Writer, historian, and educator

Publisher and editor-in-chief of Well-Trained Mind Press, a small press (distributed by W. W. Norton) that publishes K12 resources for teaching in the classical tradition.

Owner, Well-Trained Mind Learning Services, an educational consultancy

Member of the faculty, College of William and Mary, 1994-2012.

Board, The Clemente Course in the Humanities, www.clementecourse.org
Advisory Board, Education & Culture: A Critical Review, www.educationandculture.org
Contributing Editor, Comment, www.cardus.ca/comment

Education

• Ph.D. in American Studies, College of William and Mary in Virginia, 2007
  Concentrations in nineteenth-century American literature and the history of American religion
• M.A. in English Language and Literature, College of William & Mary, 1996
  Concentrations in 17th-century literature and translation theory
• M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary, 1991
  Concentration in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literature
• B.A. in English Language and Literature with Greek minor, 1988

Current Topics of Interest:

History and politics

• How our understanding of the immune system affects our perception of the world around us
• The connection between medical advances and cultural change; the interplay between our sense of physical vulnerability and our willingness to take social risks
• The rise of slavery before the Atlantic slave trade began
• Religious rhetoric in secular American politics
• The struggles of women in the contemporary world of American conservative religion
• The possibility of doing world history: telling a narrative that makes sense and encompasses the entire world

Education

• Neo-classical education: recovering the standards and skills of classical education for modern schooling
• Nontraditional educational paths
• The responsibility (and rights) of parents to take on the role of teaching children at home when their school options have failed
• Self-education for adults through reading the classics in literature, history, and politics
• Learning and teaching the basics of good writing, grammar, and persuasive argumentation
• Teaching world history on both on the college and secondary school level

Books

• Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education. W. W. Norton, 2018.
• The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, fourth ed. W. W. Norton, 2016 (previous editions 2009, 2004, 1999).
• The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, revised and updated edition, W. W. Norton, 2015.
• The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory.  W. Norton, 2015. (Previously published as The Story of Science.)
• The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople. W. W. Norton, 2013.
• The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade. W. W. Norton, 2010.
• The Art of the Public Grovel: Sexual Sin and Public Confession in America. Princeton University Press, 2008.

Curricula

• Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind: A Complete Course for Young Writers, Aspiring Rhetoricians, and Anyone Else Who Needs to Understand How English Works. Well-Trained Mind Press, 2018. A four-year series for middle and high school.
• The Complete Writer: Writing With Skill. Well-Trained Mind Press, 2015. A three-year pre-rhetoric program.
• The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease. Well-Trained Mind Press, 2009. A four-year elementary expository writing program.
• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child. Well-Trained Mind Press, 2008. A four-volume narrative world history for grades 1-6, along with accompanying teaching guides, tests, and supplementary materials.

Representative College Courses Taught

• British Literature Survey I and British Literature Survey II
• American Literature: Themes and Issues
• American Literature, 1865-1920
• Literature and the Bible
• Introduction to Creative Writing
• Advanced Expository Writing
• Creative Writing: Fiction
• Advanced Workshop in Fiction Writing

Representative Public Lectures

• A Plan for Teaching Writing, Grades K-12
• Neo-Classical Education: A Pattern for Modern Educators
• Teaching the Real Child: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Learning
• Parenting the “Good Kids” and the Odd Ones Out
• The Club Sandwich Generation
• Eating Meat with Compassion
• Grovel or Accuse: The Two Ages of Politics
• Anti-Vaxxers and the Medical Establishment: How Medical Science Laid the Groundwork for Skepticism
• Creationism and Climate Deniers: Where They Came From, and Why They Matter
• A Walk through Ancient History: A One-Day Seminar
• A Walk through Medieval History: A One-Day Seminar
• A Walk through the Worldwide Renaissance: A One-Day Seminar
• The Age of Human Capital
• The History of Science, From Aristotle to Quantum Physics: A One-Day Seminar
• Educating Yourself in the Classical Tradition: A One-Day Seminar

Lectures have been presented at the Smithsonian, the National Montessori Convention, the Royal Society of the Arts (London), the Midwest Educators Convention, the Florida Parent-Educator Association, and elsewhere.

Representative Workshops Given at Educational Conferences

• Rethinking School
• An Introduction to Classical Education
• Teaching Students to Work Independently
• Homeschooling the Real (Distractable, Impatient, Argumentative, Unenthusiastic, Non-Book-Loving, Inattentive, Poky, Vague) Child
• A Plan for Teaching Writing
• What is Literary Analysis? When, Why, and How Should I Teach It?
• What Is History? Why Should I Teach It?
• How to Read a Book (With Apologies to Adler)
• Sane College Admissions
• A Hands-On Seminar: Basic Literary Criticism
• A Hands-On Seminar: Constructing an Argument
• Educating Ourselves: How to Teach Ourselves

Workshops have been presented at many state education conventions; among them, the conventions sponsored by the Utah Home Educators Association, the Home Educators Association of Virginia, the Washington Homeschool Association, the Home Education Association of California, the Long Island/New York Home Schooling Convention, the Arizona for Home Schooling Families Convention, the Southeastern Homeschool Expo, and others.