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Teaching and Learning in Community
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Three reasons to read—and love—Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
Folio 95r of manuscript Cotton Nero A.x., featuring the opening lines of Sir Gawain & the Green Knight Our first wonderful year of the...
Joseph Leake
Apr 54 min read
34 views


Why you should grapple with the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel is one of the most daunting books of the Bible. At forty-eight chapters, it is long. It immediately confronts the reader...
John Sundet
Jan 122 min read
46 views


Shedding light on “Epiphany”
What do these two things—the Adoration of the Magi and sudden realizations—have to do with one another? Why is "epiphany" used for both?
Joseph Leake
Jan 63 min read
19 views


Announcing a special Advent event
The Civitas School is excited to be co-sponsoring an Edwards Institute talk presented by Edwards Institute fellow (and Civitas teacher)...
Isabella Leake
Dec 8, 20241 min read
34 views


Civitas favorites: Music for Advent & Christmas
One of the ways Christ ministers to his people at this time of year is through music: the beloved Advent and Christmas songs that he...
Isabella Leake
Dec 1, 20244 min read
70 views


The blessing of busy, capable hands: Training attitudes as well as the skill of chores (Part II)
The last post gave three reasons to establish healthy work attitudes and routines for everyone in the family, but especially for...
Eleanor Georges
Nov 24, 20244 min read
24 views


The blessing of busy, capable hands: Training attitudes as well as the skill of chores (Part I)
1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as...
Eleanor Georges
Nov 10, 20243 min read
41 views


4 reasons to read—and love—Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”
In anticipation of the inaugural meeting of the Civitas Book Club , we present the following reasons everyone should read our book of...
Isabella Leake
Oct 7, 20242 min read
37 views


The humble origins of “Lord” and “Lady”
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of “lords” and “ladies”? Images of old-world aristocracy and wealth?...
Joseph Leake
Sep 15, 20242 min read
21 views


Coming this fall: Civitas Book Club
As the academic year begins, we are delighted to introduce a new series of community events, the Civitas Book Club . As our tagline—...
Joseph Leake
Sep 2, 20242 min read
70 views


Announcing our first Teacher Open House!
We're excited to invite prospective students and parents to our first Teacher Open House on Thursday evening, August 22, 2024 at the...
Isabella Leake
Jul 15, 20241 min read
47 views


Baking bread & making stories
What does baking have in common with creating a story? At first glance, they might seem unrelated activities, calling for totally...
Joseph Leake
May 12, 20242 min read
25 views


The delights and discoveries of etymology
Did you know that squirrel means “shadow-tail” in Greek (skíouros), or that a companion originally meant someone you break bread (Latin...
Joseph Leake
Apr 14, 20242 min read
22 views


A Hopkins poem for Easter Sunday
Today, we present for your delight a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, written around 1875. There is so much to like in this poem, but we...
Joseph Leake
Mar 31, 20241 min read
36 views


Announcing our Spring 2024 event...
We’re excited to share that plans are afoot for our upcoming event, titled Magistras et Majestas: Education and the Glory of God, on...
Isabella Leake
Mar 17, 20242 min read
94 views


Writers weigh in on the worth of old books
One of the priorities of a classical education is the reading of old books. That’s not to say we never read new books, but it is to...
Joseph Leake
Mar 3, 20243 min read
25 views


Eight thought-provoking quotes about education
What is the goal of education? What are the hallmarks of a specifically Christian education? And what, in its essence, is education?...
Isabella Leake
Feb 18, 20242 min read
95 views


The hidden link between Middle-earth & “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”: Part II
“I felt a curious thrill, as if something had stirred in me, half wakened from sleep.” J.R.R. Tolkien wrote these words in recollection...
Joseph Leake
Jan 21, 20245 min read
25 views


A musical Epiphany: “Videntes stellam” three ways
One of the joys of discovering Medieval and Renaissance music is finding the same text—often a Biblical text—used over and over again by...
Isabella Leake
Jan 6, 20245 min read
28 views


What’s so great about “The Holly & the Ivy”?
Today, on the Eve of Christmas, I’d like to share some reflections on one of my favorite Christmas carols, “The Holly & the Ivy.” Over...
Isabella Leake
Dec 24, 20235 min read
15 views
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