Classical Et Cetera

Is classical education "light" on STEM? A listener asked, so we answered! The short answer is "no." Classical schools run math and science straight through calculus and physics. The deeper answer: if school is just job training, you're preparing kids for an economy that won't exist when they graduate. We're after something higher. We discuss what an education is really for, why the most durable skills come from Latin and math, and why the best preparation for STEM isn't STEM.

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Feast" Margaret Kennedy (Tanya)

"The Merchant of Venice" William Shakespeare (Mandy)

Margin Notes is back, and this episode the group tackles Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Our conversation covers the duality of man, the addictive nature of sin, and the question at the heart of the story—if Hyde is pure evil, how does he end up destroying himself?

Classical Et Cetera continues our best-books-by-century series, this time spanning 1500 to 1799 — from Gutenberg's press to the eve of the Romantics. Returning guest Kyle Janke joins Jessica, Paul, and Tanya to build a reading list from Don Quixote, Shakespeare, Paradise Lost, and more. Along the way: is Dracula secretly a Christian classic, why this era gave us more thinkers than storytellers, and how to read difficult old books without giving up. 

Don Quixote – Cervantes

*Best Books by Era*

Greece: https://youtu.be/dijEqf0kcAM?si=9kVIpElDUhPlexqW

Rome: https://youtu.be/gMcuWkz6XQ4?si=HzXnHEfm6wQBlzhz

Middle Ages: https://youtu.be/rDB05FAPP0U?si=YuKH062Kr6uBrRak

Can your child sound out a word, or just guess from the picture? On this episode of _Classical Et Cetera_ , Jessica, Martin, and Paul are joined by returning guest Michelle Tefertiller to talk about teaching a child to read! We cover how to know if your child is reading-ready, what mastery actually looks like, where to start, and why a step-by-step phonics approach works when guessing doesn't. Whether you're just beginning to teach reading or wondering if you're on the right track, this one's for you.

Learn more about our program here: Phonics & Spelling | Memoria Press: Classical Education

What We're Reading from This Episode: 

"Wisdom and Innocence" Joseph Pearce (Martin)

"The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales" The Brothers' Grimm (Paul)

"Between Shades of Gray" Ruta Sepetys (Jessica)

"The Iliad" Homer (Michelle)

Why do we spend so much time on William Shakespeare, and is he still worth it? This _Classical Et Cetera_ talks about why Shakespeare remains everywhere, even in a culture that rarely reads him. From his mastery of human nature to Harold Bloom's idea that Shakespeare "invented the human," this conversation makes the case for reading him well. Start where it works for you, and remember that reading just one play is a real accomplishment!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" Alexander McCall Smith (Martin)

"Wisdom and Innocence" Joseph Pearce (Martin)

"Christy" Catherine Marshall (Tanya)

"But For The Grace" Peter Grainger (Tanya)

"Girl With a Pearl Earring" Tracy Chevalier (Tanya)

"Growth of the Soil" Knut Hamsun (Paul)

"The Trumpet of the Swan" E. B. White (Paul)

"Winnie-the-Pooh" A. A. Milne (Jeremy)

"The Abolition of Man" C. S. Lewis (Jeremy)

Every child needs support in their educational upbringing, and grandparents are often the ones who provide it! In this Classical Et Cetera Michelle Tefertiller joins Paul, Tanya, and Martin to talk about the role grandparents can play in education, whether at home or in a classical school. From reading aloud and celebrating small victories to filling gaps and simply being there on the hard days, grandparents offer something that no curriculum can. Their support may be what children remember most!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Iliad" Homer (Michelle)

"Growth of the Soil" Knut Hamsun (Paul)

"The Kid from Tomkinsville" John R. Tunis (Martin)

"The Innocence of G.K. Chesterton" Gerald Bullett (Martin)

"Christy" Catherine Marshall (Tanya)

Why teach handwriting when everyone types? This Classical Et Cetera makes the case for penmanship in a classical education—and the reasons run deeper than nostalgia. Veteran first-grade teacher Julia Lasoi joins us to explain what handwriting forms in a child that a keyboard never will: from the Norwegian brain research on writing by hand, to the discipline and beauty of forming each letter, to the surprising return of mandated cursive in America.

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"Between Shades of Gray" Ruta Sepetys (Tanya)

"A Natural History of Dragons" Marie Brennan (Tanya)

"The Glassmaker" Tracy Chevalier (Tanya)

"A History of Philosophy: Volume I" Frederick Copleston (Martin)

"The Screwtape Letters" C.S. Lewis (Julia)

"Battling Unbelief" John Piper (Julia)

The core four are back for another mailbag episode! We're answering questions like: When should you teach your child to read? How do you use Memoria Press with non-native English speakers and families overseas? How do you teach the Reformation without taking sides? Plus more! Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Keep the questions coming by emailing us as [email protected]!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"Silas Marner" George Eliot (Paul)

"After Humanity" Michael Ward (Tanya)

"The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya)

"An Accidental Death" Peter Grainger (Tanya)

"Politics" Aristotle (Martin)

"A History of Philosophy: Volume I" Frederick Copleston (Martin)

How do you teach music from a classical perspective? In this episode of Classical Et Cetera, Carol Reynolds joins us to make the case that music and the arts were never meant to be a "Friday elective." Whether you're a new teacher, a homeschool parent, or someone who never learned to read a note, this conversation offers real footing: why the pedagogy already exists, why folk songs and hymns are the foundation, and how short, familiar works can do more than grand masterpieces. Practical, encouraging, and full of reassurance for teaching music at any level.

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Odyssey" Homer (Martin)

"Against the Grain" Peter Lovesey (Tanya)

"The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis (Tanya)

"The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" David McCullough (Carol)

"The Romance of Orthodoxy" Fr. Homer F. Rogers (Carol)

"Land" Maggie O'Farrell (Jessica)

Margin Notes is back! This week, the gang tackles J.R.R. Tolkien's short story, _Farmer Giles of Ham_ . A humble farmer accidentally scares off a giant, earns a legendary sword, and ends up face to face with a dragon—all while the king and his knights argue about their hats. The conversation covers greed, good and bad pride, government incompetence, and what Tolkien is really saying about the common man as hero.