Conference Recordings Now Available!
Click HERE.
Register for the 2011 Conference today!
WHAT IS MAN? A CONTEMPLATION OF THE DIVINE IMAGE
Featuring, Dr. Christian Kopf, Ken Myers, Dr. Vigen Guroian, and more, the 2011 CiRCE Conference, July 20-23, 2011, will once again take place in Arlington, TX at the Sheraton Hotel.
To register click HERE.
For more information go HERE.
About The 2010 Conference
Each summer for the last eight years the leading minds in the world of classical education have gathered with the movement's most dedicated teachers for the CiRCE Institute's annual conference.
Featuring Big Ideas, great conversation, and fabulous food, the 9th edition of that gathering is drawing near!
Open to teachers, school administrators, and home school parents, and featuring speakers like Andrew Pudewa, Laura Berquist, and Dr. Vigen Guroian, the 2010 CiRCE Conference promises to be an inspiring and enlightening discussion on the purpose and practice of Christian, classical education.
Join us, and join the discussion!
Click here to see the conference schedule.Why Liberty?
- Because it's more than just doing or saying or being what one wants...
- Because if we choose prosperity or security over freedom we have forfeited the right to be free...
- Because the Liberal Arts are the "Art of Freedom"...
- And Because the extent of a people's liberty is the extent to which its people have been trained in them...
- Because liberty begins in the home and depends on the community...
- Because it's our job to teach our students how to be rightly free...
Paideia Prize Banquet:
The winners of the 2010 Paideia Prize are Dr. Glenn and Virginia Arbery.
The Paideia Prize is awarded annually at the CiRCE Conference for lifetime contribution to classical education. The presentation will take place during the Friday evening Paideia Prize-giving Banquet.
Glenn Arbery is the d'Alzon Professor of Liberal Education at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. In the past, he has held teaching positions in literature at the University of St. Thomas in Houston and Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. He directed the Teacher's Academy at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture from 1997 to 2003. From 2003 to 2008, he was senior editor of People Newspapers in Dallas, where he received first-place honors in state and national film reviewing, columns and editorial competitions. Dr. Arbery is also the author of Why Literature Matters: Permanence and the Politics of Reputation (2001) and the editor of The Tragic Abyss (2004) and The Southern Critics: An Anthology (2010).
Virginia Arbery holds the doctorate from University of Dallas where she was a Weaver Fellow. She has been Director of Admissions at University of Dallas and Dean of Admissions at University of St. Thomas in Houston and at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire.She has taught Politics and Literature since 1974, concentrating on the intersection between man's political nature and the great literary works which give complex form to that nature. The Institutions where she has taught include the University of Dallas, Thomas More College, St. Anselm College, Austin College, the undergraduate and graduate humanities program at University of Texas at Dallas, and, most recently, Assumption College. As Consultant to the National Center for Founding Documents at Boston University in the 1990's, she designed and conducted programs for high school teachers throughout New England . Her publications include essays on Rousseau, Euripides, Caroline Gordon, Allen Tate, Education, the founding documents, and George Washington. She has lectured in graduates programs at Catholic University of America and Notre Dame University. A fellow of The Dallas Institute, where she was on the faculty for seven years, she directed an interdisciplinary program for the Teachers Academy on Sources of Political Understanding, under a grant funded by the US Department of Education for teaching American History. She is currently working on a book on Caroline Gordon and Allen Tate.
To reserve your spot at the banquet click here.
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Vigen Guroian:
Professor of Religious Studies in Orthodox Christianity at the University of Virginia, Dr. Guroian earned his B.A. from the University of Virgnia and his Ph.D from Drew University. He has authored nine books and has contributed nearly two hundred articles to books, journals, encyclopedias, magazines, and newspapers. His books include: Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination; Inheriting Paradise; The Fragrance of God; Rallying the Really Human Things; Incarnate Love: Essays in Orthodox Ethics; and Ethics After Christendom: Toward an Ecclesial Christian Ethic.
Andrew Kern
The president and founder of the CiRCE Institute, Mr. Kern graduated from Concordia University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he was mentored by Dr. Gene Edward Veith and was graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts. Shortly afterward, Dr. Veith and Mr. Kern co-authored the best-selling book, Classical Education, The Movement Sweeping America, now in its second edition. He has been directly involved in the establishment of three classical Christian schools, has trained teachers and headmasters in over 50 since 1996, has consulted with still more on institutional development and start-up, and has been directing the CiRCE Institute full time since the summer of 2000. Mr. Kern is the founding author of the The Lost Tools of Writing.
Dr. James Taylor
Dr. Taylor, author of the acclaimed book, Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education, has been a teacher of English and American literature, Humanities, Western Civilization, and Philosophy of Education, for over twenty years, in private schools and public colleges, including Hillsdale College. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Dr. Taylor was the 2008 recipient of the Paideia Prize, presented for lifetime contribution to classical, Christian Education.
Laura Berquist
A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, Laura Berquist is beloved as a speaker and consultant across the country, specializing especially in curriculum development, the grammar stage in education, and Catholic education. Along with her husband, Mrs. Berquist was the recipient of the 2009 Paideia Prize, presented for lifetime contribution to classical, Christian Education. The founder of Mother of Divine Grace Academy in California, she is the author of Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.
Andrew Pudewa
Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a homeschooling father of seven. Presenting throughout North America, he addresses issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students' skills. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him "the funny man with the wonderful words."
John Mason Hodges
Mr. Hodges, the MC of the conference and a plenary speaker, is a conductor, lecturer, composer, and writer. He has been conducting orchestras and choruses since finishing graduate studies in music at Indiana University in 1983. He lectures on aesthetics, education, and music; was Associate Professor of the Arts and Culture at Crichton College for 7 years, during which time he taught classes in worldview, history of Western art and music, and directed theater; and at Crichton was founding director of the Institute for the Arts and Cultural Apologetics. Most recently he has founded and directs the Center for Western Studies, a year-long college-level tutorial program targeting students who want to take a year off before entering college. The Center teaches the history of Western ideas through the great books. He is also a Scholar-in-Residence for the Fellows Initiative (www.thefellowsinitiative.com). He lives in Memphis with Day, his wife of 25 years, and their son Mason who is off to college. He and Day are founding board members of Westminster Academy, a Classical Christian school. .
Leigh Bortins
Founder and CEO of Classical Conversations, INC., an organization that models the home-centered learning approach to empower learners of all ages, Mrs. Bortins is a nationally acclaimed educator, perhaps best known for her ability to demystify the fundamental tools of learning. She is the author of several books, including The Foundations Program: A Classical Curriculum, and The Essentials of English Language Guide. She is currently working on developing The Home-Centered Education Institutewhere anyone interested in combining the classical model with technological advances in delivering education can be trained in effective methods.
Dr. Paula Flint
The chair of the conference planning committee, Dr. Paula Flint has worked in the field of education for 40 years. Her formal education includes a B.A. in elementary education and English from the University of Northern Colorado, a M.Ed. in special education (emotional/behavioral disorders and learning disabilities) from Rhode Island College, and a Ph.D. in special education (emotional/behavioral disorders and counseling) from the University of North Texas. Dr. Flint has additional training in the Great Books discussion method, classical/Christian education and administration, Waldorf school techniques, Charlotte Mason educational training at the Ambleside Schools International, and training in numerous special education techniques and interventions. She has taught students in special education with emotional/behavioral disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, and dyslexia. She has also worked in private practice as an educational diagnostician, dyslexia remediation specialist, and behavior specialist. Dr. Flint is the founder and head of school at the Flint Academy in Arlington, Texas which follows the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy and serves PK through 12th grades. The school has advanced and typical students but also includes students with learning differences such as Autism/Asperger's, dyslexia, learning disabilities, and ADHD.
Dr. Ed Tingley
Edward Tingley holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa (1995) and teaches philosophy and the history of art/aesthetics at Augustine College in Ottawa, where he is presently Dean. Prior to Augustine College he worked for some years in publishing at various art and architecture museums. He has published in journals of philosophy and has occasionally written for Touchstone and First Things.
Rodney Marshall
Mr.. Marshall is the Founder, President andHeadmaster of Coram Deo Academy, a classical Christian school in Dallas/Fort Worth. He is also the Publisher of Coram Deo Press and Coram Deo: A Journal of Classical Education, a public speaker, an educational consultant, and an essayist. Marshall received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Master of Divinity at Washington State University. Ordained into the gospel ministry in 1981 as a Presbyterian elder, he served as a pastor, church administrator, founder and Principal of a Christian school, Bible college administrator, guidance counselor, and conservative public policy advocate. He is a certified CareerDirect and educational consultant. Mashall has preached and lectured worldwide, and has written about Christian school and home-based education, guidance and career/calling development, biblical worldview, administration and theology.
George Sanker
Mr. Sanker is a leader of classical education for charter schools. An African-American working with inner city schools, he will be speaking about "The Abolition of Black Man: Progressivism and the Assault On the Souls of Black Folk."
Leah Lutz
Leah Lutz is the founder and director of a Christian classical homeschool tutorial near Santa Cruz, California. Covenant Family Tutorial is a Christ-centered classical educational support program established to enhance, augment, and encourage the work of Christian homeschooling families. CFT offers high-quality academic classes and learning opportunities for homeschooling families, approaches our offerings from a distinctly Christian worldview and incorporates the methodology of the Classical educational model. Leah is a CiRCE certified Master Teacher, and an expert on The Lost Tools of Writing.
Deborah Harris
Mrs. Harris graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies (with a California K-8 certification) and has worked for eight years as a classroom educator, primarily in the elementary grades. She has taught at Foundations Academy in Boise, Idaho and Hope Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She lives in Oakdale, Minnesota with her husband and two sons. Since 2002, Debbie has focused on mentoring teachers in classroom management strategies and classical techniques. She currently serves as the Dean of Teaching Staff and Curriculum at Hope Academy.
Buck Holler
Michael B. Holler earned his B.A. in bible and theology with a minor in biblical languages from Shasta Bible College in Redding, CA (2001). In 2003 he received his M.A. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA where he majored in Old Testament studies. Following his education, Holler spent 3 years serving as a high school youth director in Northern California, where he also began teaching middle school students. From Northern California Holler moved to NYC to teach at the Geneva School of Manhattan from 2006 to 2009. He now resides in Winterville, North Carolina where he teaches Humanities and Latin at Christ Covenant School.
Before entering the world of Classical Education Michael “Buck” Holler trained reining cow horses and competed in the sport of Rodeo. At the age of 14 Buck fractured his skull on the bull Wolfman Skoal at a high school rodeo in Cottonwood, California. The following year he began riding Saddle Bronc horses and qualified for the California High School State Finals in 1992 and 1993 winning 3rd in the state, which took him to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyoming in 1993. During that time he also began training reining horses for Reined Cow Horse Hall of Fame trainer Skip Brown, owner and trainer of Doc Tom Tucker. Buck has been married to RaChael J. Holler for 14 years, and they have 3 girls: Sivana, Gavriel, and Trinity. In addition to horses and Classical Education, Buck loves the study of Trinitarian theology, languages, woodworking, leather carving, and the poetry of S. T. Coleridge. .
Lynne Spear
Lynne Spear has just finished her 20th year of homeschooling, recently graduating the third of her nine children. Through the years, Lynne has taught workshops at the Arizona homeschool convention, and spoken at various other conferences. She has taught film and literature classes, and, using George Grant's humanities curriculum, leads a high school level discussion group whose participants delight to read slowly and discuss deeply. At present she is working on the re-release of these materials as the King’s Meadow Humanities Curriculum. Lynne has been a member of an online community of classical Christian home educators for the past nine years. Her participation in this community has profoundly shaped her understanding of education. She has learned that the quality of one’s life is dependent upon the quality of the questions one asks, and Lynne has many questions.Mrs. Spear will be speaking about "the freedom of home education."
About The CiRCE Institute:
The CiRCE Institute is a leading provider of inspiration, information, and insight to classical educators throughout the U.S. and Canda through in-house teacher training,The Lost Tools of Writing composition curriculum, consulting on board development, school leardership, and school start-up, as well as the annual conference.
The CiRCE Institute is committed to the Christianity expressed in the historical creeds of the church, especially the Nicene Creed.