The way that classical educators think and talk about education is fundamentally different than the way most of us have been taught to think our entire lives. When training new teachers — who are rarely trained in classical education — we like to say it is like crawling out of the Atlantic Ocean, running across the continent and jumping into the Paci c. Teachers are changing educational oceans, and they have to come across a large, rocky continent of vocabulary, philosophy, psychology and experience to get there. Because so many teachers in classical schools come from progressive backgrounds, it is essential for them to understand three crucial differences: 1) who we teach; 2) how we teach; and 3) why we teach. New teachers — and those who train them — will leave this session with a rm grasp on some key vocabulary within classical education, as well as a clear picture of how it compares to the educational environment of the last century. We will also discuss a few practical pedagogical tools every classical educator needs in his or her repertoire. Lastly, we’ll discuss why what we’re doing matters, not only for the embodied souls of our students, but for the public good, as well.
Dusty Kinslow
Dusty Kinslow holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and has served as the Head of Austin Classical School since it opened in 2013. In the last five years, the school has grown from 13 to over 120 thriving students. ACS is a blended-schedule school that partners with families in the classical Christian education of their students, facilitating learning between days on campus and days at home. As such, Dusty also serves as homeschool mom to her three children within this unique model. She enjoys equipping teachers — both those in the classroom and those in their homes — with the tools to teach effectively, and she loves to come alongside educators to encourage them in the noble, difficult, creative and worthy endeavor of teaching. When she’s not teaching or leading, Dusty can be found sitting next to her husband while they cheer for their kids on the soccer field, watching reruns of The Offce or listening to any number of interesting podcasts while folding seemingly endless piles of laundry made possible by the aforementioned kids.
