Purposeful Paideia
5th Annual New England Consortium of Classical Educators Conference
July 10-11, 2026 • First Church Merrimack, New Hampshire
Please reach out to necce@theclassicalconsortium.com with any questions.
Culture is around us and within us. It is what has formed us and continues to form us as human beings, as family members, and as parts of our communities. Because we live in the intersection of current and historical cultures, it is very difficult to distinguish what is desirable culture from what is not. The character- and life-altering forces of cultural paideia are at work in us all the time.
In the Classical, Christian renewal are we preserving western culture or are we merely navigating its ruins? Are we finding or making a middle path between the new and the old? More importantly, as Christians, are we a leavening to the culture around us or are we a city on a hill?
As pilgrims, parents, and pedagogues, what we choose to hold onto and pass on is our paideia. Choosing carefully what aspects of culture are worthy of preservation is never an easy task, but it is imperative that we do it with purpose. At the Consortium Conference 2026, we will explore the traditions that we have received and how we decide what we ought to deliver to the next generation.
“I have found, both in my own experience and in that of others, a classical education conference is always a great boost—like a super-nutrition energy drink for the mind and soul, helping us to refresh our vision of how to implement a different (and superior!) method of teaching our students today. The New England Consortium of Classical Educators conference is just this kind of conference.
Classical Christian education is more human, richer, focused on the real purpose of education, which should be to learn to love that which should be loved--the good, true, and beautiful. Don’t miss your opportunity to revitalize yourself by attending the New England Consortium of Classical Educators conference. You will, undoubtedly, never regret making it a priority to continue growing in your love and understanding of our great tradition.
— Andrew Pudewa.
Conference Schedule
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12:30pm | Doors open & registration
1:00pm | Welcome | Heatherly Sylvia
1:15pm | Opening Keynote | Timothy Knotts, “An Invitation into Humanity”
2:15pm | Breakout Session 1
Stephanie Wilbur, “Formed by That Bright End: Faerie tales and the Moral Imagination
Alexandra Gonzalez, “Making History Memorable for Homeschoolers and Life-long Learners”
Heatherly Sylvia, “Becoming a Bibliophile”
Sarah Abbott, “Mimetic Teaching in Mathematics”
Ron Jung, Christian Halls International, “Purposeful Discipline”
3:20pm | Breakout Session 2
Aaron Bittner, “The Good, True, and Beautiful, Arthur Cycle"
Kenneth Hansen, Hillsdale K-12, “On the Forgotten Virtue of Civic Piety”, Aquinas, Aeneas, and Adams
Karen Carlson, LILAC Connections, “Be Found Faithful: Daily Discussions of Stewardship with Students”
Timothy Knotts, “Urania and Astronomy: A Musical Approach to Mathematical Education”
Rebekah Mower, Classical Conversations, “Paideia out of Chaos: Classical Education in a Busy Home.”
4:15pm | Keynote | Sarah Abbott, “Simon Says”
6:00pm | Meet & Greet dinner | Local Restaurant *See separate registration
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8:30am | Doors Open
9:00am | Welcome | Timothy Knotts
9:10am | Keynote | Alexandra Gonzalez, “Enduring Under Adversity”
10:40am | Consortium Address | Heatherly Sylvia
11:10am | Poetic Knowledge Panel | Sarah Abbott
12:00pm | Catered Lunch
1:00pm | Breakout Session 3
Heatherly Sylvia, “Creating a Classical Family Structure: mentoring and Discipleship"
Sarah Abbott, “The Nature and Cultivation of Poetic Knowledge”
Lee Wishing, Grove City College, “Sell Them Hard on Seeking Power and Love”
Sharon Carlson, Gordon College, “Today’s Telemachus: Mentoring Students in Their Journey of Faith”
2:00pm | Breakout Session 4
Stephanie Wilbur, “Good Enchantment: Introducing Poetry to Children”
Alexandra Gonzalez, “A Workshop on ‘Mimetic Writing’”
Eric Cook, Society for Classical Learning, “Forming Humility in a Cultured Age”
Jennifer Devereux, “The Paideia of Latin: Incorporating Comprehensible Input in a Grammar-Translation World”
3:15pm | Keynote | Heatherly Sylvia, “Creating ‘the Last Homely House’”
4:00pm | Closing | NECCE Team