CiRCE Institute

A Conversation with Lea Marshall and Rachel Woodham.

"Another reason is something I heard from a colleague: you play like you play. I learn so much from watching the kids play games. I learn how they’re going to be on the stage, who is a good leader, who can be present, and who can listen to directions.

Whenever I have auditions, we play a couple of games in the beginning, especially if I don’t know all the kids that are auditioning, so I can get a feel for how they move, how they interact with other people, and how committed they are to the game. I have a friend who used to cast only based on how kids played games."

Players Gonna Play: An interview with Theater Teacher Lea Marshall | CiRCE Institute Lea is an award-winning theater teacher at my alma mater, Leon High School, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know at my former parish. I also know firsthand from students and parents just how beloved a teacher Lea is. Not only that, Lea is a master of play. A helpful sounding board at […]

From Lauren Larson.

Letter to a Friend: What is Classical Education and How is it Done? | CiRCE Institute The following was submitted for the final assignment required in the Advanced Pedagogy Course for the Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education at Belmont Abbey College. Dear Friend, Thank you for asking what I’ve been learning in my MACLE program. Did you know that my being here is thanks...

In Rhythms of Habit, priest, educator, and headmaster Jon Jordan explores the relationship between virtue, habit, and the Church Year. Drawing from Scripture, classical Christian wisdom, and years of pastoral ministry, he shows how the calendar of the Church serves as a practical guide to spiritual formation.

https://circeinstitute.org/product/rhythms-of-habit-cultivating-virtue-through-christian-time/

Advent teaches hope-filled longing. Lent cultivates repentance and self-denial. Easter forms us in joy and resurrection life. Throughout the year, the Church trains Christians in the habits necessary for a life of holiness.

Accessible, practical, and deeply rooted in the historic faith, Rhythms of Habit offers a compelling vision of discipleship for Christians seeking to grow in wisdom, virtue, and communion with God.

Whether you are a classical educator seeking a practical route to virtue formation or a Christian seeking to embody the virtues, this book will help you discover how entering into Christian time transforms us into the image of Christ.

Rhythms of Habit: Cultivating Virtue Through Christian Time | CiRCE Institute In Rhythms of Habit, priest, educator, and headmaster Jon Jordan explores the relationship between virtue, habit, and the Church Year. Drawing from Scripture, classical Christian wisdom, and years of pastoral ministry, he shows how the calendar of the Church serves as a practical guide to spiritual....

From Andrew Kern.

"It is a dismal symptom of our age that grammar is taught as if it were a post-mortem examination.

We treat the English sentence as a collection of cold, flinty stones to be counted and cataloged, or worse, as a series of rigid traffic signals designed solely to prevent a collision of meanings.

This is the grammar of the actuary and the clerk. It is static, it is sterile, and it is profoundly dead.

If we are to salvage anything of the dignity of our language, we must stop treating the sentence as a machine and begin treating it as a Person.

A sentence is not a formula; it is a life. And like any life, it possesses a distinct, organic hierarchy of being."

The Living Ghost: A Resurrection of the Sentence | CiRCE Institute It is a dismal symptom of our age that grammar is taught as if it were a post-mortem examination. We treat the English sentence as a collection of cold, flinty stones to be counted and cataloged, or worse, as a series of rigid traffic signals designed solely to prevent a collision of meanings. This....

From Anderson Underwood.

"Therefore, I’d like to offer a challenge (especially to upper school parents): Set a goal this year to read one book that your children are reading for school.

Why read what they’re reading?

For the readers among us, the answer may seem obvious. But for those less inclined, reading requires you to sacrifice downtime and amusements that you’ve come to depend on for rest or pleasure.

But the trade is worth making."

A Charge for Upper School Parents: Read with Your Kids | CiRCE Institute “I want to engage with what my student is reading and learning, but I never have time to read all the books they read.” Have you ever had this thought? Or maybe this one? “I was able to keep up with what my kids learned when they were in grammar school, but now that they’re […]

Are you in or near South Carolina? Come see us at a one-day workshop led by Tonya Rozelle!

When: Thursday, July 30, 2026, 9 AM - 4 PM

The classical renewal has grown and been refined over the past several decades. Join in a discussion on the historic roots of Christian classical education and where we are now, discovering together the fundamental elements that define education.

With our purpose freshly articulated, we will survey the particular tools that support our craft as classical educators. Become acquainted, or reacquainted, with education that leads your student towards a “human becoming” rather than just a “human doing.”

Classical Education Fundamentals Workshop - Greenville, SC | CiRCE Institute When: Thursday, July 30, 2026, 9 am – 4 pm Leader: Tonya Rozelle Location: 11 Crestline Road, Greenville, South Carolina 29609 The classical renewal has grown and been refined over the past several decades. Join in a discussion on the historic roots of Christian classical education and where we ar...

From Buck Holler.

"What do you remember about learning another language, any language? What did you spend the majority of your time studying, practicing, and memorizing?"

The Four Stages of Language Learning | CiRCE Institute What do you remember about learning another language, any language? What did you spend the majority of your time studying, practicing, and memorizing? My guess is that for most of us, our time was given to learning vocabulary and grammar. Each chapter or unit began with a new list of words that woul...

From Matthew Bianco.

"Dictation is slow. It is quiet. It is demanding. And it is deeply humane. It teaches students to listen carefully, write faithfully, and submit patiently to the form of words.

It cultivates linguistic sense, grammatical order, mechanical precision, and disciplined attention. In an educational culture marked by speed, distraction, and approximation, dictation stands as a counter‑practice worthy of recovery.

To practice dictation is to affirm that language deserves patience—and that students deserve to be formed by something worthy of their attention."

Dictation and the Education of Linguistic Sense | CiRCE Institute In contemporary classrooms, dictation is often dismissed as an artifact of a bygone pedagogy—mechanical, dull, and inimical to creativity. Such dismissals typically misunderstand both dictation itself and the nature of language. Properly practiced, dictation is neither rote nor busywork. It is a d...

Name-Your-Price Virtual National Conference Attendance!

To show our appreciation for the many gifts of support we have received over the last month, we are excited to announce that the 2026 CiRCE National Conference live-stream can be purchased at whatever cost you would like!

https://circeinstitute.org/product/2026-national-conference-virtual-ticket/

Beginning the morning of Thursday, July 16, and concluding around lunchtime on Saturday, July 18, registrants will be able to listen to 14 sessions over three days from speakers like Andrew Kern, Dr. Christopher Perrin, Heidi White, Dr. D.C Schindler, Dr. James Matthew Wilson, Joshua Gibbs, and many more.

Along with access to these sessions, registrants to the online offering will also receive will receive video and audio recordings of these talks at no extra cost.

2026 National Conference Virtual Ticket | CiRCE Institute The CiRCE National Conference is sold out, but with a 2026 Virtual Ticket, you can join us from wherever you are—whether individually or gathered with friends, colleagues, or your local community. With the 2026 Virtual Ticket, you get full access to: Live streaming of all plenary sessions Select b...

From Travis Copeland.

Aside from completing paperwork, training in new technology, and acquiring the needed insurance and health and safety certifications, teachers can be guided by two principles, two phrases, that will help do most of the legwork for framing everything that they need to be a good Christian educator.

The two principles are:

1. You Cannot Give What You Do Not Have

2. The Life You Save May Be Your Own

The Life You Save May Be Your Own | CiRCE Institute The world is awash with teaching principles, as numerous as the descendants of Abraham and the sands on the seashore. If you threw a dart into a set of school websites plastered on a wall, you’d be likely to hit something about the task of the teacher. The ideal candidate will…probably not read ...