Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast

Patricia Craig Aeschliman, assistant professor of classics at Hillsdale College, and her husband, Aloysius, join host Scot Bertram to discuss Latin as a spoken language, what we can learn by speaking a dead language, and the growing movement encouraging Latin students to speak the language.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Julia McNeely, director of Title I at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, delivers a lecture on using stories teach students the history of Western civilization.

This lecture was given at the Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence seminar, “The Art of Teaching: Western Civilization” in February 2026. The Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, an outreach of the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, offers educators the opportunity to deepen their content knowledge and refine their skills in the classroom.

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Danielle Hayes, seventh and eighth grade teacher at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss Singapore Math, how Singapore Math prepares students to tackle unfamiliar concepts or complex problems, and how Singapore Math helps students move from simply getting an answer to better understanding why those answers are correct.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, and Jared Cooney Horvath discuss the ineffectiveness of student-centered, technology-based learning and the importance of teacher-led instruction in a child's cognitive development. Jared Cooney Horvath is a neuroscientist, educator, and author of The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning--and How to Help Them Thrive Again.

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Zachary Dombrowski, upper school humanities teacher at Golden View Classical Academy in Golden, Colorado, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss planning a history course, how a teacher's personal knowledge can help improve classroom instruction, and how teachers can improve the flow of conversation in class.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Monica Dix, art teacher at Naples Classical Academy in Naples, Florida, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss beauty in the classroom, whether simplicity can be beautiful, and how much freedom administrators should give teachers to shape their classrooms.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Paul Hosmer, chairman and associate professor of physics at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss physics and the liberal arts, the laws of nature, and how teachers can help students see physics as much more than just a collection of formulas and calculations.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Mike Roberts, headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the Hillsdale Academy tradition of running an eliminator race, how the event fits into classical education, and the virtues instilled through long-distance running.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Aaron Schepps, upper school principal at Atlanta Classical Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the problem of students leaving classical schools after 8th grade, why the "8th grade melt" exists, and how teachers can guide the conversation to encourage students to continue their classical education.

Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/

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Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, and Robert Pondiscio discuss his Atlanta Classical Academy commencement speech, the value of learning together in a community, and the promise and perils of AI in education. Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies, where he focuses on K–12 education, curriculum, teaching, school choice, and charter schooling.

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