Beauty: The Heart of a Classical Education
Sunderland, MA ~ June 23- 24, 2023
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators summer conference is a two day teaching and training event for anyone interested in Classical Christian Education. Educators, families, and community leaders can receive professional development and a greater understanding of the purpose and practice of the educational movement sweeping the nation.
Classical Christian education is rooted in Christianity and the liberal arts, and fosters the apprehension and appreciation of that which is good, true, and beautiful. Further, classical educators encourage students by means of Scripture, Socratic dialogue, and the Great Books to approximate their lives toward virtue, wisdom, and objective truth.
Learn more about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators HERE.
2023 Conference Speakers
Sarah Abbott lives on an oddly named road, across the street from a very old cemetery, in the backwoods of Massachusetts. Having taught and graduated her son, Malachi, she now devotes her time to learning about the arts, reading all kinds of literature, and uncovering connections between the arts, literature, culture, and what it means to be human. Sarah is a classical educator and student with over twenty-five years of experience teaching, training, writing, coaching, and administrating, which she is currently doing through her work for Classical Conversations and in her role as a Kepler teacher. In addition to her ardent love of strong coffee, Sarah is thrilled to serve as co-founder of the consortium (now NECCE), which allows her to do exciting things like lead a one-of-a-kind book club in her home and conduct training in classical pedagogy.
Jennifer Courtney has a passion for developing curriculum that helps homeschool parents to give their children a classical, Christian education. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma and have home educated their four children, three through graduation. She currently serves as the Sr. Global Curriculum Director for Classical Conversations MultiMedia. Jennifer is the author of Ancient World Echoes, Old World Echoes, and New World Echoes. These readers include fairy tales, fables, and poems designed to be read as a family. As a child, Jennifer loved Charles Dickens so much that she used to carry a hardback copy of his stories to kindergarten.
Jenifer Devereux lives in Connecticut with her awesome husband and a ridiculous dog. She has been in classical education for over twenty years, having homeschooled and launched her two adult daughters. Jenifer is a Latin apprentice in Circe’s Tirocinium Latinum program. An Oregon native and retired military spouse, Jenifer spends her free time reading, quilting, and camping as much as possible.
Alexandra Gonzalez is a homeschooling mother of three from Westford, MA. A devout student and guide of the humanities, Alex graduated from the CiRCE Institute Apprenticeship Program in 2020, earning the title of CiRCE-certified master classical educator. Alex founded two classical Christian homeschooling communities which continue to thrive today: an elementary co-op in 2016 and a micro school for the humanities for high school students in 2019. Every year Alex directs all the students, ages 5 – 18, in a Shakespeare production at a local theater. For the past four years, Alex has enjoyed her dream job of guiding high schoolers through great works by the likes of Homer, Virgil, Plato, and Shakespeare. She aspires to publish an integrated humanities curriculum in the near future.
James E. Hartley is Professor of Economics at Mount Holyoke College, where he has taught multiple courses using the Great Books, including “Western Civilization: An Introduction Through the Great Books,” “Leadership and the Liberal Arts,” “Is Business Moral?” (developed with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities), and numerous tutorials on the Western Canon. He has received Mount Holyoke’s award for teaching, was listed in the Princeton Review’s Top 300 Professors, and was a Fulbright Fellow in Kolkata, India.
Scott B. Key has devoted his life to imparting to the next generations the value of Biblical truths, a classical education and a life lived with joy and meaning. As a recently retired Professor of Philosophy, Scott seeks to assist students, educators and professionals to think deeply and carefully about their calling from the perspective of the Christian worldview. He and his wife, Mary, home-educated their three now-adult children and have recently moved to Northfield, MA, to run the C.S. Lewis Study Center.
Timothy Knotts is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four protégés. He is the author of Reasoning Together: Philosophy, a soon to be released high school introduction to philosophy, and is occasionally published on the CiRCE and Kepler blogs. Timothy is a Lead Curriculum Developer for Classical Conversations, a CiRCE Institute certified master teacher, a recovering attorney, an amateur poet, and lover of the beautiful.
Scott Postma lives in the panhandle of Idaho with his bride of more than 30 years where he serves as the president of Kepler Education—an online consortium of independent classical educators—slowly writes on his doctoral dissertation, and practices the ancient art of Tsundoku. He served as a minister for 20 years, has been an educator for nearly 30 years, and he and his wife homeschooled their four adult children. Scott blogs at scottpostma.net.
Juliana Schneider has worked within public schools for over twenty years, most recently as an elementary school principal. Seeking a more integrated life, she finds herself looking beyond the limits of public education. Drawing inspiration from her Orthodox Christian Faith, her family, the past Great Thinkers and the many people she is meeting on this classical journey, she is working toward starting a classical school. She is currently in her second year of CIRCE’s 3-year Apprenticeship, and though she thought she would be studying Classical Education, she has quickly learned that in fact she is learning how to become a better person. She is delving into all the books she wished she read years ago, learning the importance of form in her writing, and is enjoying meeting others who are challenging her in ways she never expected. Most importantly, she is watching the silos begin to merge toward a more integrated and meaningful life.
While she writes this, her silly greyhound Nellie is trying to be a lapdog, the twinkle lights are sparkling and there is light jazz on in the background. She lives north of Boston, just a stone’s throw from the ocean.
Heatherly Sylvia is passionate about the Word and words; her love of literature, language, and classical pedagogy is contagious. A passionate speaker, teacher, and mentor, she has a reputation for making difficult concepts approachable and practical. Heatherly is co-founder of the New England Consortium for Classical Educators, where she focuses on equipping life-long learners. She lives with her husband and two children in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
