Help Your Teachers Master the Art of Classical Teaching
We believe that a classical liberal arts education is a vehicle that ushers humans toward deep healing and transformation. It is the birthright of every living soul to encounter this transformation and flourish. Sure, students who learn this way will have an impressive transcript, be college-ready, and shine in the workforce, but they will, more importantly, become more themselves, notice the humanity of others, seek understanding instead of remaining in ignorance, and rule themselves like the best of kings and queens. At the end of the day, this restructuring of priorities and a focus on the true, good, and beautiful leads to a life of wholeness and fulfillment, a life of “more than we could ask or imagine.”
With that said, it can feel out of reach, especially if you are just getting started. Whether you are an independent teacher, a newer classical school, or even a classical school with a group of new classical teachers, we can help you find your footing and confidence on this beautiful and ancient path. We offer custom curriculum, teacher training, and support communicating what you do to the many interest groups you regularly encounter.
Available Topics for Consulting, Training, & Speaking
Classical Teaching
- Identify where you are currently + your path for growth and mastery.
- Increase confidence and clarity in how to teach.
- The art of open and nourishing group discussions.
- Assessment & rubrics that meet logistical needs and do not compromise your classical values.
- Easy routines for complex content areas.
- How to plan a year, week, day, and lesson.
Classical Leadership
- Leadership grounded in classical principles.
- Effective and harmonious communication and decision-making between teachers, parents, donors, and leadership.
- Creating a spirit of unity among all the roles in your community.
- Parent & teacher training.
- Roles Assessment
- Creating classical and inclusive learning environments.
Services
Whether you are an individual teacher looking to master your craft of classical teaching or a school looking for support with curriculum, teacher training, and communications, we can help.
Learn about our services, coaching, and consulting solutions here.
If you are looking for our free monthly Classical Educators reading group, find more information here: Join the Paideia Nights Reading Group
Custom Consulting & Speaking
Jennifer is available for the following:
- Speaking at your event, conference, workshop, or retreat.
- Teacher training at your school or learning community.
- Training for your leadership team or administration around classical leadership, and creating a unified classical culture.
- One-on-One and small group coaching related to classical teaching and classical leadership.
Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help your community flourish.
The Fellowship: A Classical Teacher Coaching Program
The Fellowship is a year-long coaching program for classical teachers at home and school.
The Paideia Fellowship Homeschool Academy
The Paideia Fellowship Online Homeschool Academy offers a thorough and restful classical humanities program taught by skilled and loving teachers so you can breathe easy knowing your child is learning, completing their courses, and growing in wisdom and virtue… all while at home. The online program integrates history, literature, rhetoric, writing, logic, oratory, and philosophy into one complete and cohesive program.
The Five Realms of Becoming a Classical Teacher
The Five RealmsTM is a framework for understanding and mastering the work, mindsets, and skills an educator moves through in order to grow as a classical teacher. The Five Realms draws deeply on the tradition and brings it to life in a way that works in modern learning environments. The practice of the Five Realms works in homeschooling, public schools, private schools, and across all socio-economic, geographical, religious, and cultural spaces.
Forget the red tape, master the art, and flourish in the classroom and your community.
Our Teaching and Training Style
“We must press on, the subject is worth it.” -Socrates
Thorough & Thoughtful
Paideia Academics is committed to exploring, studying, and implementing the classical liberal arts holistically and authentically. Our training helps you and your participants understand the liberal arts, how to think about them, and how to teach them while knowing you are connected to the classical tradition.
Immersion
Humans learn best through experience and imitation. We craft custom training that slowly leads you and your people through real classes like nature study, literature, history, logic, oratory, and rhetoric. You learn, we discuss, and the presenter offers insights, tips, and principles for teaching as we all reflect on the experience together.
Practical & Down to Earth
The classical tradition is replete with wise and deep ideas. Often times those ideas are what drew us to join this movement. In our training, we take those deep and complex ideas and principles and present them in an enthusiastic and approachable way. We provide examples, templates, and resources for bringing these arts and principles to life in your homeschool, home, community, or school.
Inclusive
We know truth, goodness, and beauty may be found in any book, culture, or person, whether an ancient liturgy, a child, a tribal story, an old poet, or a modern-day musician. Rather than a specific earthly culture, political agenda, or religious tradition, we embrace and learn from the works, art, and customs across the Globe and among many nations. We believe the classical liberal arts are the ultimate common ground and place of dignity for every human soul, and no one group or culture owns it.
Jennifer-Ruth Dow
Founder/Executive Director
Jennifer Dow is a classical teacher, consultant, and artist. Jennifer has completed the CiRCE Apprenticeship as a CiRCE certified Classical Teacher, is currently pursuing her masters in the liberal arts, and has taught humanities, logic, rhetoric, and the fine arts since 2009. She is the founder and director of Paideia Academics, an organization devoted to training new classical educators how to teach the classical liberal arts.
Jennifer’s published works and podcast appearances can be seen across the web. Jennifer was a contributing author for The Lost Tools of Writing Level 1, published by The CiRCE Institute, and former co-host of The Classical Homeschool Podcast. Jennifer has spoken at dozens of events across the nation on how to encounter human flourishing through the classical liberal arts. Currently, Jennifer is writing her first book about the journey of becoming a classical teacher. Her research interests include classical rhetoric, classical pedagogy, world mythology, the intersection between education and healing, and how we find belonging on this side of eternity.
Jennifer, an Orthodox Christian, lives in North Carolina with her daughter. She enjoys spoken word poetry, trying her hand at fancy French food, collecting more books than she’ll ever read, and sauntering about in nature.
Read Jennifer’s complete bio here, including links to lectures and free resources.