As classrooms grow more casual, is something important being lost? This week’s Classical Et Cetera tackles the question of formality in both schools and homeschools. We explore why order, decorum, and even dress still matter in a classical education. Along the way, a listener brings us a question about balancing extracurriculars with the homeschool day—and how pursuits like music, art, and physical fitness fit within an ordered life. From playing with purpose to pajama days, we trace how formality shapes not just the classroom, but the character of the student and the culture of learning itself.

What We're Reading from This Episode:

The Two Gentlemen of Verona - William Shakespeare (Tanya)

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis (Tanya)

The Killing Stones - Ann Cleeves (Tanya)

Truth Matters - Robert P. George & Cornel West (Tanya)

Kristin Lavransdatter - Sigrid Undset (Carrie)

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle (Carrie)

From Dawn to Decadence - Jacques Barzun (Martin)

Mythology - Edith Hamilton (Martin)

Joseph Epstein (Martin)

King Lear - William Shakespeare (Jeremy)

Macbeth - William Shakespeare (Jeremy)