Schooling America
The Schooling America podcast covers issues and ideas relevant to leaders in American education. We bring in the brightest minds in administration, philosophy, culture, and beyond to reflect on topics that directly impact schools, organizations, and the children and families they serve. From cultural issues to operations to curriculum and pedagogy, Schooling America seeks to enrich the ideas, strategy, and execution of education institutions nationwide.
Schooling America
Becoming a Head of School—on Accident w/ Matt Skinner | Part 1 | The Furrows
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Matt Skinner spent over two decades leading Christian schools—most notably as the longtime head of school at Heritage Preparatory School in Atlanta, Georgia.
But he didn't start there. He's a Texas-raised athlete, former CPA, and reluctant educator who found his calling at a school board meeting in 1995—having never once set foot in a school as anything other than a student.
Today he does consulting work, helping schools and leaders think through the kind of formation and culture that actually sticks.
What's in This Episode:
- How an athlete and CPA became a head of school—by accident
- Why easy schools produce fragile students
- The case against snowplow parenting and what to do instead
- How The Lost Tools of Learning flipped his view of Christian education
- What it actually takes to build a high school from scratch
Chapters:
- 00:00: Intro & Guest Welcome
- 02:32: Growing Up in Texas
- 04:55: Flaming Out at Rice
- 07:45: A Damascus Moment
- 10:05: Baseball, Tracy, and Starting Over
- 14:26: The Board Retreat That Changed Everything
- 28:04: Failure, Grit, and Snowplow Parenting
- 40:12: Stepping Into the Head of School Role
- 49:55: Discovering Classical Education
- 59:27: Building Heritage's High School
Resources:
- The Lost Tools of Learning — Dorothy Sayers
- Society for Classical Learning
- Arcadia Education
- Classical Learning Test (CLT)
- Heritage Preparatory School
Hosted by Ryan Klopak (Arcadia Education) and Alex Julian (CLT). The Furrows podcast features leaders in classical education who have been transformed by classical education.
Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios
