Menu
Paul Boyer is currently serving as an Arizona State Senator and teaching Senior Humane
Letters and Junior High Latin at Glendale Preparatory Academy. He discovered classical
education “by accident” after he won his first election to the state legislature in
Arizona in 2019. Previously, he had worked a communications job at one of the largest
school districts in Arizona, but under the Arizona Constitution he was forced to look
for a new job where he was not considered a state employee. Teachers, however, are
an exception to the rule, so he interviewed for a 10th grade Humane Letters teaching
position at Veritas Prep in Phoenix, and he is now in his seventh year teaching with
Great Hearts. Looking to further his education in the classics, he began looking into
master programs, and he said “Once I saw the classes and the offerings of books to
read at the University of Dallas, I applied right away.” Read more.
Mara Borer currently teaches third grade at Great Hearts Irving Lower School. She
actually began working for the Great Hearts after-school program while she was still
an undergraduate at UD. The culture and curriculum of the school highly appealed to
her, so after graduating she entered the Apprentice Teacher program, which allowed
her to learn about teaching in a classical classroom from a master teacher. Nevertheless,
she reports, “When I first started teaching at Great Hearts, I wasn't quite sure how
to translate such intensive, high-level thinking into an elementary level education.
Luckily, UD's Classical Ed program, as well as my apprentice teaching experience,
has really transformed my concept of what a classical education is and what it can
do for even our younger students!” Read more.
Katherine Lawhon discovered the Classical Education program while searching for a
way to further her education that would help her run Aquinas Vancouver, a Classical Education Homeschooling Center. She and her husband started this center
after some encouragement from friends and due to her desire for a good homeschooling
community. Katherine had also planned on furthering her education with a Master's
program in Education; however, until she attended a CiRCE Institute conference, she
was unaware that there was another option than secular education. When she heard about
UD’s Classical Education program, she went to sign up for the following spring semester
as soon as she could. Since then, the program has helped her as she works as an administrator
at Aquinas Vancouver. When asked what made her choose UD’s program over others, she
says, “I did not know anything like it existed. I always kind of expected a secular
education. Whenever I looked up higher education programs, I always imagined it to
be secular, not classical.” Read more.
An 11th and 12th grade English teacher at Veritas Academy in Austin, Texas, Kathryn
has a deep enthusiasm for classical education. As a young student, she attended a
classical Christian school and enjoyed her experience so much that she jumped at the
opportunity for to work at a similar school after college. Having received her undergraduate degree in English and French from the University
of Texas, Kathryn was drawn to the Classical Education program at the University of
Dallas because of its specific design for classical educators. As a classical educator
herself, she loves how the things she is learning often apply directly to her job
and how she is able to continue teaching while pursuing her studies. Read more.
Jerilyn Olson is on track to finish her Master’s degree from the University of Dallas
this coming summer. Currently,
she serves as the Vice President of Professional Development for Great Hearts, a
network of classical charter schools in Arizona and Texas. She hopes to remain in
her current position with Great Hearts for the foreseeable future and use her experience
from UD both to improve her work within her own role and to encourage other students
to apply to UD. She discovered UD’s unique Classical Education program because of
the strong relationship between Great Hearts and University of Dallas, and she helped
other teachers get connected to the program before she herself decided to take advantage
of this opportunity. She describes how “it was nice to know that I could trust this
institution for a strong curriculum centered on the Great Books, and I can trust those
who were in the program to provide a good balance of like-mindedness and unique perspectives
that would challenge my thinking.” Read more.
Parker Novey only joined the Classical Education Program this summer, but he has already
begun to see the effects it is having on him as a teacher. Currently, Parker teaches
fourth grade at the Great Hearts Lower School in Irving, TX. It was when he made the
switch to Great Hearts Irving from his previous school that his desire to continue
his education in the classics was rekindled. His previous school, in New York City,
although "classical" in name—Parker soon discovered—was not classical in nature. This
discovery prompted him to turn to a place where true classical education was being
practiced both in administrative decisions and by his fellow teachers. Read more.
