Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed
Episode: The Generational Impact of a Classical School
Date: March 9, 2026
Host: Scott Bertram
Guest: Tina Bolen, Literacy Coordinator at Treasure Valley Classical Academy (TVCA), Literacy Trainer with Hillsdale College K12 Education Office

Episode Overview

This episode explores the generational and community impact of classical education, focusing on Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho. Scott Bertram interviews Tina Bolen, a literacy coordinator and trainer, discussing her journey from homeschool mom to a leader in classical education, her work with struggling readers, and the broader significance of TVCA’s classical curriculum for students, families, and the surrounding community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tina Bolen’s Educational Journey

• Background in Homeschooling

  • Tina describes her origins as a homeschooling mother of 10, then grandmother, teaching in a time when homeschooling was uncommon.

    “I was a homeschooling mom first ... I homeschooled my own 10 children and then started the second generation ... I homeschooled a few of my grandchildren for a little while.” (02:17)

  • Motivation: Flexibility as a piano teacher and desire to spend time with children drove her homeschooling decision.

    “If my children were in school all day long, and then I taught piano lessons at home, I didn't see my kids until like 6 o'clock at night … I wanted to be with my children.” (03:03)

• Early Interest in Classical Education

  • Classical education drew Tina because it focuses on forming character and thinking skills, not just rote memorization.

    “I wasn't just putting facts inside my children to spit back out … It was to teach them to be great thinkers and to love literature.” (03:53)

Discovering and Joining Treasure Valley Classical Academy

• Finding TVCA
  • Tina first heard about the academy as a homeschool mom; a future board member encouraged her involvement when the school opened.

    “...one of the moms happened to be a future board member...she used to say to me, 'Tina, you should apply for the school.'...when the school actually opened...it was an easy transition.” (04:23)

• Starting at TVCA
  • Attended community outreach meetings, inspired by the school's emphasis on virtue and patriotism, and joined as a first-grade classroom aide before becoming literacy coordinator.

    “...to think there would be a school that wanted to emphasize virtue. They wanted to emphasize being patriotic. And those were the things that I loved as a child in school.” (05:25)

Role and Impact as Literacy Coordinator

• Supporting Struggling Readers
  • Primary responsibility for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students (those needing extra literacy support, especially those with dyslexia or new to the school).

    “...always students who need a little bit more help, especially in kindergarten and first grade...If they can see things more often...they do get it, and they do succeed.” (06:34)

  • Works closely with teachers, arranges assessments, and tracks student progress over years to ensure sustained improvement.

    “We track them for years, actually, to make sure that they're improving and going forward.” (07:43)

• Defining Success
  • Looks for improvement in literacy skills so reading moves from a laborious process to fluent enjoyment and comprehension, with a strong focus on vocabulary development for the local community.

    “...if a student can't decode well, and they're reading extremely slowly, they really can't comprehend. The whole idea is that you want them to comprehend what they're reading...” (08:36)

Literacy Trainer for Hillsdale College K12

• Training Teachers Nationwide
  • Tina completed a rigorous year-long practicum before training teachers across the country, emphasizing the multiplier effect of equipping educators:

    “...when you can train teachers so that you know that all of them are going to go out and teach 10, 20, 30 students...we're going to spread this great education...so we can help not have illiterate children in high school in our country.” (10:05)

• Difference Between Teaching Children and Adults
  • Highlights the unique challenge of training adults who ask probing questions, and the importance of having them experience lessons as students first.

    “I don't know, teaching children, they don't ask as many questions. The teachers...they have to learn it as a student, then they have to learn it as a teacher.” (11:49)

Community and Family Impact

• Fruitland, Idaho Community
  • High demand for TVCA, with waiting lists reflecting parents' desire for this education model. The school’s presence motivates improvement in surrounding schools.

    “It is phenomenal to hear how many parents want a better education for their students. We have...waiting lists in those younger grades.” (12:21)

  • The school’s events, like honoring veterans, bring the whole K-12 community together and garner support from local officials.

    “...when we have a day to celebrate the veterans...our entire school, kindergarten through 12th grade, was there...It's absolutely beautiful...” (13:21)

• Generational Family Influence
  • Tina's extended family is deeply tied to TVCA: 14 of her 28 grandchildren (across K-12) attend, reinforcing the generational impact and the robust academic community.

    “I have 28 grandchildren and 14 of them go to our school ... it's really fun to see them at school...I always get hugs throughout the day...” (14:18)

  • Notable improvement in grandkids’ literary conversations compared to prior homeschooling:

    “My one daughter said to me, she said, 'You know, Mom, we homeschooled...but I never heard my brothers have conversations like my sons have.' And I said, 'I agree.'” (14:30)

Memorable Moments & Personal Fulfillment

• Successes with Students
  • Tina relishes those breakthrough moments when struggling readers finally get it:

    “I tend to absolutely squeal when I get my first readers ... and they read their first sentence and have these big eyes and they're so excited and they're like, I can read.” (15:34)

  • Transformation stories with older students who were behind and caught up through persistence and individualized support:

    “...I had two sixth graders who were very low ... months later for them to take on a third grade book and go, 'This is fun' ... you want them to love to learn at whatever level they're at.” (17:09)

Notable Quotes

• On Generational Impact
  “I have 28 grandchildren and 14 of them go to our school...it's really fun to see them at school...Even my daughters and I talk about how wonderful it is to hear the older kids, my older grandkids, have great conversations about the books they're reading.”
  — Tina Bolen (14:18)

• On Classical Education’s Purpose
  “It was to teach them to be great thinkers and to love literature. You were forming them as a human being, not just putting facts inside their brain.”
  — Tina Bolen (03:53)

• On Training Teachers
  “For me as a teacher, I can only take so many students. But when you can train teachers...it's just like, okay, we're going to spread this great education and this way of teaching children to learn to read.”
  — Tina Bolen (10:05)

• A Student’s Breakthrough
  “He opened [a first grade reader] and all he said was, 'Oh my gosh, there's so many words.' ... months later for them to take on a third grade book and go, 'This is fun,' you know, Magic Treehouse book. You know that you're making progress...”
  — Tina Bolen (17:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Tina’s educational background and early homeschooling: 02:10 – 03:46
• Discovery and founding of Treasure Valley Classical Academy: 04:10 – 05:25
• Role and responsibilities as literacy coordinator: 06:26 – 08:28
• Defining student success in literacy: 08:28 – 09:48
• Training as a literacy trainer and training others: 10:05 – 11:41
• Impact on Fruitland, Idaho Community: 12:15 – 14:04
• Generational/family impact of classical schooling: 14:04 – 15:18
• Most gratifying moments and stories of student progress: 15:34 – 17:49

Tone & Memorable Moments

The tone is hopeful, nurturing, and enthusiastic, reflecting Tina’s joy in seeing students and her own grandchildren thrive. The empathy, sense of mission, and personal investment in both local and broader classical education efforts shine throughout. Tina’s stories of student breakthroughs and the observable impact on her own family lend a deeply personal and authentic dimension to the episode.

For more episodes, visit podcast.hillsdale.edu or search for Hillsdale College Podcast Network wherever you get your audio.