Cultivating the Moral Imagination Through Stories: An Introduction to Core Virtues - Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast

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[00:00]
A
Hey, it's Scott Bertram, host of the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour and the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast. I want to know what do you think about the show you're listening to right now? Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the survey Pop up to take our very first ever listener survey. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what you want to hear from us in the future. Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the Pop up to take the survey and thank you for listening.
[00:40]
B
Welcome to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, bringing you insight into classical education and its unique emphasis on human virtue and moral character, responsible citizenship and content, rich curricula and teacher led classrooms. Now your host, Scott Bertram.
[00:59]
A
Thanks for listening. The Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast is part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you get your audio. You also can find more information on topics and ideas discussed on this show at our website, K12. We're joined by Gabrielle Lewis. She's teacher support lead and Core Virtues director at Hillsdale College's K12 office. Gabrielle, thanks so much for joining us.
[01:31]
B
Oh, thank you for having me, Scott. What a privilege.
[01:33]
A
Talking today about the relaunched Core Virtues program here inside Hillsdale K12. That means we probably should be explaining it for people. What is the Core Virtues program and what are its goals?
[01:47]
B
Yes, thanks so much for asking. So the Core Virtues program is a literature based approach to moral education for children in grades K through 6. Our goal is to provide age appropriate literature, including classics, fables, fairy tales, myths, poems, biographies, you name it, that present powerful images of good and evil. We believe that such stories have a unique ability to stir the imagination, to make virtues tangible and attractive, and to awaken in children the desire to pursue virtue for themselves. So we draw upon the perennial tradition of the cardinal virtues and through them we present a cohesive framework for moral education that emphasizes the necessity of virtuous habits for a complete and happy life. We are very proud of this program and to talk about it today.
[02:45]
A
Yeah, what's the history of the Core Virtues program and how does it connect core knowledge and how did the college get involved with it?
[02:52]
B
Absolutely. Core Virtues was started by a college professor turned school founder back in 1992. Dr. Mary Beth Klee is her name and she responded to the educational and political climate at the time with a desire to provide time tested character education to children. So just to go back a little bit, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, because of a lack of content and a relativistic approach to moral education, America's schools were failing their students. And so a push for educational reform swept the nation. And big names such as Edie Hirsch of Core Knowledge, Lillian Kilpatrick, who wrote why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong, and William Bennett, who was a former secretary of education and the author of the beloved anthology the Book of Virtues, and many others attempted to address the gaps in education by providing material for both content, you know, actual substance, the subject students learn, and character education in the schools. So addressing both the mind and the heart, which we are as human beings. So Mary Beth Klee answered that call and founded her own school in New Hampshire in 1991. And at the same time, she began working on a program to run parallel to the core knowledge sequence, but one that would address the moral education gap. So core virtues would provide monthly virtues that schools could focus on, and the quote, unquote, instruction on these virtues would happen through literature. And so, because of the rich tradition of the West, Mary Beth knew that stories capture our minds and hearts. And so what better way to encourage a love of virtue than through books? And so the program has been running strongly for over 30 years, and it has expanded into schools across the country. And so now that brings us to the college and specifically the K12 office, and we have the honor of carrying the torch forward. A few years ago, Mary Beth decided it was time to retire. Bless her. So she looked for an institution that could carry on the good work of the program. And Hillsdale College caught her eye for the presence we have in K12 education on the national stage. And after looking into the program and learning about its goals, we knew that it was the sort of thing we wanted to be a part of. And so since 2023, 2024, we have been working to adopt the program, understand it fully, continue the heart of its vision, and make it our own. In line with the mission of the K12 office.
[05:20]
A
Right. So K12 has had the program since 2023. That's a couple of years. How has the program evolved or changed since the K12 program acquired it?
[05:30]
B
The K12 office has worked hard to first maintain the spirit of the program and its original mission. Just like it has. We provide schools with virtues and stories that bring those virtues to life for children. Because of our deep appreciation of the western tradition, we have decided to mold the framework more so to focus on the cardinal virt. Then from there, we have expanded to, quote, unquote, secondary virtues for lack of A better phrase, to give a more full orbed understanding on how the cardinal virtues can be practiced and lived out on a daily basis for children. So we still have books that we highlight to bring those virtues to life, like I said, in an attractive and winsome way, as well as poems and particular historical figures, which we call Lives of Virtue and biographies about those people that all work to paint vivid imagery of what a life of good moral action looks like and the value it can bring to our lives. And so we are also working with the K12 office to provide resources and guidance for teachers, school leaders, and parents who wish to help children engage with stories and grow in virtuous habits. So continuing the same goal, but expanding it to more audiences and with more resources and recommendations.
[06:49]
A
Talking with Gabrielle Lewis about the relaunch Core Virtues program inside Hillsdale's K12 office. How does this Core Virtues program help to fulfill the K12 Education Office's mission? How does it fit in those plans?
[07:06]
B
Absolutely. So Hillsdale College, as we should know by now, listening to this podcast and knowing about the college and its work, we are first and foremost a teaching institution. And the K12 office, as an extension of the college, teaches those who wish to found classical schools, whether charter or private, the best practices of excellence in teaching and operations. So of the five areas of focus, which are board, governance, school leadership, curriculum, pedagogy, and culture that we provide guidance on, Core Virtues addresses that culture piece which is so central to the heartbeat and health of the school. And so through this program, we aim to educate schools and by exception families about the importance of moral formation, how virtue can be taught to young people, and which resources, like books, offer the most effective and helpful ways to do so. So we are, yeah, we really believe in the program and are excited to continue its work.
[08:05]
A
Talk about a bit. What's inside the virtues that are highlighted in the program? What's the thinking behind the identification and the organization of the virtues inside the Core Virtues program?
[08:16]
B
Yeah, yeah. So this is where we get a little more philosophical, which we love at the college and at the K12 office. So I'll kind of give you a big picture. But through the whole Western tradition of Western virtue ethics, there were four virtues that stood out as central in importance. And as I've already mentioned, they were the cardinal virtues, which are prudence, justice, courage and moderation. These virtues were first identified in Plato's Republic and then further explored in Aristotle's Ethics, which we talk a lot about at the college. This theory of our of four cardinal virtues was diffused in the later philosophical traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. Like in the writings of Cicero, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, these authors specifically emphasize the necessity of the cardinal virtues for the active life. That is, they they saw these virtues as essential to the political order and to the flourishing of good citizensh in the Christian era. The cardinal virtues were adopted early on by Greek fathers and exegetes and were later accepted into the Latin tradition by Ambrose, who was the first to designate these virtues as quote unquote Cardinal Augustine and Jerome were others. And so from this point on, the cardinal virtues provided an unchallenged schema for moral life and ethical theory in the West. So the cardinal virtues are seen as essential to human virtue because human virtue makes a person good by making his work to accord with reason. It's action and reason together. This happens in three ways. First, by rectifying reason itself, and this is done by the intellectual virtues, including prudence. Secondly, by establishing the rectitude of reason in human affairs, and this belongs to justice. And thirdly, by removing the obstacles to the establishment of this rectitude in human affairs. Now, the human will is hindered in two ways. From following the rectitude of reason. First, by being drawn by some object of pleasure to something other than what the rectitude of reason requires. And we remove this obstacle through the virtue of moderation. And then secondly, through the will being disinclined to follow that which is in accordance with reason. We don't do what we know we should do basically, and so comes from some sort of difficulty that presents itself. And this obstacle is removed by the virtue of courage. So there is a kind of a completion to the cardinal virtues in providing the habits necessary to live a good life on the order of nature. So nevertheless, the cardinal virtues as they stand can seem too general to be easily or intuitively applied to the concrete particularities of the moral life. Right? Kids don't understand what is courage or what is rectitude of reason or whatnot. So for this reason, it's helpful to consider additional virtues that are like species or subsets of the cardinal virtues, because they share some sort of similarity in form. This can help us to see, for example, that not only must we be generally courageous, but we should specifically aim to take courage when faced with difficult tasks, as in magnanimity, or in the face of sorrow, as in hope, or when we face lengthy struggles, as in perseverance. This is specifically helpful for children and others who are beginning to grow in virtue, because it helps them to concentrate their efforts on defined manageable areas of choice before they aspire to more difficult actions which they might be initially beyond their reach or outside of the realm of experience and possible excellence. These sub virtues or species of these virtues, like hope, perseverance, friendship, kindness, these things help to paint a more full orbed picture of the cardinal virtues. And so by discussing them all, we hope to give a full presentation of the moral life through moral action.
[12:20]
A
Talking with Gabrielle Lewis. She is Core Virtues Director at Hillsdale College's K12 office relaunch core Virtues program. What sorts of stories does Core Virtues promote? And why is that part of the mix?
[12:33]
B
Thank you for asking this. Yes, so much like ideas which are found within stories. Ideas shape who we are and so do stories. Just like food, right? If we put food that is not necessarily good for us into our bodies constantly, well, that produces a certain kind of body that functions a way that isn't for our ultimate good. And so when we put ideas and stories into our minds, we want them to be good for us and good for our flourishing and our moral formation as a whole, because the ideas have consequences. And so in Core Virtues, we choose stories that use vivid language that appeals to the imagination and draws on the passions. We also want books that have elevated language to build up our students vocabulary because vocabulary is necessary for thinking and for growth and for engaging in the culture and ideas. We choose stories that provide clear images of good and evil. We really want pictures in our students minds of, you know, kind of like a storehouse of images, like we say at the college when we refer to the moral imagination. We want clear images of what it looks like to do good, to do evil. And for those images to be attractive to students so they know what it looks like to do good and to do evil. We choose stories that are age appropriate. It's really important. Now they might stretch students a little bit in their thoughts and in their, you know, the depth of the beauty of language, but nonetheless we want our students to be able to get it and understand the moral or just the beauty of the story within. We choose stories that are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that confirm the wonder and the beauty of the narrative. What we behold matters and so the images in our stories are going to matter as well. And all of these things can be found in classics or in books that draw upon time tested universal ideas of human nature. They can be found in myths, fables, fairy tales, biographies about great hearted men and women in history such as Harriet Tubman, George Washington, Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, just To name a few, and in poems. So we really are taking so much from the Western tradition to promote these ideas and find beautiful stories with which to do it.
[14:56]
A
And what does core virtues have to do with the moral foundation we're trying to build, the moral formation we're trying to build inside of our students?
[15:05]
B
Sure, yeah. So literature and poetry are the preeminent disciplines in teaching us to love what is beautiful. Because literature and poetry speak to both our reason and our passions. And they do this because medium is their. Their medium is word. They speak to us morally because the moral realm is an overlap of reason and passion. And moral virtue occurs when the passions are habitually governed by reason. So they show us in an attractive way what is lovable as lovable, and then also what is morally ugly or repugnant as such, as opposed to a lot of well meaning, character education out there will say things like be courageous or respect your neighbor or what have you. So they have these kind of didactic lessons and phrases which are good, but they don't necessarily spur us to do good things in the midst of adversity. Whereas attractive images that make us love those images and want to do those images help us desire noble goods in the midst of adversity. And literature and poetry, they present goods in a way to be enjoyed and evils in a way to be shunned. Thus we admire Bilbo's courage in fighting the spiders and respect Badger's authority when he saves Toad. And we are inspired by Huck's sacrificial love when he rips up the letter that would send Jim back to slavery. And he says, like, all right, then I'll go to hell, right? They just give us a way to admire that and want to attain that and act it out ourselves. And I would say too, that literature and poetry elicit emotional responses, responses of the heart, while at the same time they hold up goods and truths for the judgment of the intellect. So it's not just emotion, right? It's not just we feel these things, but it is in line with our reason, in our intellect, which make it make sense to us too, which is really important for human beings. They educate us morally because they train us to love what is beautiful. If this is true, then that literature and poetry can influence us to love what is good and right and to test what is wrong, then it follows that repeated exposure to good literature and poetry can form the beginnings of habits and response in us. That is virtue. And virtue, again, is the internal disposition or habit of the soul to love. And act for the right things in the right way, and to do that through built, repeated experience. So we want to provide these images for students over and over and over again. Because when we repeatedly feel love for our fictional friends or, you know, we. We see something good over and over again. So when we build a habit of real friendship and we see the things that these. These fictional characters are doing, the effective responses of our hearts are altogether real. So we want this program to have repeated effect on our students, that they see these things over and over again. They find friendship through these characters, and then want to do the things that these characters do. That really is our goal and how we hope to inspire moral formation.
[18:31]
A
So how can schools utilize Core Virtues?
[18:35]
B
Yeah, so there's quite a number of ways. We want our website to kind of be the hub for schools and for school leaders, teachers, parents, for our schools, in particular, our Hillsdale college curriculum, and member schools. We want the website to be used to support their knowledge of the virtues as they read the literature, books, the biographies, and the poems within our program guide. So we hope that they can go to our website, look up a book that they are reading with their students, and then see what virtues are within, and then ways to discuss those virtues in their classrooms, questions they can ask and such. We really do want to support. Support our schools through that. But beyond there, we hope that there are more resources, right? More short stories that are appropriate to grade levels and that they can use in class. Or maybe they can send home a book with a student, or they could just use a particular image that a book inspires and say, hey, you did this. How does this remind you of this character in this book? And such schools can also use them during assemblies. Actually, when I was a dean of academics at a school outside of Tampa, Florida, heard about core Virtues because I was looking for books to instruct and to guide my students through during assemblies so school leaders can stand up, read a particular short book or section of a book that highlights a virtue that the school is focusing on. That's a great way. And then beyond that, we want to provide resources to talk about virtues to students and to families, and we're building those resources as we go. But we think all of these ways are ways that schools can utilize core virtues.
[20:18]
A
And what maybe have you heard thus far from schools that have been using Core Virtues? How has it had an effect on their students and on the school culture?
[20:27]
B
Yeah, well, for our schools, it's still really new. We introduced Core Virtues at our summer conference this last summer. So June of 2025, very new. But I can tell you right away that our teachers and our school leaders were very excited by the prospect. I think in particular, teachers are just hungry for tangible ways they can affect the culture and character the school and of their students. And so we are. We're attempting to provide that through this. So like I said, it's new and we haven't heard much yet from our schools. But above and beyond our schools, it has been around for decades and many schools have adopted this. Many families have looked to the website and the resources that Mary Beth Klee provided before and her people, and it has just offered ways to encourage the conversation of virtue in a way that's not forceful or spoon feeding. And we've as recently as last month got emails from people just saying, wow, this is such a great resource. I have been looking for something like this. How do you pick your books? Can I help provide books? I want to learn more about the books that you suggest. Like we said, we're still new to this, but based on the tradition of the program and what we've already heard, we believe it's already having a positive effect and it's going to continue that way the more we grow and build the program.
[22:00]
A
Gabrielle Lewis is teacher support lead and Core Virtues Director at Hillsdale College's K12 office. Gabrielle, is there a great place for people to find out more about the Core Virtues program?
[22:11]
B
There is. So please head to corevirtues hillsdale. Edu and there you will find our beautiful website. Like we said, we care about beautiful illustrations and you will see that all over the place. What you behold is what you become. And so we want our website just to be a little piece of that. You'll learn about the program, the background of the program, you'll see the books, you'll see the poems, you'll see the biographies and the lives of virtue we recommend. We also have a blog that is attached to that website. It's just in the beginning of stages, but we are wanting to update it at least monthly for now and hope that the resources within the blog will encourage and inspire and instruct people in these conversations around virtue, the moral, imagination and story. And you also find resources on that website that have come from the K12 office and people who have done podcasts with you, Scott, and videos that we filmed in our studio and such that we hope will will help instruction and conversation and just inspire and encourage overall.
[23:21]
A
All right, Gabrielle Lewis. She is Core Virtues director of the relaunch Core Virtues program inside the Hillsdale College K12 office. Gabrielle, thanks so much for joining us here on the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast.
[23:36]
B
Thanks for having me, Scott.
[23:37]
A
I'm Scott Bertram. We invite you to like us on Facebook search for Hillsdale College K12 classical education. You also can follow us on Instagram hillsdalek12. That's hillsdalek12 on Instagram. Thank you for listening to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More at Podcast Hillsdale Edu or wherever you get your audio.

Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast
Episode: Cultivating the Moral Imagination Through Stories: An Introduction to Core Virtues
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Scott Bertram
Guest: Gabrielle Lewis – Teacher Support Lead and Core Virtues Director, Hillsdale College K-12 Office

Overview:

This episode explores the relaunch and vision of the Core Virtues program at Hillsdale's K-12 office. Gabrielle Lewis explains how the program uses literature to foster moral imagination and the development of virtue in younger students. The conversation delves into the philosophical roots of the cardinal virtues, the program’s history, and how storytelling effectively shapes the character and habits of children in classical education settings.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Is the Core Virtues Program?

Literature-based Moral Education
- For grades K–6, using classics, fables, fairy tales, myths, poems, and biographies.
- Focuses on age-appropriate selections that present clear and vivid images of good and evil.
- Aim: To make virtues tangible and attractive, awakening the desire in children to pursue them.
- “We believe that such stories have a unique ability to stir the imagination, to make virtues tangible and attractive, and to awaken in children the desire to pursue virtue for themselves.” — Gabrielle Lewis (01:47)

2. History and Development of Core Virtues (02:44 – 05:19)

Founded by Dr. Mary Beth Klee in the early 1990s as a response to educational gaps in both content and moral instruction.
Designed to run alongside the Core Knowledge sequence to fill the moral education gap with monthly focused virtues taught through stories.
Hillsdale College took over the stewardship of the program in 2023-2024, aligning it with its classical mission and expanding resources to schools, teachers, and parents.
“We have the honor of carrying the torch forward... and make it our own.” — Gabrielle Lewis (04:14)

3. How the Program Is Integrated and Evolving (05:29 – 06:49)

Maintains the original mission, emphasizing Western tradition and the cardinal virtues.
Expanded to include “secondary virtues” (like hope, perseverance, friendship) to illustrate how cardinal virtues manifest in everyday life.
Adds support resources for teachers, school leaders, and parents.
“We are also working... to provide resources and guidance for teachers, school leaders, and parents who wish to help children engage with stories and grow in virtuous habits.” — Gabrielle Lewis (06:28)

4. Connection to Hillsdale’s K-12 Mission (07:05 – 08:05)

Core Virtues addresses the “culture” component of Hillsdale’s five focus areas in K-12 education.
The program is fundamental to building the culture and moral character essential in classical education.
“Core Virtues addresses that culture piece which is so central to the heartbeat and health of the school.” — Gabrielle Lewis (07:29)

5. Philosophical Foundation: Cardinal and Secondary Virtues (08:16 – 12:20)

Draws from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and early Christian thinkers.
The four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, courage, and moderation.
- Each rectifies reason/morality in specific ways.
Secondary virtues act as approachable “species” or “subsets” for young learners—e.g., hope (courage in sadness), perseverance (courage in difficulty), friendship, kindness.
This layered approach helps children grasp and practice virtue in concrete situations.
“By discussing them all, we hope to give a full presentation of the moral life through moral action.” — Gabrielle Lewis (11:57)

6. The Power of Story in Moral Formation (12:33 – 15:04)

Stories shape the moral imagination:
- Provide a rich storehouse of images for good and evil.
- Foster both vocabulary and emotional resonance.
- Age-appropriate, beautifully illustrated literature used intentionally.
Examples span myths, fairy tales, fables, biographies (Harriet Tubman, George Washington, Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln), and poetry.
“We choose stories that use vivid language that appeals to the imagination and draws on the passions.” — Gabrielle Lewis (13:17)

7. Why Literature and Poetry? (15:04 – 18:31)

Literature and poetry are preeminent disciplines for teaching children to love what is beautiful, stirring both reason and passions.
Good stories make virtue attractive and evil repulsive—much more dynamic than didactic moralizing.
Memorable literary examples:
- “We admire Bilbo’s courage in fighting the spiders...”
- “We are inspired by Huck’s sacrificial love when he rips up the letter...”
“Literature and poetry elicit emotional responses... while at the same time they hold up goods and truths for the judgment of the intellect.” — Gabrielle Lewis (16:44)
Repeated encounters with virtuous actions in literature help ingrain healthy habits and intentions.

8. Implementation and Practical Use in Schools (18:34 – 20:17)

The website is the hub for teachers, school leaders, and parents:
- Background, book recommendations, virtues by book, discussion guides, and resources for school assemblies and classroom integration.
- Schools can use short stories in class, books sent home, virtue-themed assemblies, and resources for conversations about virtue.
“We want the website to be used to support their knowledge of the virtues as they read the literature, books, the biographies, and the poems within our program guide.” — Gabrielle Lewis (18:40)

9. Early Feedback and Cultural Impact (20:17 – 21:59)

Newly relaunched for member schools as of June 2025, but already generates excitement among teachers and leaders seeking tangible ways to shape school culture.
Broader community feedback notes appreciation for the approachable, non-dogmatic approach to virtue, and the quality of selected stories.
Testimonial: “As recently as last month got emails from people just saying, wow, this is such a great resource. I have been looking for something like this. How do you pick your books? Can I help provide books?” — Gabrielle Lewis (21:15)

10. Accessing the Program and Resources (22:10 – end)

All resources, blog posts, booklists, and further recommendations are at corevirtues.hillsdale.edu.
The website itself models the beauty and visual standards taught in the program: “What you behold is what you become.” — Gabrielle Lewis (22:17)
Blog and additional instructional resources are being added regularly.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

On the program’s heart:
“We believe that such stories have a unique ability to stir the imagination, to make virtues tangible and attractive, and to awaken in children the desire to pursue virtue for themselves.”
— Gabrielle Lewis (01:47)
On the centrality of virtue:
“Core Virtues addresses that culture piece which is so central to the heartbeat and health of the school.”
— Gabrielle Lewis (07:29)
On the function of stories:
“Just like food, right? If we put food that is not necessarily good for us into our bodies constantly, well, that produces a certain kind of body... When we put ideas and stories into our minds, we want them to be good for us...”
— Gabrielle Lewis (12:33)
Literature’s emotional and rational impact:
“Literature and poetry elicit emotional responses... while at the same time they hold up goods and truths for the judgment of the intellect. So it’s not just emotion, right?... It is in line with our reason, in our intellect, which make it make sense to us too...”
— Gabrielle Lewis (16:44)
On beautiful surroundings and media:
“What you behold is what you become. And so we want our website just to be a little piece of that.”
— Gabrielle Lewis (22:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

Introduction to Core Virtues: 01:33–01:47
History and philosophical roots: 02:44–08:16
Cardinal and secondary virtues explained: 08:16–12:20
Power and selection of stories: 12:33–15:04
Role of literature/poetry in moral formation: 15:04–18:31
Program implementation and resources for schools: 18:34–20:17
Teacher and community feedback: 20:17–21:59
Accessing resources and closing: 22:10–23:21

Conclusion

The Core Virtues program at Hillsdale’s K-12 office represents a classical, story-driven approach to cultivating moral character in young students. Rooted in venerable Western traditions, it provides concrete, attractive images of virtue and guidance for both teachers and families, all delivered through the transformative medium of great literature. The program aspires not just to teach children about virtue but to shape their hearts and imaginations so they naturally desire—and learn to enact—lives of meaning and goodness.

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Transcript27 lines

[00:00]
A
Hey, it's Scott Bertram, host of the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour and the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast. I want to know what do you think about the show you're listening to right now? Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the survey Pop up to take our very first ever listener survey. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what you want to hear from us in the future. Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the Pop up to take the survey and thank you for listening.
[00:40]
B
Welcome to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, bringing you insight into classical education and its unique emphasis on human virtue and moral character, responsible citizenship and content, rich curricula and teacher led classrooms. Now your host, Scott Bertram.
[00:59]
A
Thanks for listening. The Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast is part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you get your audio. You also can find more information on topics and ideas discussed on this show at our website, K12. We're joined by Gabrielle Lewis. She's teacher support lead and Core Virtues director at Hillsdale College's K12 office. Gabrielle, thanks so much for joining us.
[01:31]
B
Oh, thank you for having me, Scott. What a privilege.
[01:33]
A
Talking today about the relaunched Core Virtues program here inside Hillsdale K12. That means we probably should be explaining it for people. What is the Core Virtues program and what are its goals?
[01:47]
B
Yes, thanks so much for asking. So the Core Virtues program is a literature based approach to moral education for children in grades K through 6. Our goal is to provide age appropriate literature, including classics, fables, fairy tales, myths, poems, biographies, you name it, that present powerful images of good and evil. We believe that such stories have a unique ability to stir the imagination, to make virtues tangible and attractive, and to awaken in children the desire to pursue virtue for themselves. So we draw upon the perennial tradition of the cardinal virtues and through them we present a cohesive framework for moral education that emphasizes the necessity of virtuous habits for a complete and happy life. We are very proud of this program and to talk about it today.
[02:45]
A
Yeah, what's the history of the Core Virtues program and how does it connect core knowledge and how did the college get involved with it?
[02:52]
B
Absolutely. Core Virtues was started by a college professor turned school founder back in 1992. Dr. Mary Beth Klee is her name and she responded to the educational and political climate at the time with a desire to provide time tested character education to children. So just to go back a little bit, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, because of a lack of content and a relativistic approach to moral education, America's schools were failing their students. And so a push for educational reform swept the nation. And big names such as Edie Hirsch of Core Knowledge, Lillian Kilpatrick, who wrote why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong, and William Bennett, who was a former secretary of education and the author of the beloved anthology the Book of Virtues, and many others attempted to address the gaps in education by providing material for both content, you know, actual substance, the subject students learn, and character education in the schools. So addressing both the mind and the heart, which we are as human beings. So Mary Beth Klee answered that call and founded her own school in New Hampshire in 1991. And at the same time, she began working on a program to run parallel to the core knowledge sequence, but one that would address the moral education gap. So core virtues would provide monthly virtues that schools could focus on, and the quote, unquote, instruction on these virtues would happen through literature. And so, because of the rich tradition of the West, Mary Beth knew that stories capture our minds and hearts. And so what better way to encourage a love of virtue than through books? And so the program has been running strongly for over 30 years, and it has expanded into schools across the country. And so now that brings us to the college and specifically the K12 office, and we have the honor of carrying the torch forward. A few years ago, Mary Beth decided it was time to retire. Bless her. So she looked for an institution that could carry on the good work of the program. And Hillsdale College caught her eye for the presence we have in K12 education on the national stage. And after looking into the program and learning about its goals, we knew that it was the sort of thing we wanted to be a part of. And so since 2023, 2024, we have been working to adopt the program, understand it fully, continue the heart of its vision, and make it our own. In line with the mission of the K12 office.
[05:20]
A
Right. So K12 has had the program since 2023. That's a couple of years. How has the program evolved or changed since the K12 program acquired it?
[05:30]
B
The K12 office has worked hard to first maintain the spirit of the program and its original mission. Just like it has. We provide schools with virtues and stories that bring those virtues to life for children. Because of our deep appreciation of the western tradition, we have decided to mold the framework more so to focus on the cardinal virt. Then from there, we have expanded to, quote, unquote, secondary virtues for lack of A better phrase, to give a more full orbed understanding on how the cardinal virtues can be practiced and lived out on a daily basis for children. So we still have books that we highlight to bring those virtues to life, like I said, in an attractive and winsome way, as well as poems and particular historical figures, which we call Lives of Virtue and biographies about those people that all work to paint vivid imagery of what a life of good moral action looks like and the value it can bring to our lives. And so we are also working with the K12 office to provide resources and guidance for teachers, school leaders, and parents who wish to help children engage with stories and grow in virtuous habits. So continuing the same goal, but expanding it to more audiences and with more resources and recommendations.
[06:49]
A
Talking with Gabrielle Lewis about the relaunch Core Virtues program inside Hillsdale's K12 office. How does this Core Virtues program help to fulfill the K12 Education Office's mission? How does it fit in those plans?
[07:06]
B
Absolutely. So Hillsdale College, as we should know by now, listening to this podcast and knowing about the college and its work, we are first and foremost a teaching institution. And the K12 office, as an extension of the college, teaches those who wish to found classical schools, whether charter or private, the best practices of excellence in teaching and operations. So of the five areas of focus, which are board, governance, school leadership, curriculum, pedagogy, and culture that we provide guidance on, Core Virtues addresses that culture piece which is so central to the heartbeat and health of the school. And so through this program, we aim to educate schools and by exception families about the importance of moral formation, how virtue can be taught to young people, and which resources, like books, offer the most effective and helpful ways to do so. So we are, yeah, we really believe in the program and are excited to continue its work.
[08:05]
A
Talk about a bit. What's inside the virtues that are highlighted in the program? What's the thinking behind the identification and the organization of the virtues inside the Core Virtues program?
[08:16]
B
Yeah, yeah. So this is where we get a little more philosophical, which we love at the college and at the K12 office. So I'll kind of give you a big picture. But through the whole Western tradition of Western virtue ethics, there were four virtues that stood out as central in importance. And as I've already mentioned, they were the cardinal virtues, which are prudence, justice, courage and moderation. These virtues were first identified in Plato's Republic and then further explored in Aristotle's Ethics, which we talk a lot about at the college. This theory of our of four cardinal virtues was diffused in the later philosophical traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. Like in the writings of Cicero, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, these authors specifically emphasize the necessity of the cardinal virtues for the active life. That is, they they saw these virtues as essential to the political order and to the flourishing of good citizensh in the Christian era. The cardinal virtues were adopted early on by Greek fathers and exegetes and were later accepted into the Latin tradition by Ambrose, who was the first to designate these virtues as quote unquote Cardinal Augustine and Jerome were others. And so from this point on, the cardinal virtues provided an unchallenged schema for moral life and ethical theory in the West. So the cardinal virtues are seen as essential to human virtue because human virtue makes a person good by making his work to accord with reason. It's action and reason together. This happens in three ways. First, by rectifying reason itself, and this is done by the intellectual virtues, including prudence. Secondly, by establishing the rectitude of reason in human affairs, and this belongs to justice. And thirdly, by removing the obstacles to the establishment of this rectitude in human affairs. Now, the human will is hindered in two ways. From following the rectitude of reason. First, by being drawn by some object of pleasure to something other than what the rectitude of reason requires. And we remove this obstacle through the virtue of moderation. And then secondly, through the will being disinclined to follow that which is in accordance with reason. We don't do what we know we should do basically, and so comes from some sort of difficulty that presents itself. And this obstacle is removed by the virtue of courage. So there is a kind of a completion to the cardinal virtues in providing the habits necessary to live a good life on the order of nature. So nevertheless, the cardinal virtues as they stand can seem too general to be easily or intuitively applied to the concrete particularities of the moral life. Right? Kids don't understand what is courage or what is rectitude of reason or whatnot. So for this reason, it's helpful to consider additional virtues that are like species or subsets of the cardinal virtues, because they share some sort of similarity in form. This can help us to see, for example, that not only must we be generally courageous, but we should specifically aim to take courage when faced with difficult tasks, as in magnanimity, or in the face of sorrow, as in hope, or when we face lengthy struggles, as in perseverance. This is specifically helpful for children and others who are beginning to grow in virtue, because it helps them to concentrate their efforts on defined manageable areas of choice before they aspire to more difficult actions which they might be initially beyond their reach or outside of the realm of experience and possible excellence. These sub virtues or species of these virtues, like hope, perseverance, friendship, kindness, these things help to paint a more full orbed picture of the cardinal virtues. And so by discussing them all, we hope to give a full presentation of the moral life through moral action.
[12:20]
A
Talking with Gabrielle Lewis. She is Core Virtues Director at Hillsdale College's K12 office relaunch core Virtues program. What sorts of stories does Core Virtues promote? And why is that part of the mix?
[12:33]
B
Thank you for asking this. Yes, so much like ideas which are found within stories. Ideas shape who we are and so do stories. Just like food, right? If we put food that is not necessarily good for us into our bodies constantly, well, that produces a certain kind of body that functions a way that isn't for our ultimate good. And so when we put ideas and stories into our minds, we want them to be good for us and good for our flourishing and our moral formation as a whole, because the ideas have consequences. And so in Core Virtues, we choose stories that use vivid language that appeals to the imagination and draws on the passions. We also want books that have elevated language to build up our students vocabulary because vocabulary is necessary for thinking and for growth and for engaging in the culture and ideas. We choose stories that provide clear images of good and evil. We really want pictures in our students minds of, you know, kind of like a storehouse of images, like we say at the college when we refer to the moral imagination. We want clear images of what it looks like to do good, to do evil. And for those images to be attractive to students so they know what it looks like to do good and to do evil. We choose stories that are age appropriate. It's really important. Now they might stretch students a little bit in their thoughts and in their, you know, the depth of the beauty of language, but nonetheless we want our students to be able to get it and understand the moral or just the beauty of the story within. We choose stories that are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that confirm the wonder and the beauty of the narrative. What we behold matters and so the images in our stories are going to matter as well. And all of these things can be found in classics or in books that draw upon time tested universal ideas of human nature. They can be found in myths, fables, fairy tales, biographies about great hearted men and women in history such as Harriet Tubman, George Washington, Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, just To name a few, and in poems. So we really are taking so much from the Western tradition to promote these ideas and find beautiful stories with which to do it.
[14:56]
A
And what does core virtues have to do with the moral foundation we're trying to build, the moral formation we're trying to build inside of our students?
[15:05]
B
Sure, yeah. So literature and poetry are the preeminent disciplines in teaching us to love what is beautiful. Because literature and poetry speak to both our reason and our passions. And they do this because medium is their. Their medium is word. They speak to us morally because the moral realm is an overlap of reason and passion. And moral virtue occurs when the passions are habitually governed by reason. So they show us in an attractive way what is lovable as lovable, and then also what is morally ugly or repugnant as such, as opposed to a lot of well meaning, character education out there will say things like be courageous or respect your neighbor or what have you. So they have these kind of didactic lessons and phrases which are good, but they don't necessarily spur us to do good things in the midst of adversity. Whereas attractive images that make us love those images and want to do those images help us desire noble goods in the midst of adversity. And literature and poetry, they present goods in a way to be enjoyed and evils in a way to be shunned. Thus we admire Bilbo's courage in fighting the spiders and respect Badger's authority when he saves Toad. And we are inspired by Huck's sacrificial love when he rips up the letter that would send Jim back to slavery. And he says, like, all right, then I'll go to hell, right? They just give us a way to admire that and want to attain that and act it out ourselves. And I would say too, that literature and poetry elicit emotional responses, responses of the heart, while at the same time they hold up goods and truths for the judgment of the intellect. So it's not just emotion, right? It's not just we feel these things, but it is in line with our reason, in our intellect, which make it make sense to us too, which is really important for human beings. They educate us morally because they train us to love what is beautiful. If this is true, then that literature and poetry can influence us to love what is good and right and to test what is wrong, then it follows that repeated exposure to good literature and poetry can form the beginnings of habits and response in us. That is virtue. And virtue, again, is the internal disposition or habit of the soul to love. And act for the right things in the right way, and to do that through built, repeated experience. So we want to provide these images for students over and over and over again. Because when we repeatedly feel love for our fictional friends or, you know, we. We see something good over and over again. So when we build a habit of real friendship and we see the things that these. These fictional characters are doing, the effective responses of our hearts are altogether real. So we want this program to have repeated effect on our students, that they see these things over and over again. They find friendship through these characters, and then want to do the things that these characters do. That really is our goal and how we hope to inspire moral formation.
[18:31]
A
So how can schools utilize Core Virtues?
[18:35]
B
Yeah, so there's quite a number of ways. We want our website to kind of be the hub for schools and for school leaders, teachers, parents, for our schools, in particular, our Hillsdale college curriculum, and member schools. We want the website to be used to support their knowledge of the virtues as they read the literature, books, the biographies, and the poems within our program guide. So we hope that they can go to our website, look up a book that they are reading with their students, and then see what virtues are within, and then ways to discuss those virtues in their classrooms, questions they can ask and such. We really do want to support. Support our schools through that. But beyond there, we hope that there are more resources, right? More short stories that are appropriate to grade levels and that they can use in class. Or maybe they can send home a book with a student, or they could just use a particular image that a book inspires and say, hey, you did this. How does this remind you of this character in this book? And such schools can also use them during assemblies. Actually, when I was a dean of academics at a school outside of Tampa, Florida, heard about core Virtues because I was looking for books to instruct and to guide my students through during assemblies so school leaders can stand up, read a particular short book or section of a book that highlights a virtue that the school is focusing on. That's a great way. And then beyond that, we want to provide resources to talk about virtues to students and to families, and we're building those resources as we go. But we think all of these ways are ways that schools can utilize core virtues.
[20:18]
A
And what maybe have you heard thus far from schools that have been using Core Virtues? How has it had an effect on their students and on the school culture?
[20:27]
B
Yeah, well, for our schools, it's still really new. We introduced Core Virtues at our summer conference this last summer. So June of 2025, very new. But I can tell you right away that our teachers and our school leaders were very excited by the prospect. I think in particular, teachers are just hungry for tangible ways they can affect the culture and character the school and of their students. And so we are. We're attempting to provide that through this. So like I said, it's new and we haven't heard much yet from our schools. But above and beyond our schools, it has been around for decades and many schools have adopted this. Many families have looked to the website and the resources that Mary Beth Klee provided before and her people, and it has just offered ways to encourage the conversation of virtue in a way that's not forceful or spoon feeding. And we've as recently as last month got emails from people just saying, wow, this is such a great resource. I have been looking for something like this. How do you pick your books? Can I help provide books? I want to learn more about the books that you suggest. Like we said, we're still new to this, but based on the tradition of the program and what we've already heard, we believe it's already having a positive effect and it's going to continue that way the more we grow and build the program.
[22:00]
A
Gabrielle Lewis is teacher support lead and Core Virtues Director at Hillsdale College's K12 office. Gabrielle, is there a great place for people to find out more about the Core Virtues program?
[22:11]
B
There is. So please head to corevirtues hillsdale. Edu and there you will find our beautiful website. Like we said, we care about beautiful illustrations and you will see that all over the place. What you behold is what you become. And so we want our website just to be a little piece of that. You'll learn about the program, the background of the program, you'll see the books, you'll see the poems, you'll see the biographies and the lives of virtue we recommend. We also have a blog that is attached to that website. It's just in the beginning of stages, but we are wanting to update it at least monthly for now and hope that the resources within the blog will encourage and inspire and instruct people in these conversations around virtue, the moral, imagination and story. And you also find resources on that website that have come from the K12 office and people who have done podcasts with you, Scott, and videos that we filmed in our studio and such that we hope will will help instruction and conversation and just inspire and encourage overall.
[23:21]
A
All right, Gabrielle Lewis. She is Core Virtues director of the relaunch Core Virtues program inside the Hillsdale College K12 office. Gabrielle, thanks so much for joining us here on the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast.
[23:36]
B
Thanks for having me, Scott.
[23:37]
A
I'm Scott Bertram. We invite you to like us on Facebook search for Hillsdale College K12 classical education. You also can follow us on Instagram hillsdalek12. That's hillsdalek12 on Instagram. Thank you for listening to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More at Podcast Hillsdale Edu or wherever you get your audio.