Cultivate: A Veritas Academy Podcast

In our last episode, we talked with other classical Christian school leaders about the central concept of paideia in schools and in culture (and if you haven't listened to that one yet, we encourage you to do that here)!

This episode is a follow-up to the last one, where we bring the paideia conversation home - or, at least, home to Veritas.

Our host and Head of School Ty Fischer and Principal Dr. Dan Spanjer pull back the curtain on what it looks like at our classical Christian school to implement a particular paideia.

If it's true that schools throughout history have sought to enculturate generations of students to fit their society's ideal mold, then how is Veritas intentional about an enculturation that points students toward Christ?

How can a school be intentional about fostering a Christ-centered culture that goes beyond curriculum and reaches to the heart of students who are growing into adulthood?

This episode is a great way to get a peek into the unique and purposeful culture of Veritas Academy, and the heart of a school's administrators to help students "live as if the Gospel were true...because it is."

It's a word that most people don't even know how to pronounce, let alone how to define.

And yet, it profoundly impacts the trajectory of our culture and our worldview.

Paideia.

In classical Christian education, it's a guiding principle for what kinds of students we hope to cultivate. For the ancient Greek polis, it was a guiding principle for what kinds of citizens they aimed to form.

And whether we realize it or not, our culture has a paideia of its own, and it's not really in line with what the abundant life to which Christ calls us and our children.

In this episode, our host and Head of School Ty Fischer talks with Ty Rallens and Devin O'Donnell, two leaders in the national classical Christian education movement and ACCS, about the central, critical concept of paideia.

This concept of forming the soul of a generation has guided organizations and cultures for centuries to pass on their most important values and traditions, in order that they may endure and define an era.

Learn how to identify the paideia of our culture and of schools, discover the hallmarks of a classical Christian education paideia, and be inspired to examine how you can lean into the concept of paideia in your family to, as Ephesians 2:4 says, "bring them up in the 'nurture and admonition' (Greek paideia) of the Lord."

Welcome to Season 6 of Cultivate!

You've heard it time and again in recent years.

Youth anxiety is on the rise. And as the school year and sports seasons get into full swing, maybe anxiety is even on the rise for the kids in your household.

Sure, we want our kids to do well in their endeavors. They want to do well. But often, success only comes after failures. Many of them.

Our teachers and administrators at Veritas want our students to grow to be bold and courageous. To take risks, be curious, and love learning - not just get good grades, or even to just be good at everything they put their hands and minds to.

The main reason? Because God created them fearfully and wonderfully, to do marvelous works for him.

In this season's opening episode, Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer talks with Dr. Leonard Sax, family physician, psychologist and author about what it looks like to raise kids who grow to be not only resilient, but adaptive and strong in the face of challenges.

They'll discuss cultural forces that lead to "fragile" kids and adults, the role of technology in anxiety, tips for parents, teachers, and coaches, and more.

More about our guest

Dr. Sax's books includes the NYT bestseller The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups, Why Gender Matters, Boys Adrift, and Girls on the Edge. He has spoken on issues of child and adolescent development not only in the United States but also in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland. He has appeared on the TODAY Show, CNN, National Public Radio, PBS, Fox News, Fox Business, Focus on the Family, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand Television, and many other national and international media.

This episode was originally released in October 2024 as part of Season 4 of Cultivate. During the summer, we release "re-runs" of some past discussions you may have missed to hold our listeners over until the new season drops this October!

Our guest is Dr. Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

In this episode, Walt brings his experience and expertise to a discussion on how Christian parents can connect with and guide their kids in truth and light through a complicated, anxiety-ridden culture. Together with our host Ty Fischer, they cover things like:

• Stress and anxiety in our kids
• Handing technology
• Common mistakes well-meaning parents can make
• Keeping the conversation lines open with your kids
• And more.

This discussion gives parents insight on the major cultural forces influencing today's kids and providing practical, hope-filled, Biblical perspectives on how to guide our kids through the noise that surrounds them and keep them pointed to Christ.

For more information on Walt's ministry, visit cpyu.org.

This episode was originally released in 2024 as part of Season 4 of Cultivate. Season 6 will launch in October with all new episodes. During the summer and in between seasons, we invite you to enjoy some "re-runs" of past episodes you may have missed!

Ty Fischer talks with Pastor Robert Godfrey (Zeltenreich Reformed Church) and his wife Catherine about how we as Christian parents can cultivate our children's prayer and devotional lives by fostering a culture of family prayer and devotions in our home.

The conversation touches on not only practical tips for parents to get on the right track, but also precious spiritual truths and encouragement no matter what age our children are - that we have a loving, altogether wonderful heavenly Father who is a good God, worthy of worship, and who inclines his ear to his children when they come to him in prayer.

"If you let me get through this war, I am going to find you when I'm grown up. And I am going to love you, and I am going to tell everybody about how terrific you are. You just wait."

Those are the words of a 10-year-old Eleanor, huddled in a basement during one of the many bomb raids she survived in Nazi Germany, to her "invisible, wonderful friend" - before she knew his true name and nature as her God and Savior.

Now at 91, Eleanor Isaacson's life has truly been a testament to how "terrific" God is. She made good on her promise, and has blessed many people and groups around the world with her testimony, which she has shared with Veritas students who study WWII on multiple occasions.

This is our season finale episode, and you don't want to miss the chance to hear Eleanor's incredible, at times heartrending, but ultimately inspiring story of faith, resilience, forgiveness, and hope.

This season of Cultivate has been sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisors, a wealth management firm located on North Pointe Blvd. in Lancaster, leading people to make better financial decisions, and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

Summer's right around the corner, so for those of you who are already compiling your summer reading list for those beach or mountain vacations, we've got some great recommendations for you!

In case you haven't noticed, we read a lot here at Veritas. And we don't read just any old drivel. Our students and teachers dive headfirst into the Great Books of the Western world.

So, this group of seniors has an eclectic, thought-provoking (maybe even life-changing? Is that too much?) list of favorite books, presented in a fun discussion around the table with our host and Head of School Mr. Fischer. Listen in for some titles that will challenge and inspire you - mostly from our collection of Omnibus books these students have read in their Veritas 7th-12th grade journey.

The Great Books curriculum is part of what makes a classical Christian education so special. By developing a student's taste and appreciation for deeper words and works - and by training the muscles of their minds to read and interpret difficult texts - we're in a way preparing them for a richer, fuller life - just the type of abundant life that Christ has called them to.

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located on North Pointe Blvd. in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

Our guest in this episode is Andrew Kern, author and founder and CEO of the CiRCE Institute , who is a national leader in the classical Christian education movement. He and Ty Fischer talk about how a true education can and should point students to the glory of God, and, in so doing, provide an answer to our culture's "meaning crisis." Their dynamic conversation touches on scripture, on God's design for his creation and for us as his children, on education and discipleship, on culture, and so much more!

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located on North Pointe Boulevard in Lancaster, PA, leading people to make better financial decisions, and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

Why read a bunch of facts about something in a textbook when you can get a first-hand account of what happened from someone who was there in the room where it happened?

That's pretty much the concept of using the Great Books as the textbooks of choice in classical Christian education.

At Veritas, a distinctive feature of secondary education is the Omnibus program, a comprehensive curriculum that combines literature, history, theology, civics, and philosophy. And, for the most part, students don't use textbooks for these classes. Rather, their textbooks are the "original sources;" that is, influential works written by authors and leaders of the time period.

Our teachers and students have experienced first hand why this is the best way to appreciate and understand history...and why that appreciation and understanding is so crucial to a person's formation of faith and ideas.

In this entertaining and eye-opening episode, three of our Omnibus teachers - Graham Dennis, Starling Reid, and Darin Beachy - talk with Mr. Fischer about their experience teaching history through the lens of the Great Books, how they inspire teenagers to wrestle with these difficult texts, and why the study of history alongside theology and philosophy is so vital to their development as citizens of our culture and disciples of Christ.

What does that look like at Veritas?

Well, instead of reading about the Peloponnesian War of the 4th century B.C., students read Thucydides' actual account and Aristophanes' plays. Rather than learn facts about Church history, they read Eusebius, Athanasius, and Dante's Divine Comedy. To grasp our country's founding principles, they read Locke, Rousseau, and Hobbes. Great works of 19th century literature is enjoyed and discussed in conjunction with understanding modern movements.

Think teenagers couldn't possibly be ready to digest this type of weighty material? Think again. A classical Christian education calls them to higher things, and year after year, our students rise to the occasion and thrive because of it! Find out how in this episode.

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located on North Pointe Blvd in Lancaster, leading people to make better financial decisions and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.

Is virtue something that is innate? Or can it be learned, practiced, and grown in our lives? It's an important question, especially for students and young adults who are discovering God's calling and purpose for their lives.

Last year, we were privileged to host Dr. Grant Horner, Director of the Classical Liberal Arts Program at The Master's University, to speak with our 11th and 12th grade students on the topic of virtue: what is it, why we should aim for it, and what a virtuous life looks like for a disciple of Christ. And, he does it with plenty of humor as well as soul searching scriptural truths.

Parents - you will not only be inspired and exhorted yourselves to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received" - but for those of you who have students at a classical Christian school, you will also be grateful that this is what your students' teachers are guiding them towards.

Listen to it all at once, or take some time to come back to this longer episode if you have to; it's a worthwhile listen all the way to the end, including some very thought-provoking questions from our students.

This season of Cultivate is sponsored by Hershey Financial Advisers, a wealth management firm located on North Pointe Blvd in Lancaster, leading people to make better financial decisions, and empowering them to fulfill a vision beyond themselves.