What if standardized testing isn't the problem—but the tests themselves are? Jeremy Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), joins Classical Et Cetera to explain why the SAT and ACT keep getting easier, and how a test built on the Western tradition could change what students read, learn, and become.

Learn more about the CLT right here: Classic Learning Test (CLT) - Assessments for Grades 3-12

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

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

"Villete" Charlotte Bronte (Paul)

"The Things We Never Say" Elizabeth Strout (Jessica)

"The Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Dostoevsky (Jeremy)

"The Body Teaches the Soul" Justin Whitmel Earley (Jeremy)

Margin Notes is back, and on this episode the group tackles Mary Shelley's Frankenstein! The conversation covers the danger of playing God, the necessity of community, and the question at the heart of the book—is the creature truly a villain, or a victim of the man who created him and the world that rejected him?

Margin Notes is back! This time, the gang tackles William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The conversation covers ambition and its consequences, the danger of consequentialism, and the age-old question of fate versus free will. Is Macbeth the villain of his own story, or a victim of forces beyond his control?

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has finally arrived—and the Classical Et Cetera team went to see it together! In this episode, we discuss our reactions to Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem and ask the big questions: Can a modern film capture the spirit of an ancient hero? Was it a faithful adaptation, or a great film that tells a very different story? What do we gain and lose when a classical work is reimagined for a modern audience?

Purchase our _Odyssey_ Complete Set right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-studies/odyssey-set/231

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Great Divorce" C.S. Lewis (Paul)

"The End of the Affair" Graham Greene (Paul)

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

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

"Absent in the Spring" Mary Westmacott (Tanya)

"The Hadacol Boogie" James Lee Burke (Tanya)

"Will Robie Series" David Baldacci (Martin)

"Land" Maggie O'Farrell (Jessica)

Poet and priest Malcolm Guite joins Classical Et Cetera to talk about his award-winning Arthurian epic, Galahad and the Grail! We explore why the great stories still matter, how he writes poetry meant to be read aloud, and what it means to recover wonder in a modern age. This is a conversation about poetry, legend, and the enduring power of the imagination. We hope you enjoy it!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Sign of the Four" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Malcom)

"The Boundless Deep" Richard Holmes (Maclcom)

"Farewell, My Lovely" Raymond Chandler (Martin)

"Dominion" Tom Holland (Martin)

"Absent in the Spring" Mary Westmacott (Tanya)

"Death of a Pig" E.B. White (Tanya)

Everything You Need to Know Before Nolan's Odyssey

Read These Translations

Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of _The Odyssey_ is almost here, so the team is sitting down to revisit Homer's epic! They walk through the poem's structure and themes—the long journey home, Penelope and the suitors, Telemachus coming of age, and what a pagan world teaches us. Then they compare the major translations (Butler, Wilson, Fagles, and more) and offer recommendations for young readers and adults alike. Finally: what they hope Nolan gets right, and what to know before seeing the film.

Purchase our _Odyssey_ Complete Set right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-studies/odyssey-set/229

This week is another Classical Et Cetera Mailbag episode! We're answering your questions on cursive, how teachers and parents both bear responsibility for a child's education, how to build a love of reading in a large family, and whether it's wise to let a child specialize in one talent or sport. We also talk through what it looks like to raise children with classical, Christian values when your surrounding community doesn't share them. Send us more questions at [email protected]!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode:

"Farmer Giles of Ham" J.R.R. Tolkien (Paul)

How old is classical education, and where does it come from? Today, we answer a listener question and dig into the history—Greece, Rome, and beyond—to show that classical education is older than you think. And no matter where you're from, this tradition has room for you. Join the conversation!

*What We're Reading* from This Episode: 

"The Violent Bear It Away" Flannery O'Connor (Paul)

"The Country of the Pointed Firs" Sarah Orne Jewett (Tanya)

The Middle Ages aren't just the Dark Ages! It's one of the richest literary eras in Western history. This week's Classical Et Cetera finds Jessica, Tanya, Paul, and Dr. Dan Scheffler building a reading list for the medieval world. From Beowulf and the Arthurian legends to Dante's Divine Comedy, Boethius, and Thomas Aquinas, there's so much to read here. Whether you're new to medieval literature or filling in the gaps, this conversation will show you what to read, where to start, and why these books still matter.

Best Books of the Middle Ages (476–1450 AD)

Literature picks:

Philosophy & Theology picks:

Margin Notes is a new book club podcast from the team behind Classical Et Cetera! Join Paul Schaeffer and three undergraduate students—each educated with Memoria Press curriculum—as they tackle great books and why they matter.

We're starting with Wendell Berry's "Fidelity," a short story about a farming community in rural Kentucky. At its heart, this story is about what it means to belong somewhere: both to a place and to a people. It's a beautiful and moving piece of writing, and it made for a great first conversation.

Purchase the book right here! https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/mcp/fidelity/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=MARGINNOTES&utm_campaign=001

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