Classical Et Cetera

The world is filled with great fiction. And in episode two of our mini-series on Great Literature, we take a look at "The Great American Novel". What makes To Kill a Mockingbird so relevant? How does Moby Dick move us? What is it about the green light of The Great Gatsby that changes how we see the rest of American literature? Today Shane and the team sit down for a must - read - book - discussion - and - review of classics from the American literary genre. We hope these recommendations will help you as you begin your journey into the Great Works of the Western World.

From casual comparisons of book lists to debates on the merits of Russian Literature (https://youtu.be/_SeMXQlnln8), we talk about the novels we read a whole lot. In this episode, Ian, Kyle, and Martin join Shane to discuss what makes a novel and why novels are primary in our literature curriculum. As always, you'll get a bunch of laughs as the table talks about all their favorite (and not-so-favorite) facets of various novels!

Today, Shane and the gang sit down to think through the importance of understanding, refining teaching practice and education methods in school, and exploring what a classical concept of pedagogy looks like.  What is pedagogy? How do we put it into practice? How do we even define it?  The question of pedagogy is a critical question and one that requires a strong definition and understanding of its meaning to parents and teachers alike. Of all the types of pedagogy, none stand stronger, in our opinion, than a classical model that puts the teacher up front and the students in seats focused and ready to learn.  Join us for our show today!   

How do we push the bounds of our own understanding? How do we make constant strides in teaching and education to cultivate our method, pedagogy, and educator's philosophy? Today on the show, Shane sits down to talk about the advantages, disadvantages, the imperative and demand for teacher's to cultivate a healthy philosophy of teaching. Today, the panel will discuss examples in historical learning and lecture, take a look at proofs from history, and show how each of them have cultivated a healthy perspective in the field of teaching classical Christian education. A philosophy involves making a personal statement to truth, goodness, and beauty. A statement that we at Memoria Press charge each of our teachers to make to their students and families. --- [CETC: 123 | Micah Moore, Tom Sculthorpe, Mitchell Holley ] ---

Today on Classical Et Cetera the boys sit down to talk about their favorite pieces of Russian literature. Books from the Classical Eastern European tradition that had an influential impact on their understanding of Russian culture, traditions, and ideology. This book club episode is filled with great recommendations for authors and their works for you to find and engage. We encourage an approach that leads us to the read the world and engage with the best reading we can find. Join us in this conversation from the team at Memoria Press for their take on the world of Classical Russian Literature. 

In today's episode of Classical Et Cetera, we're talking math. Specifically the history, origins, reform and philosophy of classical mathematics. Why is mathematics so important to our understanding of the world? And is math a fundamental part of classical education. Aristotle and Plato seem to think so, and so do we. In our show today, Shane sits down with Dan, Paul, and Memoria Press newcomer, Tom Sculthorpe to talk the origins of math from Plato to Descartes, how math learning has changed in the classical world, and what conversations about math are important to classicists today. You might be asking, "Should I learn math?" And we say absolutely. Join us today for our show! 

Why is it important for everyone to engage with art? Why Meet Professor Carol Reynolds, professor of music history and global art educator with the Dallas Symphony and the Van Cliburn Foundation! And today she's going to brawl over art, more specifically why art belongs as a foundational element of a classical education. Art is a reflection of what our culture values. And the study of playing music, art and craft, and even folk dance are ways we engage with and absorb art into our everyday lives. Join Shane, Martin, Paul and Carol as they dive into art's place in the classical world and how a homeschool education can thrive from learning in the space of classical art. Memoria Press is here to help homeschool families with tips, choices, and simple planning strategies to make classical Christian education available to all! 

Many see reading the Great Books as a productive pastime. But, is there value in a formal study of the Great Books for personal growth? In this episode, Martin Cothran and Dan Sheffler delve into the rhyme and reason of intentionally improving one's knowledge of the wisdom found in the Great Books of the Western world. Martin and Dan both head up Memoria College, a program designed to provide a meaningful encounter with the fundamental texts of philosophy, literature, theology, psychology, history, economics, and science. This episode is full of laughs and truths: check it out! To learn more about Memoria College, check out https://memoriacollege.org

Homeschool curriculum choices are filled with a lot of questions. Especially you, mom and dad, in the Christian community that plan to give their children an education founded in the heritage of the classical western world. So how can we, mere followers of Jesus Christ and followers of faith, reconcile using Greek myths and other non - religious cultural literature in the same space that we study the history, significance, and culture of Christianity? That's what we're talking about today. How we here at Memoria Press, and others like us have navigated through this conversation and found a landing point for why we teach what we teach. Join Shane at the table as he takes a less - accelerated look at the conflict of Christian Values vs Pagan Mythology. Memoria Press is here to help homeschool families with tips, choices, and simple planning strategies to make classical Christian education available to all! Find us at https://www.memoriapress.com/

There is nothing easy about learning ancient languages. At least in a way that is meaningful. Today Shane sits down with three language enthusiasts and experts on how they entered the linguistic world. What routines and study habits did they employ in order to start to learn and engage on their own? Hopefully their discussion today will help you at home on your journey to learn ancient languages for your self and find new tips and tricks to make the jump into the beautiful world of language learning.