Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast

Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast

A 20-minute podcast featuring professors, K-12 teachers, and friends of Hillsdale College, all speaking about classical education—what it is, why it’s still relevant today, and what makes it unique. Hosted by Scot Bertram.

Episodes

March 9, 2026 17 mins

Tina Bolin, literacy coordinator at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, and a literacy trainer with Hillsdale College K-12 Education, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss her journey from home school teacher to classical school teacher, the unique challenge of teaching teachers, and the joy that comes from seeing students learn to read.

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

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Sonja Bindus, teacher support lead for Hillsdale College K-12 Education, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss teaching students how to appreciate art, learning from the artistic masters, and how to help students develop artistic skills.

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

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Joshua Villarreal, teacher support lead at Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the classical themes in the film Die Hard, the importance of education in forming character, and the differences between classical and progressive methods of education.

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

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Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by James Hankins to discuss the first volume of his co-authored series of textbooks, The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, and the importance of classical education. James Hankins is a visiting professor of humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the Universit...

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Julie Apel, assistant headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss Hillsdale’s Master Teacher Program, what makes a teacher a master teacher, and how the program aligns with classical education principles and best practices.

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

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John Peterson, assistant director of curriculum at Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the concept of history as rhetoric, the importance of speeches and arguments in history, and how the American education system typically teaches history.

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

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Vivian Stewart, a student at Hillsdale College and graduate of Atlanta Classical Academy in Atlanta, Georgia,  joins host Scot Bertram to discuss how her experience at a liberal arts school prepared her to study at Hillsdale, building friendships in a new place, and how she's adjusting to the cold weather of southern Michigan.

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

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Benjamin Payne, Director of School Leader Support at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the Hillsdale College K-12 School Leader Fellowship, the diverse range of skills that make a good school leader, and the benefits of joining the Hillsdale College K-12 network.

For more info, and to apply to the School Leader Fellowship, follow this link: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Schools/Sch...

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Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Robert Pondiscio to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators should emphasize resiliency and hope in the classroom. 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...

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January 5, 2026 23 mins

Julie Apel, assistant headmaster at Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss what makes classical education different, why there is a renewed interest in classical education, and what students can expect to learn in a classical classroom.

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

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Abigail Teska, lower and upper school art teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss using narration to help students understand artistic concepts, how to help students understand a work of art, and what narration activities students respond to the best.

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

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December 22, 2025 19 mins

Jennifer Jackett, a fifth grade teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, and Julia McNeely, director of Title I at Seven Oaks Classical School, join host Scot Bertram to discuss the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum, principles for better writing, and how writing helps students succeed throughout a school's curriculum.

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

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December 15, 2025 21 mins

Ben Payne, director of leader support for Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss helping students build emotional durability, focusing on developing virtue over value, and the essential principles when helping students to reframe their attitudes.

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

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Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Christopher Nadon to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators are failing their students by embracing the importance of “lived experience.” Christopher Nadon (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago) has taught political philosophy and humanities at Emet Classical Academy, Claremont McKenna College, Trini...

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December 1, 2025 24 mins

Stephen Cox, a founding board member of Thomas More Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his role in starting a classical school in Alaska, the decision to make Thomas More Classical School a private institution, and the process of becoming a Hillsdale College K-12 Education partner school.

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

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Gabrielle Lewis, a teacher support lead and Core Virtues director at Hillsdale College’s K-12 Office, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the relaunched Core Virtues program, cultivating the moral imagination through stories, and how schools can utilize the Core Virtues program.

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

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November 17, 2025 28 mins

Justin Jackson, English professor and Edrie Seward Kennedy Chair in English at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss his upcoming co-authored book on teaching students the elements of analysis, the art of close analysis, and what texts teachers should use to teach close analysis.

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

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November 10, 2025 16 mins

Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss why short stories are worth studying, how to prepare your class to learn from a short story, and why reading short stories out loud can help your students better understand them.

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

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Jenny Pridgeon, director of field recruitment for the Admissions Office at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the art of writing a memorable letter of recommendation, how to stand out from other college applicants, and activities that students should include on their high school resume.

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

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Jason Lund, upper school humanities teacher and senior thesis coordinator at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the least interesting parts of great books, how Homer's list of ships in The Iliad relates to the poem's themes, and the importance of the extracts in Melville's Moby Dick.

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

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