K–12 Workshops at the 2026 National Symposium for Classical Education

The K-12 workshops at the National Symposium for Education are designed to enhance the theme, Classical Education and the American Experiment, with interactive workshops on History, Lesson Planning, Art, Poetry, Physics, Essays, Shakespeare, Logic, and more. “We will be joined by several subject experts,” shared Carol McNamara, Director of Great Hearts Institute, who hosts the Symposium each year.

One K-12 workshop of note is “Full, Ready, and Exact: Becoming a Better Thinker’ presented by Andrew Pudewa, the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Presenting around the world, he addresses issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, and spelling with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan (Suzuki Method) and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his wife, Robin, homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of nineteen, making their home in Northeastern Oklahoma.

Pudewa will explore the vital roles of reading, conversation, and writing as tools to foster curiosity, creativity, ethical decision-making, and meaningful interpersonal communication. In describing this presentation, Pudewa shared, “Because artificial intelligence is now able to instantly do extensive research, create content with sophisticated vocabulary and reliably correct grammar, and even act as a proxy for individual thought, is it less—or more—important to cultivate these distinctly human arts of language in our students today? If the latter is true, why? And how can we do so while recognizing that our students live in a brave new information economy that will undoubtedly continue to expand its power to atrophy the skills it replaces?”

Andrew J. Zwerneman will be returning as a presenter again this year with the K-12 workshop, “With Right Reason & Moral Imagination: Teaching American History.” Zwerneman is co-founder and president of Cana Academy. He blogs weekly at www.canaacademy.org and is the author of History Forgotten and Remembered(2020), The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal (2022). and the forthcoming REMEMBER: Freedom and Responsibility Under History (2026). Zwerneman holds degrees in history, politics, and theology. Since 1983, he has been a teacher. Since 2016, he has helped train over 5,000 teachers.

In his workshop, Zwerneman will explore effective ways to teach American history as a field of humane studies. “Proper to its distinctive scope, history cultivates knowledge of the past and practical wisdom concerning our responsibilities in the present, enables a society to exist across generations, and fosters sympathies that bind a citizenry, even one as diverse as America’s.” he explained.

These incredible K-12 workshops, along with many others, will be presented at the Great Hearts National Symposium for Classical Education, held February 25–27, 2026, in Tempe, Arizona. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with fellow educators, renew your sense of purpose, and explore how classical education continues to shape the American experiment. Learn more and register for the pre-conference event and the Symposium at https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/

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