One of the most unique feature of HRA's program is the organization of Upper School students into Houses. So what's the deal with that, anyway? Find out on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more o…

There's a noticeable difference in how upper school students are governed when compared to the younger divisions of HRA. Ever wonder why this is the case? Good news - you'll find the answers you seek in this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution…

Administration and faculty at HRA spend quite a bit of time making things look, well, traditional around the school - particularly when it comes to customs like boys holding doors, ladies going first, etc. Some would tell us that such behaviors are outmoded at best, repressive at worst. So why does HRA cultivate these practices? Find out on this ep…

Sports at HRA? So glad you asked! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of Ask Anything's music on FreeMusicArchive.orgDe către Highland Rim Academy

Senior thesis. HRA students work toward their senior thesis as a capstone on all their work at the school and particularly so for our seniors. So what is that all about? And why? And is it really as bad as the previous graduating class told us? Find out on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. T…

Highland Rim Academy's male faculty is blessed with a preponderance of rich & healthy facial follicles. Is this a happy accident of Providence or something more intentional? Find out on this very special episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0…

It seems that people either believe standardized tests are: (1) The most important part of the educational year. or (2) Everything wrong with the modern educational project. Which is the correct conclusion? Or is there a third view? Hit download, press play, and find out on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalac…

Yeah, yeah, yeah - we've heard it all before: Read to your kids, it's soooo important! But, for real, how important can it really be? Press play on Episode 32 of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of Ask Anyt…

Students at HRA get a lot of William Shakespeare during their time at HRA - in quotes, in reading, in watching, in acting. Have you ever wondered why? Find out in this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find…

Does this sound like any children you've met? The Pert age, which follows upon this (and, naturally, overlaps it to some extent), is characterized by contradicting, answering back, liking to "catch people out" (especially one's elders); and by the propounding of conundrums. Its nuisance-value is extremely high If so you're going to love this episod…

We're diverting a bit from the planned Episode 29 mentioned at the end of our last episode to look at an important topic: Why is a Classical Christian Education at HRA so Difficult? Hit that download button, press play, and lets get going on Episode 29 of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used u…

This week we're continuing (and finishing up) the conversation that began last week with a crop of HRA's finest! These guys and gals are sharp and you'll find out even more about what it means to look back on a Highland Rim Academy education. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons A…

What's it like to come out on the far side of an HRA education and look back on your time in the school? What do our graduates value about their education at Highland Rim? What about criticisms? Suggestions for improvement? Hit play on this one and find out the answers! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used …

College isn't the only route into a God-glorifying future but we know it will be one of the routes chosen by graduates of HRA. With that in mind we wanted to spend some time talking about college in general - who is it for, what is its purpose, how can we help parents think about their educational choices after HRA - and college entrance exams in g…

Have you ever wondered why Highland Rim Academy makes use of a school dress code? Turns out there is a method to the madness! Tune in to this episode of HRA Podagogy to find out why. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of A…

Boys, it appears, struggle in school in a way girls don't. Why is that? Can anything be done? How does Classical Christian Education address this issue? Find out on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can fi…

The odds are it'll happen at some point. Maybe its when your student is in eight grade, maybe it is sooner or maybe it is later. Still, it's likely to happen sometime. So what do you do? What will you do? Take a listen to this episode of HRA Podagogy and get some resources (including this article "Lunch in the Devil's Triangle" mentioned in this ep…

You think eight years of Latin in a long stretch? Try twelve years of music! So why does HRA major on... major and minor chords... music for so much of a student's time in the program? Find out on this episode! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Lic…

Latin. Eight years of it. Eight. years. And it seems like that is spent on chanting and in homework. So, for real, why the better part of a decade on a dead language? Find out in this episode!De către Highland Rim Academy

Why does HRA spend so much time reading stories, poems, and books written by pagans. Doesn't that sound like something a Christian school wouldn't do? I mean, aren't those texts, well, pagan? Find out why on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attrib…

Fairy tales, as originally written, are some grisly stuff. So why does HRA intentionally have young children read these stories? Spoiler alert: it has something to do with the vital work of forming moral imaginations. Find out more in this episode of Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the …

The history of mankind has produced a variety of cultures, each reflecting both the beauty of the God in whose image its members is made but also the wickedness inherited from our first parents. So why does HRA focus so intently on just one of those cultures? What's so significant about Western culture that students should spend their formative yea…

"Truth, Goodness, and Beauty" - that's a triplet that is heard often in the halls of Highland Rim Academy. What gives? Is this a faculty catchphrase? Does administration use it to hypnotize new hires? Again: why so much truth, goodness, and beauty? Find out on this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mine…

Ok, so Highland Rim focuses on Great Books (see Episode 15). You get that part. But wait a minute. The Quran Mein Kampf The Communist Manifesto Why are those books on the reading list? Why read those? Hit the download button, press play, and find out why in this episode of HRA Podagogy! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines.T…

Highland Rim Academy is a great books school. Okay... but what does that mean. What are (the?) great books? Who decided? Are there more coming in the future? Press play on this episode and find answers to all those questions and more! Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines.The song is used under the Creative Commons Attributio…

Have you ever asked yourself any of the following questions: Why does HRA have students memorize the confessions, creeds, and catechisms of the Christian faith?Is this just some kind of strange Classical Christian School thing? Isn't catechism just something believers in High Church traditions do? If so this is the episode for you! Hit download, pr…

Highland Rim Academy doesn't play around when it comes to Physical Education. Have you ever wondered why they take such a demanding approach to a program that has been minimized (if not completely eliminated) in the broader world of education? What principles shape the program that students participate in and what are the ultimate goals of the prog…

HRA has students memorize a lot of stuff. A lot. Why? Is this an example of the dreaded drill-em-and-kill-em approach that progressive educators have warned against for the last century or is there a reason for the repetition? Find out in this episode of Podagogy!De către Highland Rim Academy

Herman Newticks? Don't believe I've ever met him. Heremeneutics isn't a word lots of people meet in their daily conversations. However, HRA requires students to study the subject? Why is that? On this episode of Podagogy Headmaster Nick Duncan and guest Jeff Wright talk about why this subject is essential not just for well educated students but for…

Nota bene: Yes, we realize there isn't an Episode 9... yet. Stay tuned! Week 4 of the school year and we're already up to our ears in homework. Students (and Parents!) want to know: Why so much homework? Here's your chance to find out straight from the lion's mouth. Listen in as Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Wright talk about HRA's strategic use of homework.…

This week HRA's Podagogy gets into the time-tested teaching strategy known as the Socratic Method. This style of teaching fills Highland Rim Academy classrooms so people want to know: What is the Socratic Method, why is it so helpful to Classical Christian Education, and what are some common misconceptions about the methodology? Find out the answer…

"Latin is not dead. It is immortal." Find out in this episode why HRA is committed to teaching the language that ruled The West fora thousand years. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of Ask Anything's music on FreeMusicAr…

In this episode Upper School Department Head Terry Gant joins Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Wright to discuss Classical Me, Classical Thee: Squander Not Thy Education by Rebekah Merkle. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of Ask Anyt…

Highland Rim Academy seeks to graduate young men and women, transformed by the gospel and sharpened by rigorous academic pursuit, for the purpose of cultural reformation and a life of servant leadership. This episode will unpack and discuss implications and ramifications of our carefully-worded vision statement. What exactly are we doing at Highlan…

This episode is for current as well as any prospective families as Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Wright explain some of the fundamentals about how Highland Rim Academy operates, share it's 11 year history, and discuss why its structure and operations are uniquely suited to best serve students in the Upper Cumberland. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, App…

Most Highland Rim families seek enrollment with the desire to have their children in a Christian school. But what is the classical model and how does it fit with the goal of Christian discipleship in the classroom? What exactly is this "new old way?" Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative C…

Join Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Wright as they discuss the imperative of a distinctively Christian education as a key component in the discipleship of our children. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more of Ask Anything's music on Fr…

Trivium? Omnibus? Riggs? ACCS? This episode breaks down what sometimes feels like a foreign language spoken in the hallways of Highland Rim Academy. Join Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Wright as they begin to explain the school's many distinctives, starting with the grammar stage, of course. Thanks to Ask Anything for our theme, Appalachian Coal Mines. The so…