PCA Training Conference - Jan. 10, 2026
Our annual training conference for all teachers and parents to be further equipped in classical Christian education. This training will be put on by the New England Classical Consortium of Educators. Lunch will be provided; childcare is offered (sign up here, limited availability).
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Location: SouthPointe Christian Church
SCHEDULE
Our time together will be a mix of teaching and interaction. Bring your questions and curiosity. Come ready to learn and grow.
8:00
Arrive, register, drop off kids at childcare (if applicable).
Grab coffee/tea and light breakfast food.
8:30
"PCA State of the Union" - Learn more about where PCA is at currently and where we're headed in the next 5-10 years.
9:00
Session 1: "What is classical Christian education?" Learn more about what exactly is CCE and why it's different than other models of education. Q&A afterwards.
10:00
BREAK - Light drinks and snacks provided
10:20
Session 2: "The Order of Learning" - Have you noticed that your students seem to know things before you teach it to them? They come pre-filled with a sort of innate knowledge of big ideas like fairness, friendship, and honesty. But no matter how many questions you might ask, you can never get them to deduce who discovered the element Francium or what year the Boer Wars started.
In this session, we will explore how the classical educator can both fill students’ minds with important information and expect deep conversations at the right time by considering the order of learning as explained by Plato and the medievals.
11:30
Lunch (provided by PCA)
12:30
Workshops (Round 1 of 2)
[PCA Teachers Only] "Mimetic Teaching: Part 1 of 2" - How to teach a skill. Students 'own' their knowledge when they are led to discover it for themselves. While information can be communicated by lecture or reading assignments, ideas, and skills are best taught by a presentation of types, deduction, and imitation. This session will demonstrate the mimetic form of teaching that can be used with any skills-based content to enhance student mastery.
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[PCA Parents] "The Place of the Pagans" - What has Jerusalem to do with Athens? Why read the pagans if the Bible is enough? Basil the Great taught that the good student should be taught to be like a bee- taking what is good and true from even pagan books but steering clear of those that are useless or profane. This session explores the normative power of literature and how to harness it, even books that don’t talk about Jesus.
1:15
BREAK - Light drinks and snacks provided
1:30
Workshops (Round 2 of 2)
[PCA Teachers Only] "Mimetic Teaching: Part 2 of 2" - How to teach a skill. Students 'own' their knowledge when they are led to discover it for themselves. While information can be communicated by lecture or reading assignments, ideas, and skills are best taught by a presentation of types, deduction, and imitation. This session will demonstrate the mimetic form of teaching that can be used with any skills-based content to enhance student mastery.
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​[PCA Parents] "Educating the Whole" - Classical Christian Education is not merely a curriculum that leans into old books. Nor is it a contemporary pedagogy paired with a class on Bible or school-wide chapel. Growing as a faculty towards a more ‘classical’ approach requires a whole-person and whole-school mindset.
2:45
Closing remarks, next steps.
3:00
End.
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