The Commons

The Commons


Latest Episodes

The Problem of Quiet Classrooms: Technology & Isolation
July 09, 2020

In this final episode of season four, Brian Phillips reflects on changes in classroom culture and the role technology has played in those changes. The days of walking into a high school or college classroom and asking students to quiet down

Understanding Hollywood’s "War" on Family
July 02, 2020

In this episode, Brian Phillips and Matt Bianco discuss how parents are portrayed in film and the media. Is the apparent war on the family intentionally destructive, or are parent portrayals rooted in something else entirely? Hosted on Acast.

Loving the Natural Sciences: An Interview with Gordon Wilson
June 25, 2020

In the episode, Brian Phillips talks with Dr. Gordon Wilson (Senior Fellow of Natural History at New St. Andrews College) about his recent works: A Different Shade of Green: A Biblical Approach to Environmentalism & the Dominion Mandate and&

Dealing with Difficult People
June 18, 2020

with Matthew Bianco

A Spirit of Inquiry: An Interview with Dr. Pano Kanelos (President of St. John’s College)
June 09, 2020

In this episode of The Commons, Brian Phillips interviews Dr. Pano Kanelos (President of St. Johns College), to discuss life at St. Johns, classical education at the college level, and the spirit of inquiry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f

Classical Educators & the Church: An Interview with Dana Gage
June 01, 2020

Welcome back to season four of The Commons with Dr. Brian Phillips! In episode 4.1 classical educator and pastors wife Dana Gage joins Brian Phillips for a talk about how classical education and church life intersect. Gage tells her story of what its li

On School Aesthetics, with Brian Daigle
July 10, 2019

Classical educators frequently discuss Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, but of these three, Beauty is the most misunderstood. In this episode of The Commons, a podcast about school leadership, Dr. Brian Phillips is joined by Brian Daigle of Mud House Art for

Leading People, Not Systems
May 09, 2019

Welcome back to The Commons, a podcast featuring conversations and contemplation about the challenges of school life and leadership, hosted by Dr. Brian Phillips.St. Benedict wrote that an abbot should "so regulate and arrange all matters that souls may b

Outrage, Solomon, & Kids with Smartphones
May 01, 2019

Welcome back to The Commons, a podcast featuring conversations and contemplation about the challenges of school life and leadership, hosted by Dr. Brian Phillips.In the episode, Brian discusses our tendency to assume the worst of others, our "age of outra

Keith McCurdy on the Value of Struggle
March 06, 2019

Brian Phillips is joined by Keith McCurdy, President and CEO of Total Life Counseling in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition to his over 30 years of counseling experience, Mr. McCurdy has spoken at the annual conferences for the Society for Classical Learning