Classical
Pedagogy
Classical
Assessment
Classical Curriculum
Development
About
I’m Carrie Eben, and I’m ready to serve as your strategist, consultant, and guide on the journey of cultivating classical education excellence in both private school and home school settings.
Over 20 years ago, I started my own odyssey as a classical educator… and like many classical heroes, I had no clue of the journey I had begun!
While finishing a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction from Oklahoma State University (and simultaneously awaiting the birth of my firstborn son), I taught in the inaugural first year of classical instruction at St. Augustine School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
There, I made a discovery that would change the trajectory of my life forever.Classical education awakened something deep in my soul, something that had been numbed by the postmodern theories of education offered in my master’s program.
Classical education offered truth, goodness, and beauty, not only to students… but to me as a teacher.
I knew I had to explore this curriculum and tools, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to share this with others.
My son grew to be school aged, and a daughter soon followed. A job-related move took our family to Texas, and on this stage of our journey, we enrolled our children in a local classical school, where I also taught music and writing.
This leg of our odyssey confirmed my love of the classical model, but I discovered I was ready to take the lead in educating our children myself. So after once declaring that I’d never be a homeschooling mom, I joined a nationally-known classical community-based homeschooling program, where I served as a grammar and writing tutor and tutor trainer, Parent Practicum speaker, junior-high and high school director, and Support Representative.
During our years of classical homeschooling, we embraced the classical model in the home as a lifestyle, not just a set of facts or a form of pedagogy.
And I reclaimed my own education, right alongside my children.
The years passed quicker than I could have imagined.
Remember that firstborn son I mentioned?
He’s since graduated from our classical homeschool and is a rising senior majoring in engineering and minoring in history.
And his sister? She’s entering her senior year of our home-based high school.
The vision that started so many years ago is coming to fruition, as our intentional lifestyle of classical learning keeps bearing fruit daily in rich conversations about the things that matter.
With my own children’s need for hands-on daily care diminishing, I returned to immersing myself in classical theory. I’m beginning my final year in the CiRCE Institute Master Teacher Apprenticeship program, where I’ve received training and mentorship in mimetic and Socratic modes of education. And because I believe in using leisure time well, I’m completing my Ph.D. in Humanities at Faulkner University.
In 2018, I started Sager Classical Academy in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where I serve as the board vice chair. My areas of expertise include curriculum choice and design, teacher development, and authentic assessment in the classical tradition. Amid startup stressors, a venue change, and a pandemic to boot, our enrollment has tripled in our three years of operation.
My odyssey has taken many twists and turns I never could have imagined 20 years ago, but the destination remains the same: to build classical education opportunities across the educational spectrum, by equipping professionals in traditional schools and homeschools alike.
Is delivering a rich classical education in a traditional school or homeschool setting your goal, too? Let me be your guide! Contact me today.
About
I’m Carrie Eben, and I’m ready to serve as your strategist, consultant, and guide on the journey of cultivating classical education excellence in both private school and home school settings.
Over 20 years ago, I started my own odyssey as a classical educator… and like many classical heroes, I had no clue of the journey I had begun!
While finishing a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction from Oklahoma State University (and simultaneously awaiting the birth of my firstborn son), I taught in the inaugural first year of classical instruction at St. Augustine School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
There, I made a discovery that would change the trajectory of my life forever.Classical education awakened something deep in my soul, something that had been numbed by the postmodern theories of education offered in my master’s program.
Classical education offered truth, goodness, and beauty, not only to students… but to me as a teacher.
I knew I had to explore this curriculum and tools, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to share this with others.
My son grew to be school aged, and a daughter soon followed. A job-related move took our family to Texas, and on this stage of our journey, we enrolled our children in a local classical school, where I also taught music and writing.
This leg of our odyssey confirmed my love of the classical model, but I discovered I was ready to take the lead in educating our children myself. So after once declaring that I’d never be a homeschooling mom, I joined a nationally-known classical community-based homeschooling program, where I served as a grammar and writing tutor and tutor trainer, Parent Practicum speaker, junior-high and high school director, and Support Representative.
During our years of classical homeschooling, we embraced the classical model in the home as a lifestyle, not just a set of facts or a form of pedagogy.
And I reclaimed my own education, right alongside my children.
The years passed quicker than I could have imagined.
Remember that firstborn son I mentioned?
He’s since graduated from our classical homeschool and is a rising senior majoring in engineering and minoring in history.
And his sister? She’s entering her senior year of our home-based high school.
The vision that started so many years ago is coming to fruition, as our intentional lifestyle of classical learning keeps bearing fruit daily in rich conversations about the things that matter.
With my own children’s need for hands-on daily care diminishing, I returned to immersing myself in classical theory. I’m beginning my final year in the CiRCE Institute Master Teacher Apprenticeship program, where I’ve received training and mentorship in mimetic and Socratic modes of education. And because I believe in using leisure time well, I’m completing my Ph.D. in Humanities at Faulkner University.
In 2018, I started Sager Classical Academy in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where I serve as the board vice chair. My areas of expertise include curriculum choice and design, teacher development, and authentic assessment in the classical tradition. Amid startup stressors, a venue change, and a pandemic to boot, our enrollment has tripled in our three years of operation.
My odyssey has taken many twists and turns I never could have imagined 20 years ago, but the destination remains the same: to build classical education opportunities across the educational spectrum, by equipping professionals in traditional schools and homeschools alike.
Is delivering a rich classical education in a traditional school or homeschool setting your goal, too? Let me be your guide! Contact me today.