From Latin drills and logic lessons to hands-on ceramics, local schools are embracing the ancient trivium to cultivate critical thinking, character, and a deeper love of learning.
March 20, 2026
Why classical education is gaining ground in St. Louis
St. Louis Magazine • Megan Rubenstein
This St. Louis Magazine feature highlights the growing interest in classical education and the way schools are helping students build strong minds, confident voices, and lasting character through deep learning and thoughtful discussion. It also shows that this approach is about more than academics, blending rigorous subjects with hands-on experiences like ceramics and wellness practices that nurture the whole child. Families are seeking educational communities where children can grow in wisdom, wonder, and purpose.
St. Louis Magazine
What if the life you long for is formed one teaspoon at a time? In this episode of Composed, Christine Perrin speaks with classicist, writer, and homeschooling mother Nadya Williams about the small patterns that fill a life: reading aloud on the couch, gathering friends around books and snacks, welcoming children into imperfect homes, and writing in the margins of family life. Together they explore motherhood, Christian human dignity, education, AI, and the hope of building a humane culture through local, faithful, ordinary practices. For mothers who feel stretched thin and are hungry for wisdom, this conversation offers a gentle invitation to begin with one small good thing.
How does a father help his son become a good man? In this episode of Forged, Brian Williams speaks with Marine veteran, novelist, and journalist Elliot Ackerman about the small habits and embodied patterns that shape a man’s life and form the next generation: wearing a suit with intention, writing a thank-you note, keeping a friend, caring for meaningful objects, reading deeply, and learning to live with purpose. Drawing from Ackerman’s series “A Man Should Know,” the conversation explores why fathers, coaches, mentors, and male friendships matter in a culture where many young men are left to make it up as they go. For fathers seeking to lead their homes with wisdom, steadiness, and hope, this conversation offers a clear reminder: formation often begins in the little things. Ackerman also reflects on the Marine Corps, the influence of his own father, the meaning carried by inherited objects, the discipline of writing, and the quiet work of raising children with both acceptance and standards. Together, Brian and Elliot consider how fathers pass on more than advice. They pass on habits, stories, loves, friendships, and a way of seeing the world.
After nearly 20 years of homeschooling, this mother is honest about both the work and the gift of educating her children at home.