Welcome to season two of The Commons, which focuses on ten key figures and movements in church history!

Here in episode six of season two, Brian Phillips chats with guest Karen Marsh, author of Saints and Sinner: 25 Christian Who Transformed My Faith, about the amazing life and incredible influence of Francis and Clare of Assisi, two of the most venerated religious figures in history.

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This season of The Commons is brought to you by New College Franklin. Learn more at newcollegefranklin.org. 

Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether this book is about anything, Forster's instance on keeping his characters at arms-length, an Angelina reversal, Margaret's affection for Mr. Wilcox, the Downton Abbey-ness of the story, and much more. 

Welcome to the brand new Ask Andrew, a weekly podcast where Andrew Kern contemplates important ideas, essential terms, and unavoidable themes in classical education - and what they mean for the day-to-day of teaching and learning.

In this episode, Andrew contemplates why the 7 Liberal Arts are such a crucial part of the classical curriculum. 

Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include Shakespeare's innovation (and subversion) of dramatic form, the Shakespearean authorship question and whether it matters, the way the shape of the stage comes alive in the play, and much more. 

In this episode of The Mason Jar Q&A, Cindy answers listener questions.

Topics include: 

• what to do with little kids when older kids are studying
• When to start morning time everyday
• Independent reading lists
• and much more

 Don't forget to join the Mere Motherhood Facebook group and to subscribe to the Mason Jar feed wherever you get your podcasts!

This episode is brought to you by our friends at The Homegrown Preschooler! 

It took a few takes (and some persistent in the face of tech issue), but Angelina, Tim, and David are back with another episode of Close Reads. This week they discuss Kenneth Branaugh's film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. 

Welcome to FORMA, a new podcast featuring conversations with authors, teachers, creators, and community leaders who are carefully contemplating the nature and practice of classical education, aesthetic wonder, and Christian community. 

In episode 5, David chats with film critic, Josh Larsen, about his new book,  Movies Are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings. 

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Josh Larsen is the co-host of the radio show and podcast Filmspotting, as well as editor and film critic at Think Christian, a faith and culture website. He’s been writing and speaking about movies professionally for more than two decades.

Josh’s career began in the mainstream newspaper business, where he started out as a beat reporter for a weekly community newspaper and went on to become the film critic for the Chicago-based Sun-Times Media for more than ten years. In 2011, he joined the Christian media landscape as editor of Think Christian, and in 2012 he joined the long-running weekly podcast Filmspotting, aired on WBEZ in Chicago.

A veteran of the Sundance, Toronto, and Chicago International Film Festivals, Josh has given talks on film and faith at various Christian colleges. He also led the “Ebert Interruptus,” a tradition established by Roger Ebert that analyzes a single film scene by scene over several days, at the University of Colorado’s Conference on World Affairs. Josh lives in the Chicago area with his wife and two daughters. 

Read Josh's movie reviews at his website, larsenonfilm.com.

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Click here to subscribe. 

 Welcome to FORMA, a new podcast featuring conversations with authors, teachers, creators, and community leaders that are carefully contemplating the nature and practice of classical education, aesthetic wonder, and Christian community. 

Here, in episode two, David chats with author and speaker Leigh Bortins who founded Classical Conversations 20 years ago. Topics included the C.C. origin story, the growth of classical education in recent decades, and advice for homeschooling parents. 

Join CC to celebrate their 20th anniversary on October 18th at their nationwide birthday party! learn more at eventbrite.com/classicalconversations. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include ways the parable of the prodigal son show up in the book, Jack Boughton's concerns about being "elect," rejection vs. restoration, Jack's loneliness, and much more. This episode covers pages 160-188. 

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This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!

Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. 

In this episode of The Mason Jar Q&A, Cindy chats with Elsie Iudicello of FarmhouseSchoolhouse.com about how young moms can navigate the world of Charlotte Mason. Topics include teaching students of all ages in the same home, giving your kids what you missed out on, keeping Charlotte Mason in context, keeping rhythm in your homeschool, habit training and preparation, and much more!

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This episode is brought to you by Morningtide to Eventide, purveyors of planners and calendars designed specifically for homeschoolers. 

It's also brought to you by  our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 7. 

Topics include:

• Getting to know Julia
• Rex's ignorance
• Why Charles is attracted to Julia
• "Modern" education
• Perspective and Waugh
• and more...

This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here. 

This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapters 3-4. 

Topics include:

• Tim's upcoming vacation
• A comparison of Charles family and Sebastian's family
• Sebastian's faith and Charles lack thereof
• Sebastian and Charles' youth and what it means
• The aesthetic theology of the book
• Aesthetics as a road to faith
• and more...

It's also brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh. 

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Click here to join the Close Reads Facebook group. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge,  with "Greenleaf." 

Topics include: The romance of the bull, the bull as Christ-figure, O'Connor's commentary on Southern Christianity, sympathy for the Greenleafs, class differences in the story, Mrs. May's irreligion, Mrs. May's disdain for the bull, and the medieval theme of ecstasy in the story's ending. 

PLEASE NOTE: STARTING AT ABOUT 49 MINUTES SOME THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN ARE DISCUSSED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF LISTENING WITH YOUR KIDS. 

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As always, press the arrow above to listen. Or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here.  Be sure to subscribe to the Close Reads feed! 

Click here to join the Close Reads Facebook group. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories. 

Topics include: How to say "Death Bredon," how Sayers ups the stakes and tension in these chapters, the role of young Ginger Joe, Lord Peter as Bertie Wooster, and similarities with Brave New World.

Welcome to episode 9 of A Perpetual Feast, where Andrew Kern and Wes Callihan discuss Homer, Homer, and all of the things that Homer makes them think about. 

In this episode, they discuss Wes's travels to Greece (and the site of Troy), hospitality in Homer (and our own world), and the honor that traditions can give. 

As always, press the arrow above to listen or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here. 

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If you like this podcast please consider contributing to our end of year fundraising efforts. We need to raise another $5000 in the next 2 weeks. Every amount helps. Head over to circeinstitute.com/donate to help!

The Commons, hosted by Dr. Brian Phillips, contemplates the lives and times of people worth imitating, and the ideas they offer us. 

In this episode, Brian chats with our man Matt Bianco about which student is more complete: the jock or the nerd. Discussion centers on the role of music, gymnastics, and play in a classical education, with a hearty helping of Plato along the way. 

As always, press the arrow above to listen or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by The Classic Learning Test, a liberal-arts-based alternative to the SAT and ACT. Learn more at CLTEXAM.COM. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Tim, Angelina, and David discuss (and revel in) the final two chapters of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. 

Conversations touches on the similarities between The Wind in the Willows and The Odyssey, whether Toad has changed, and much more.

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by our good friend Professor Carol. Click here to save 25% on all music and art history resources! 

In this episode of The Mason Jar, Amy Edwards of Blue Sky Daisies  joins Cindy Rollins to discuss the use of audio books in the homeschool.  Of course, as usual, a few other things come up too. 

As always, press the arrow above to listen or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by our good friend Professor Carol. Click here to save 25% on all music and art history resources! 

On this episode of Close Reads, Tim, Angelina and David discuss and revel in chapters five and six of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. 

Conversations touches on whether this book should actually be referred to a "children's book", why it's such a good book about friendship, the role nostalgia plays in it, and much more. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by Veritas Press Self Paced Online Courses. Remember to use code CIRCE15 at checkout to save 15%. 

Welcome to episode 13 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

In this episode, he is joined by a special guest and together they contemplate a question about whether calculus and other subjects like it are lost on homemakers. 

To submit a question for a future episode go here. https://www.circeinstitute.org/resources-web-features/ask-andrew

As always, press the arrow above to listen or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by Veritas Press Self-paced Online Courses. Use code CIRCE15 to save 15% today. 

In this episode of The Mason Jar, Tammy Glaser joins Cindy Rollins to discuss her Charlotte Mason school in South Carolina, the ways a CM education has helped her autistic daughter, her advice for CM schoosl and teachers, and much more. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Veritas Press Self Paced Online Courses. 

Welcome to episode 12 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

In this episode, he discusses the why it can sometimes be difficult for modern people to connect with ancient mythology.

To submit a question for a future episode go here. https://www.circeinstitute.org/resources-web-features/ask-andrew

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Davenant Latin Institute. 

In this special episode of The Mason Jar, we present Cindy's plenary talk from our 2016 Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, presented May, 2016. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Davenant Latin Institute. 

In this episode, Christine Perrin of Classical Academic Press and Messiah College joins Matt Bianco and David Kern to discuss Gerard Manley Hopkins difficult but fascinating poem, "Spring."

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Davenant Latin Institute. 

Welcome to episode 10 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

In this episode, he contemplates the kinds of questions that most help cultivate wisdom and virtue. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Davenant Latin Institute. 

Welcome to episode 8 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

In this episode, he contemplates the varying definitions of the term "neo-classical". 

To submit a question for a future episode go here. https://www.circeinstitute.org/resources-web-features/ask-andrew

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and The College at the Saint Constantine School. 

Welcome to episode 7 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

In this episode, he contemplates the tendency in parents and teacher to moralize stories and why it's probably not a good idea. 

To submit a question for a future episode go here. https://www.circeinstitute.org/resources-web-features/ask-andrew

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and The College at the Saint Constantine School. 

And then we came to the end. Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they conclude their discussion of Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow. 

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Roman Roads Media. 

Welcome to episode 3 of the Ask Andrew Podcast, where Andrew Kern answers your questions about Christian classical education. 

Today he reflects on why we should read the classics when even the good guys do bad things.  

To submit a question for a future episode go here. https://www.circeinstitute.org/resources-web-features/ask-andrew

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This episode of the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network is brought to you by New College Franklin and Roman Roads Media. 

Welcome to A Perpetual Feast, where Andrew Kern and Wes Callihan talk about Homer (and whatever else comes up). 

In episode three they discuss books about Homer, poetic diction in Homer and beyond, and much more. 

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This podcast is brought to you by The Harvey Center for Family Learning. 

Use code circe20 to save 20% on their two year family membership. 

Close Reads is a new book club podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network featuring Angelina Stanford and Tim McIntosh, who join host, David Kern, to discuss Great Books and the authors who create them. 

Here in episode 7 they continue their ongoing discussion of Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow. This time they discuss chapters 7-9. 

As promised, here is the link to our reading and recording schedule for our Jayber Crowdiscussions. We hope you'll read along with us!

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This episode is brought to you by our dear friend Professor Carol whose Circle of Scholars offers online courses in music and the fine arts (all of which CiRCE listeners can access for free for 90 days here). 

Close Reads is a new book club podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network featuring Angelina Stanford and Tim McIntosh, who join host, David Kern, to discuss Great Books and the authors who create them. 

Here in episode 7 they continue their ongoing discussion of Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow. This time they discuss chapters 3-6. 

As promised, here is the link to our reading and recording schedule for our Jayber Crowdiscussions. We hope you'll read along with us!

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This episode is brought to you by our dear friend Professor Carol whose Circle of Scholars offers online courses in music and the fine arts (all of which CiRCE listeners can access for free for 90 days here). 

The Mason Jar is a new podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network in which acclaimed speaker/blogger Cindy Rollins joins host David Kern for a monthly exploration of the ideas, works, and influence of Charlotte Mason.

In this episode Cindy talks to Dr. Jack Beckman, chair of the teacher's college at Covenant College and board member of The Charlotte Mason Institute, about the rigor of a Charlotte Mason approach to education, teaching CM at the college level, his favorite current books, and much more. 

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To send in a question for a future episode please email David  or Cindy. 

To learn more about Charlotte Mason's biography please visit amblesideonline.org. 

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This episode is brought to you by:

Arete Scholars exists to help economically disadvantaged children reach their highest potential through educational opportunity. Through private contributions from corporate and philanthropic partners, Arete awards need-based K-12 scholarships and empowers parents to place their children in schools that best suit their unique gifts and learning needs.

The Mason Jar is a new podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network in which acclaimed speaker/blogger Cindy Rollins joins host David Kern for a monthly exploration of the ideas, works, and influence of Charlotte Mason.

In this episode Cindy answers listener questions about nature studies and kids who don't want to sit still, the relationship between the Trivium and Charlotte Mason, and what Morning Time looked like in her home. 

To send in a question for a future episode please email David  or Cindy. 

To learn more about Charlotte Mason's biography please visit amblesideonline.org. 

Close Reads is a new book club podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network featuring Angelina Stanford and Tim McIntosh, who join host David Kern to discuss Great Books and the authors who create them. 

Here in episode 4 they discuss Jean Paul Sartre's French existentialist short story, The Wall, the tale of a Spanish Civil War-era soldier who is facing death by a firing squad. 

In this, the 50th episode of Quiddity, our flagship podcast, David Kern interviews Carol Zaleski, co-author of The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings. 

Discussion touches on the role of WWI in their collective lives, how the Inkling would respond to the issues of our day, and why Charles Williams and Owen Barfield belong in the same conversation with Lewis and Tolkien. Enjoy!

The Mason Jar is a new podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network in which acclaimed speaker/blogger Cindy Rollins joins host David Kern for a monthly exploration of the ideas, works, and influence of Charlotte Mason.

Here in Episode 1, Cindy provides an introduction to Charlotte Mason and explains why Charlotte has been so influential in her own teaching. 

To send in a question for a future episode please email David via david@circeinstitute or Cindy via cindy@ordo-amoris.com. 

To learn more about Charlotte Mason's biography please visit amblesideonline.org. 

Close Reads is a new book club podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network, featuring Angelina Stanford and Tim McIntosh, who join host, David Kern, to discuss Great Books and the authors who create them. 

In episode one they discuss Flannery O'Connor's famous short story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" (with a brief aside on the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen). 

The Commons is a brand new podcast from the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network. Hosted by Dr. Brian Phillips this show contemplates the lives and times of people worth imitating. 

In episode one Brian chats with Dr. Ben Merkle, author of The White Horse King and president of New Saint Andrews College, about King Alfred the Great, one of history's most underrated characters. 

In this episode, Sarah Mackenzie, of amongstlovelythings.com, and noted speaker, Cindy Rollins, share their thoughts on summer reading, turning vacation into "learning experiences", using summer for your own edification, and more. 

In this episode of the show, we bring you another lecture from Andrew Kern, What is Socratic Teaching, presente at the Indiana Home Educators Convention in March 2015. 

In this episode of Quiddity, David Hicks joins David Kern to answer some listener questions about classical education, books, and his book, Norms and Nobility. 

In this episode of the Quiddity podcast, we break down our Bard Madness Shakespeare bracket, predicting who we think should win and who we think will win. 

In this week's episode of the Quiddity podcast, Matt Bianco, Education Director for Classical Conversations, joins Andrew Kern and David Kern to discuss how to draw good questions from students who seem uninterested or reluctant. 

Learn more about the great work of CC at classicalconversations.com.

In this episode of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, John Hodges, Chris Perrin, and John Mark Reynolds join David Kern to discuss what makes a good college, what every potential college student should know, and some alternatives to traditioanl college (with a note on debt and student loans). 

In this week's episode of Quiddity, Dr. Brian Phillips shares some thoughts on how teachers and parents can use the season of Lent to help students (and themselves) focus on the "genuine order of things". 

In this week's episode of Quiddity, the podcast of the CiRCE Institute, David Kern chats with Sarah Mackenzie, athor of Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakeable Peace about what it means to teach from rest, getting through the February slog, favorite books of 2014, and various challenges of homeschooling. 

Sarah blogs at amongstlovelythings.com

Join David, Andrew, Brian, Graeme, and Chuck for another discussion on Shakespeare's masterpiece. This week we conclude the discussion with Act 5. 

Welcome, once again, to our discussion of Hamlet! In this episode we discussion Act 3, Scenes 3-4: the fall out of the play-within-the-play. Enjoy! 

P.S. Please excuse the loud performance of Gertrude by one Mr. Andrew Kern . . . 

Welcome, once again, to our discussion of Hamlet! In this episode we discussion Act 3, Scenes 1-2, two of the most important scenes in the play. Enjoy! 

Welcome to our discussion of Hamlet! Here in part 3 we discuss Act 2: The Spies. 

Welcome to our discussion of Hamlet! Here in part 2 we discuss Act 2.  We banter about Hamlet's sanity, Ophelia's purity, Polonius' manipulations, and TS Eliot's . . . wrong-ness . . .

In this week's edition of Quiddity Andrew Kern and Tim McIntosh, our friend from Gutenberg College, discuss Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Earnest Hemingway'sThe Sun Also Rises and the fractured post-World War 1 culture - and how our modern times aren't so far off from the 1920's. They reflect on what this means for teachers and parents in 2014. 

Welcome to our discussion of Hamlet! Over the next several weeks we'll be discussing Hamlet, one act a time, here on the Quiddity pdocast. In this eposidoe we preview our discusison and talk about first impressions of the play. 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, Andrew Kern and the podcast crew reflect on ways to cultivate a love of learning: what to worry about, when to be patient, and even a little bit about the role of video games. 

In this week's edition of the podcast Brian Phillips, Chuck Hicks, and David Kern contemplate the important of sports - and physical activity in general - for classical educators. 

For many classical educators, whether in the home or in a more traditional school, summer can be a strange season - a sort of in-between period. Almost like a warm, green, beach-infused purgatory. On the one hand summertime means a break in all the busy-ness of the school year, on the other hand it can be terrifying because it means a break in all the momentum you spent the year building. In this podcast Andrew Kern, Chuck Hicks, Brian Phillips, and David Kern discuss how to optimize the summer time. Hint: they talk a lot about letting the anxiety go. 

While we thoroughly enjoy our weekly coversations here on the podcast - and the interviews that often come with them - there are far wiser folks out there who we think you should hear too. That's why from time to time we bring you a favorite lecture from one our annual conferences. In this week's edition of Quiddity, we present a lecture from the esteemed Dr. Peter Kreeft called "What Judgment Means to the Pursuit of Wisdom". This lecture was presented at the 2013 CiRCE conference in Baltimore, MD. 

In this edition of Quiddity, we discuss the new Coen Brother's movie: the much buzzed about, Inside Llewyn Davis. We talk plot, acting, music, Wittgenstein, and much more. 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, the podcast of the CiRCE Institute, Brian Phillips, Chuck Hicks, and David Kern introduce this year's CiRCE Magazine. We preview each of the magazine's articles and talk about the role silence plays in our lives, raising boys, and other topics the magazine brought up. 

To sign up for the magazine click here. 

In this week's episode of Quiddity, the podcast of the CiRCE Institute, Andrew Kern, Graeme Pitman, Chuck Hicks, Brian Phillips, and David Kern contemplate the value of the novel, what makes a novel great, and whether character or theme is more central to a novel's success. Then we interview Greg Wolfe, director of the Seattle Pacific MFA program in creative writing and publisher of Image Journal, about Slant Books--his new literary imprint--and the novels it's published so far. 

Question of the episode: What is your desert island (ha...) novel? 

In the first 2014 edition of Quddity, the podcast of the CiRCE Institute, Andrew Kern and Brian Phillips discuss what truly classical assessment should look like, how to assess our students in a way that treats them human beings, and much more. 

In this Christmastime edition of Quiddity, the podcast of the CiRCE Institute, Brian Phillips talk to author, pastor, and educator, Dr. George Grant, about Christmas traditions in his home, his work setting up classical Christian schools in Indonesia, and much more. Then we conclude the podcast with a lively - and strange - game of Christmas-themed trivia. You won't want to miss either segment. 

And Merry Christmas from the CiRCE team! 

In this episide of Quddity, the CiRCE podcast, Chuck Hicks, Brian Phillips, Graeme Pitman, and David Kern discuss Christmas traditions (both commemorative and celebrative), Christmas gift ideas, and why Dicken's A Christmas Carol has resonated for so long. 

In this episode of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, Chuck Hicks, Brian Phillips, Graeme Pitman, and David Kern contemplate whether beauty is, as the common saying claims, in the eye of the beholder. They may or may not provide any useful conclusions, but the conversation was interesting nonethless. 

For this week's podcast we bring you a wonderful 2013 conference talk from Memoria Press's Martin Cothran called Les Miserables vs Schreck: The Difference Between Ironic and Heroic Literature and the Difference It Makes. 

Modern literature and film have largely abandoned the heroic mode in favor of the ironic. All modern narrative seems to subvert rather than exalt. What is the heroic and how does it differ from the ironic and what are the implications of the answer to this question? Can the modern soul still be reached by a heroic story? To what extent is the ironic story a legitimate narrative form? How have Christian writers responded the modern emphasis on the ironic?

As always, click the arrow above to listen, or click here to find this episodes, and all the others, on iTunes. 

In this episode of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, David Kern and Brett McCracken discuss Joss Whedon's interesting new film adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. They compare it to the famous Kenneth Branaugh/Emma Thompson version, consider the merits of setting the play in a modern context, and much more. 

Click here to read Brett McCracken's review of the film for Christianity Today.

In this edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, Brian Phillips, Chuck Hicks, and David Kern discuss what it means to have a "life in reading". Plus we discuss fall traditions (including books we like to read this time of year) and life in the South. There's even talk of eating bear and how to pronounce "Appalachian". 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, we offer this 2013 conference talk from  Dr. Christopher Perrin, the director of the Alcuin Fellowship, the co-chair of the Society for Classical Learning, and the publisher of Classical Academic Press. 

We are familiar with some traditional Latin commendations like cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.  We are also very familiar with the grades with which we were branded (A, B, C, D and F) and the composite GPA which has also defined our humanity.  What most of us don’t know is how any of these designations emerged and to what purpose.  In this seminar, we will trace the origins and evolution of “grades” (from the middle ages to the present) and contrast modern assessment to traditional methods that were not so data-driven, nor well-acquainted with multiple-choice exams.   We will conclude with a discussion of mentorship in contrast to metrics and consider who some secular modern writers who are decrying the prevailing curriculum of “test-prep.”  We will also discuss how more traditional methods of assessment can be implemented within a system of education that demands numerically-based grades.

In this edition of Quiddity, The CiRCE Podcast, we chat with Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic at Christianity Today and professor at The King's College in New York City. Alissa shares some thoughts on helping students solve writer's block, how to cultivate good readers, and how homeschooling helped improved her writing. An prolific writer, who has an MFA from Seattle Pacific University and has worked on Wall Street in information technology, Alissa offers a unique and experienced perspective on the many challenges that accompany both writing and teaching writing. 

In this edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE Podcast and the audio companion to this website, Debbie Harris describes what it's like teaching classically in an inner city school, how to cultivate a love of beauty in students who rarely see anything beautiful, and why good classroom management and school culture is driven by relationship. 

Debbie Harris, a longtime speaker at our conference, graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies (with a California K-8 certification) and has spent twelve-plus years as a classroom educator, primarily in the elementary grades. She has taught at Foundations Academy in Boise, Idaho and Hope Academy, an inner city classical school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She lives in Oakdale, Minnesota with her husband and two sons. Debbie has focused on mentoring teachers in classroom management strategies and classical techniques since 2002. Beginning in 2006, she has served as the Dean of Teaching Staff and Curriculum at Hope Academy. She works for the CiRCE Institute as a consultant in classroom management.

Click here to learn more about Hope Academy. 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast, CiRCE President Andrew Kern joins Brian Phillips and David Kern to explain his claim that, in our age, we have more than three times the necessary time to teach the seven Liberal Arts to our students. The conversation touches on the power and role of metaphor in teaching, why imitation is so important, and what an education that focuses on these Liberal Arts looks like, even in the youngest of students. 

From the 2013 CiRCE Conference: A Contemplation of Judgment
July 2013; Baltimore, MD 

The making of judgments requires some sort of standard against which to make measurements. While the normal nihilism of contemporary culture is often described as being thoroughly without standards, all judgments assumed to be merely expressions of preference, very few people possess the Promethean confidence to assert their preferences requires some sort of standard against which to make measurements. While the normal nihilism of contemporary culture is often described as being thoroughlywithout standards, all judgments assumed to be merely expressions of preference, very few people possess the Promethean confidence to assert their preferences rful arbiters of quality.

In this week's episode of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast and the audio companion to this website, David Kern chats with author and culture critic Brett McCracken, whose new bookGray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism and Liberty, came out earlier this month from Baker Books. They talk about why he was motivated to write this book, how to cultivate cultural discernment in young people, and why so many recent books have challenged common Chrisitian conceptions of cultural engagement. 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE podcast and the audio companion to circeinstitute.org, David Kern chats with Cindy Rollins and Dr. Chris Perrin about starting the year off well. Topics of conversation include how to avoid biting off more than you can chew, what to do when you inevitably do, and how to keep learning from being a "School year" thing. 

In this week's edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE Podcast and the audio companion to circeinstitute.org, Dr. Brian Phillips and David Kern offer a follow-up conversation to last week's discussion about teaching literature without killing it, this time a contemplation on fairy tales, the Moral Imagination, and why stories should never end with the words "and they all lived happily ever after". 

In this edition of Quiddity, the audio companion to circeinstitute.org, Dr. Brian Phillips and David Kern discuss the art of teaching great literature in such a way that reckons with the fact that many students will hate the process. What is the nature and purpose of literature and how can we can teach it according to both? What role does "the spark notes" approach play and how do we deal with what Flannery O'Connor referred to as the "mystery and manners" of literature? 

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Repond in the comment section below or on Facebook or Twitter. 

Standardized tests have been in the news a lot lately. 

As the new Common Core initiatives take root, our national educational system increasingly insists and depends upon them. Yet in places like New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and others, students, parents, and teachers are responding - and the media is taking note. 

In the newest edition of our Quiddity podcast, Brian Phillips and David Kern discuss these stories and consider what it all might mean for classical educators. 

In the April 2012 edition of Quiddity, the CiRCE Podcast, we had the really fun opportunity to interview Cindy Rollins. Cindy is a regular contributor to our website and blogs here. Cindy has more than 20 years experience as a homeschooler and therefore has a wealth of knowledge (very nearly second to none!).

In this conversation we discussed good books for children grades 7 and under, some of which are classics of which you’ve probably heard (Little House On the Prairie) and others are works with which you may not be so familiar (the works of John Buchan and Little Britches).

Cindy has some really interesting things to say about those Little House books (some bold claims) and about how to deal with questionable language in children’s literature.
So sit back – or run or drive or however you listen – and enjoy.