Resource Library
Below you will find helpful articles, videos, and other resources on classical education and the Catholic academic tradition.
Articles
“What is Classical Education?” by Dr. Andrew Kern
“What is Classical Education” by Peter Kraft
“A Case for Classical Education” by Elisabeth Ryan Sullivan
“Entrusting the Future of the West to Our Children” by Andrew Seeley
“Dispositions for Frequent and Daily Communion” (Why Daily Mass?)
“Why Catholic Schools Need Faithful Faculty” by Anthony Esolen
“Top 10 Reasons for Studying Latin” by Cheryl Lowe
Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics by Cheryl Lowe
“The Three Cultures” by Dr. Martin Cothran
Videos & Podcasts
The Arts of Language Podcast, with Institute for Excellence in Writing’s founder Andrew Pudewa, is a weekly podcast to support teachers of writing composition in order to train their students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers.
(St. Margaret’s uses IEW)
Classical Education vs. Modern Education
Dr. Martin Cothran of the Highlands Latin Schools discusses the differences that he discovered between classical and modern education as he attempted to counter educational reforms in Kentucky.
The Eight Essential Principles of Classical Pedagogy
The Five Greatest Works of Classical Education
Dr. Martin Cothran of the Highlands Latin Schools discusses the most important works to read to get a classical education if you read nothing else.
Offensive Topics in Classical Curriculum
The Rise and Fall of Classical Education
Our own Zach Summers explains how classical education has its roots in the Jewish and Egyptian traditions, how it developed over time, and ultimately what led to its demise, so that we may learn how to revive it.
Books
General:
The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, by Archbishop Michael J. Miller
Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education, by Stratford Caldecott
The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark
The Intellectual Life, by A.G. Sertillanges
A Guide for the Perplexed, by E.F. Schumacher
The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What it Means to be an Educated Human Being, by Richard Gamble
Subject Specific:
Literature – Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination, by Vigen Guroian
History – The Crisis of Western Education, by Christopher Dawson
Mathematics – “A Mathematician’s Lament” and Measurement by Paul Lockhart
Science
Biology – Fabre’s Book of Insects, by Jean Henri Fabre
Astronomy – The Stars: A New Way to See Them, by H.A. Rey
Physical Science – Archimedes and the Door of Science, by Jeanne Bendick
Latin – Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin, by Tracy Lee Simmons
Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric – The Trivium by Sister Miriam Joseph and Socratic Logic, by Peter Kreeft