When choosing speakers for an event in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on the topic of Classical Education, you really have to think of Barbara Rogers of Coram Deo Academy. I first met Barbara 15 years ago when we sang in the same church choir. I watched her raising, and educating, her children with great success and with a good-natured seriousness that I found inspiring. Leave it to Barbara to come up with a presentation that applies her depth of knowledge to the practicalities and delights of daily life.

A Cup of Beauty: The Art of Hospitality

In our fast-paced and informal society, it is easy to dismiss hospitality as a long-forgotten and lost art. Yet our frenetic pace of life with its constant digital distractions and disruptions needn’t hijack the family dinner hour or diminish our seasonal celebrations. Children can and should learn how to respond with attentiveness and kindness to friends and family, sojourner and stranger.

This workshop will explore practical tips for developing rituals at home and in the classroom which awaken the student’s heart and mind to see the needs of others. Beginning with the Greek concept of xenia, we will look briefly at examples in Homer and Ovid of both the rewards and abuses of hospitality. Rublev’s Icon of The Holy Trinity (also known as The Hospitality of Abraham) will also serve as a basis for reflecting on ancient hospitality.

Homeschool parents, administrators, and teachers will glean ideas for enriching the lives of their students and developing their characters through the practice of hospitality. Annual cycles of holidays and school events (such as admission meetings for inquiring families, history festivals, and Grandparents Day) also provide a rich palette for cultivating this art in formal school settings.

Conference details and registration information can be found here.