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
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/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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, whe...
Kevin H. Gary, associate professor of education at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the differences between orators and philosophers, the disciplines of rhetoric and philosophy, and how teachers can cultivate a balance between rhetoric and philosophy in the classroom.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rosa Kubala, kindergarten teacher and student leadership advisor at Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss how parents can help to prepare their child for success before they enter the classroom, the role of parents in education, and the many lessons she has learned in her time as a kindergarten teacher.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, delivers a lecture elaborating on the relationships between liberal, civic, and moral education and their aims.
Dr. O'Toole delivered this lecture as part of the Classical Education Forum on Hillsdale College's campus on February 12th, 2026.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chris McCourry, artist and director of jazz ensembles at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the principles of jazz music, what makes a great jazz musician, and what jazz music can teach us about democracy.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thomas I. Treloar, professor of mathematics and dean of faculty at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the mathematics behind voting, how voters decide how to cast their vote, and why we'll never develop a perfect voting system.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gwendolyn Yarbrough, part of the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office and former member of the Teacher Support team, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the history of physical education in America, the influences of the German Turnen movement, and how schools should think about the relationship between physical formation along with intellectual and moral formation.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
Paul Mittermeier, Upper School Humanities teacher at Cincinnati Classical Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss how classical education should be explicitly discussed in a classical school, how to help teachers explain the importance of what they teach to students, and how to answer common questions students might have about classical education.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Patrick Whalen to discuss the virtues of physical education. Patrick Whalen is founder and CEO of Iliad Athletics.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Justin A. Jackson, Edrie Seward Kennedy chair in English and chairman and professor of English at Hillsdale College, delivers a lecture on the discipline of literary analysis and his new book The Elements of Analysis: An Introduction to Careful Reading.
This lecture was given at the Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence seminar, “The Art of Teaching: Literature” in October 2025. The Hoogland Center for Teache...
Noah Bush and Gina Capaldi join host Scot Bertram to discuss art as a discipline, how the arts change students for the better, and building collaboration between art and music teachers. Noah is upper school music and fine arts director, and Gina is an art, art history, and studio art teacher at Orange County Classical Academy in Orange, California.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
Michele DiCristoforo, lead third grade teacher at Cincinnati Classical Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss instilling a sense of wonder in students, extending the sense of wonder to wider classical education community, and discovering resources for teachers looking to improve their pedagogy.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Matthew Mehan to discuss his new book The American Book of Fables. Matthew Mehan is associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C..
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education at Hillsdale College, delivers a lecture on instilling wonder in your students when teaching mathematics.
This lecture was given at the Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence seminar, “The Art of Teaching: Mathematics” in September 2025. The Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, an outreach of the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, offers educators the opport...
Eric Hutchinson, associate professor of classics and chairman of Collegiate Scholars Program at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the foundations of Roman mythology, best practices for teaching Virgil's The Aeneid, and the differences between Aeneas and other heroes of antiquity.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Diana Kinser, French teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss teaching a modern language at a classical school, how modern languages helps teach students virtue, and the rewards from seeing students succeed.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Charles R. Kesler to discuss the Declaration of Independence and the legacy of the American Founding. Charles R. Kesler is editor of the Claremont Review of Books and professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join Michael Berndt, director of curriculum at the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, Allison Postell, assistant professor of Philosophy at Hillsdale College, Paul Rahe professor of history and Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee chair in the western heritage at Hillsdale College, and Joshua Gibbs, director of the classical teaching institute, for a panel on the classical virtue of ambition.
The four discuss whether the vi...
Kayla Cruthers is the Head of School at Ivywood Classical Academy in Plymouth, Michigan. Join Scot Bertram as he and Kayla discuss why classical education is important to a community and how Hillsdale’s K-12 Education Office helped shape her understanding of and vision for an American Classical Education.
Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
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