In this episode of the ClassicalU Podcast, Jesse Hake speaks with Dr. Patrick R. Manning about his book Be Still and Know: Contemplative Practice for Christian Schools and Educators. Drawing from the deep wells of the Christian contemplative tradition—from the Desert Fathers and Mothers to Benedictine, Ignatian, and Dominican spirituality—Manning argues that contemplation is not foreign to Christian education but central to it. He explores how reframing time, cultivating attention, and building intentional rhythms of silence and prayer can transform classrooms into “attention sanctuaries” in an age dominated by distraction. The conversation addresses pressing concerns such as student mental health, shrinking attention spans, and the pressures of productivity culture, offering both theological grounding and practical strategies for school leaders and teachers.

In dialogue with themes familiar to classical educators—such as those explored in ClassicalU courses The Scholé Way and The Monastic Tradition of Education by Christopher Perrin, and John Amos Comenius: A Visionary Reformer of Schools by Dr. David I. Smith—the episode connects contemplative practice to a broader recovery of attention in Christian schooling. Manning engages contemporary voices such as James Lang in Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It, Matthew Crawford in The World Beyond Your Head, and James Williams in Stand Out of Our Light, while drawing on the spiritual wisdom of Simone Weil in Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God, Wilfrid Stinissen in Eternity in the Midst of Time, and Sofia Cavalletti in The Development of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Through practices such as Lectio Divina and the Ignatian Examen, he calls Christian schools to reclaim their heritage—not by retreating from excellence, but by rediscovering how stillness strengthens attention, deepens community, and renews the soul of education.

In this episode of the ClassicalU Podcast, host Jesse Hake—joined by Scholé Academy Director Dr. Joylynn Blake—welcomes the leaders of Scholé Academy’s three Houses of Study: Monika Minehart, Fr. Nathan Dickinson, and Presb. Maria Koulianos. As representatives of three great Christian traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican, these classical educators engage in a rich conversation on soul craft, or spiritual formation that is both personal and communal. Drawing from spiritual practices found in the Book of Common Prayer and the Student Prayer Book, the Orthodox vision of theosis, and Catholic sacramental life, the guests reflect on how Christian education shapes the whole person. Informed by C. S. Lewis’s image of the Great Hall in Mere Christianity, the discussion explores how shared Christian foundations give way to distinct faith traditions where formation is lived out with depth and integrity.

Throughout, the educators describe how The Great Hall and Scholé Academy’s Houses— Aquinas House, Canterbury House, and St. Raphael School—cultivate theological clarity without dilution, honoring real differences while remaining united by the tenets of the Nicene Creed. The episode offers a compelling picture of classical Christian education as soul craft—patient, relational, and rooted in tradition—made tangible even within online classrooms. Explore courses at Scholé Academy where thoughtful attention has been given to the concept, courses, and the atmosphere that foster formative Christian education. ClassicalU courses closely related to this episode are School Culture Symposium: Top Presenters on Community and Virtue Formation and The Scholé Way.

In this episode of the ClassicalU Podcast, Jesse Hake speaks with Dr. Shannon Valenzuela about her new course releasing this spring on medieval literature and the harmonics of story. Beginning with Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy and culminating in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dr. Valenzuela shows how medieval authors understood stories as reflections of cosmic order, proportion, pattern, and harmony—a “story math” that structures their designs and animates their themes. Her approach integrates literature with the the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The conversation ranges across texts such as Beowulf, Cædmon’s Hymn, The Dream of the Rood, and Judith, revealing how Anglo-Saxon poetry unites heroic culture with Christian theology. Turning to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, including the General Prologue, Knight’s Tale, Wife of Bath’s Tale, and the comic Tale of Sir Thopas, the episode highlights medieval play, parody, and invention. Dr. Valenzuela also explores medieval drama through The Chester Play of Noah’s Flood and The Second Shepherds’ Play, alongside continental works like Christine de Pizan’s City of Ladies and Chrétien de Troyes’s Knight of the Cart. Throughout, the discussion contrasts harmony with disorder by examining monstrosity, transgression, and imbalance, engaging thinkers from Aristotle’s Poetics to Hildegard of Bingen. The episode invites educators to recover a vision of reading and learning in which literature, theology, mathematics, and music together disclose a world that is meaningful, ordered, and alive. Watch for Dr. Valenzuela’s forthcoming ClassicalU Course “The Harmonics of Medieval Storytelling” in the early spring of 2026.

Listeners may also be interested in other ClassicalU courses mentioned such as Junius Johnson’s “Teaching Medieval History: The Age of Light”and “Women in the Liberal Arts Tradition”.