s life shows the value of being classically educated. The quote from St. Patrick’s Co…

In this webinar, Katie Flaherty presented strategies and classroom resources to bring together History, Art, Archaeology, and Culture into the Foreign Language classroom through a sample Latin curriculum ranging from grades 6-12. Flaherty also discussed additional pedagogical resources for increasing teacher confidence and knowledge on these topics…

In this webinar, humanities instructor Zach Palmer discussed strategies parents and teachers can implement to address and improve student writing. To help improve student outcomes, teachers can coordinate with one another to prioritize writing effectively rather than overload students with the sheer quantity of papers and compositions. Mr. Palmer a…

Rhetoric is the art of public speaking, the ability to give a stirring and persuasive speech. Accordingly, the ancients looked at rhetoric as the one indispensable skill for leadership and public service. This webinar offered practical tips for successfully navigating public speaking opportunities, including how to get over nervousness, how to proj…

Happy Valentine's Day! In this reposted episode, Winston Brady speaks with longtime DCT contributor Will Begley about the life of St. Valentine. St. Valentine is a holiday that many people celebrate but few people know why we do so. When did we start celebrating Valentine's Day? Who was St. Valentine? Why hearts? Was this holiday cooked up to sell …

The apostle Paul, author of a series of letters in the New Testament, had a vocation by which he took care of himself through the day: tentmaking. Indeed, as a pharisee, Paul was required to learn such a trade so that he had a meaningful, marketable skill with which to earn his daily bread and bless others. The idea is so popular that individuals i…

In this episode, Winston Brady and Keller Moore discuss classroom management tips and strategies, with Winston sharing three rulers or, better yet, "hypothetical scenarios" to help classroom teachers manage large classrooms between 25 and 35 students, at the Junior High level. Those scenarios are as follows: Hypothetical Scenario #1: If someone is …

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Hunter Hastings, Vice President of the Kingman Institute. The Kingman Institute is dedicated to integrating the principles of entrepreneurial free-market capitalism into business and education. We teach the morality of merit-based reward and an applicable understanding of value-based entrepreneurship. Hunt…

One Thales Rolesville staff member is leaving this quarter, taking a job at a local sandwich shop. While his departure is sad, we not only wish him the best but want to draw out from this new opportunity some valuable lessons for our students. Chief among those lessons are: the value of hard work, the joy of learning in and of itself, and the need …

Key among her insights: the need for leaders to "connect" before they "correct", cultivate a sense of empathy and sympathy with their team, and be willing to endure the same sorts of challenges students and teachers go through each school day.In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Rachael Bradley, administrator of the Thales Academy Franklin ca…

Merry Christmas! With Christmas coming up, it's time to revisit our favorite Christmas films and understand the elements that make up a Christmas film. In the episode, Winston Brady and Keller Moore discuss the criteria that make for an essential Christmas film. The criteria are as follows: (1) A Christmas film must have a happy ending (2) A Christ…

In this webinar, just in time for the 2023-Christmas season, Dr. Anthony Esolen walked viewers through four seminal pieces of art including: "The Nativity" by Giotto (1314-1315), "The Presentation of the Holy Family" by Mantegna (1455), "Christ among the Doctors" by Dirck van Baburen (1622), and "The Holy Family" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1650)…

On this date, at 7:55, December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan launched their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Their goal was to keep the U.S. military from supporting American possessions like the Philippines and Guam or British outposts like Singapore and Hong Kong. Such territories Japan attacked within hours of striking Pearl Harbor, annexing …

In this talk, George Leef presented an overview of education policy in the United States, beginning with the Higher Education Act of 1965. Mr. Leef's examined the many unintended consequences that have resulted from federal meddling and government intrusion into higher education and academia, chief amongst these unintended consequences was the tran…

The Covid-19 pandemic has radically reshaped our world and almost every level of society. Capitalizing on these changes, the World Economic Forum has been urging a “great reset” for civic and political leaders to reshape the world in light of the pandemic. But what changes are they proposing, and will any of these changes make our world a better pl…

Thanksgiving is today, so it is an appropriate time to look back and reflect on all the things we should be thankful for. I was reminded of these things watching, then editing a recent webinar from Dr. Anthony Esolen, entitled To Read a Painting, to Enter Another World. While watching, I was reminded of how blessed I was to have gotten an education…

How can you learn about, or teach about, the Renaissance or any great period of human civilization, from dwelling upon the art that the masters produced? If the beauty we see or hear or touch enters our minds and memories more powerfully than do ideas expressed in words, isn't it advisable for the teacher to show how the ideas of a culture are embo…

It is increasingly difficult to find students at the collegiate level who know how to engage in spirited, rigorous, but amiable debate about important matters. Grandstanding, emotive outbursts calculated to silence opposition, and the recitation of prefabricated talking points mark much of the environment. Rather than seeking to expose the truth, m…

In August 2023, Thales Press published The Thales Way by Bob Luddy, founder of Thales Academy. The Thales Way explains the history and mission of Thales Academy, the rationale for our educational approaches, and standards and methods for teachers, students, and families. In this episode, host Winston Brady speaks with Bob Luddy about the book, his …