Podcast Summary:
Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Episode: The Rise of America’s ‘Alternative’ Classical Schools | Deacon Christopher Roberts
Date: February 6, 2026

Overview

This episode delves into the burgeoning movement of "alternative" classical schools in America. With Victor Davis Hanson recovering from surgery, guest host Jack (The Daily Signal) welcomes Deacon Christopher Roberts, president and co-founder of Martin Saints Classical High School, a Chesterton Network school in Philadelphia. The conversation explores the philosophical motivations behind classical education, the nuts and bolts of starting a school, and how these institutions aim to form not only well-educated students but fully alive, virtuous human beings. The tone is thoughtful, occasionally humorous, and always rooted in deep conviction about education and culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Philosophical Motivation for Classical Education

• Core Motivation: A classical education answers the restless human longing for truth, beauty, and goodness, as articulated by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, harnessing the heart’s "drive for communion with God, the eternal, with each other." (A, 05:36)
• Cultural Dissatisfaction: Deacon Roberts attributes the growth of classical schools to widespread cultural "restlessness" and a desire among families for education rooted in deeper meaning, not just utility.
  • "People want to be more than cogs in the utilitarian machine. People worry about AI and they just want better for their kids." (A, 06:48)

2. What Makes a Chesterton School?

• Network Nature: Martin Saints is a member of the Chesterton Schools Network—an international group of 70+ Catholic classical high schools united by shared curriculum and spirituality.
• Patronage of G.K. Chesterton:
  • Emphasizes intellectual wit, joy, and fearless orthodoxy in the face of modernity.
  • "Chesterton... just eviscerates and satirizes modern nonsense with great wit and flair." (A, 13:13)
• Curriculum: A chronological great books approach, steeped in Western thought from antiquity through modernity:
  • 9th grade: Homer, Virgil, Plato, Aristotle
  • 10th grade: Augustine, Chaucer, Shakespeare
  • 11th grade: Dante, Aquinas
  • 12th grade: Dostoevsky, Mary Shelley, Flannery O’Connor (A, 16:07)
• Beyond Academics:
  • Deeply Catholic, with daily worship, immersion in the arts, craftsmanship classes (wood/metalworking, cooking), and outdoor adventures ("We start the whole school year with... camping. You unplug, you get in nature..." (A, 18:09))
  • The aim: to create "fully alive human beings."

3. The Genesis of Martin Saints Classical High School

• Name Explained:
  • "Martin Saints" refers not to a single St. Martin, but to the canonized Martin family (Louis, Zellie, and their daughter Thérèse of Lisieux), symbolizing family partnership in education. (A, 22:08)
• Inspiration:
  • Both founders (Roberts and Adam Dickerson) were shocked by the lack of substantive faith knowledge among Catholic-educated youth, as observed during Roberts’ teaching stint at Villanova and Dickerson’s work in marriage tribunals.
  • "They didn’t know their faith. They knew the Catholic punchlines... But you can’t live a Catholic life if all you have are the thou shalt nots." (A, 24:50)
  • The solution: build a school for deeper formation, not just rule-memorization.

4. The Challenge—and Joy—of Founding a Classical School

• Mentorship Exists:
  • Many organizations now support start-up schools, e.g., Chesterton Schools Network, Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, Protestant analogs.
  • "You don’t have to invent the wheel... There are organizations out there that can mentor you." (A, 28:02)
• Financial Sustainability:
  • Mature schools are 75-80% tuition-funded, but start-ups rely heavily on donors for 5-10 years.
  • Strategic philanthropic relationships are crucial:
    "One of the best things that Martin Saints did early... was to invest in a relationship with AmPhil." (A, 29:20)
• Student Buy-in:
  • Mission-driven students and families are vital—creating a school requires everyone’s involvement.
  • Example: A student who could have been a star footballer elsewhere instead started the school’s basketball program.

5. Classical Education as a "Return on Investment"

• Beyond Job Training:
  • Modern shifts in education prioritize ROI as employment. Roberts counters: "We do not want to become like Charles Darwin, machines for grinding facts, our souls starved, confused and morally feeble." (B, 34:30 referencing Roberts)
• Forming Fully Alive Humans:
  • The school’s goal is to sculpt minds and hearts able to flourish in any field—not to churn out “fact-grinding machines.”
    • "If you get a kid who has bright eyes and who is alive on the inside, whose mind has been chiseled by Dante and Shakespeare... That young man or woman is set up to lead." (A, 36:17)
  • The technical skills will come, but the deeper formation is primary.
    • "Aim at heaven and you’ll get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you’ll get neither." (A, 38:12 referencing C.S. Lewis)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Restlessness and Education's Purpose:

  • "People want to touch something that is wholesome and beautiful and true in their child’s education... because there’s this whole centuries long conversation and they want to be apprentices to that." (A, 07:24)

• On the Classical Educator's Mission:

  • "Honestly, starting a school is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s also the best thing." (A, 00:00 and repeated at 28:02)

• On Faith and Authenticity:

  • "We are not nominally Catholic, you are authentically Catholic." (B, 19:03)

• On Student Formation:

  • "We want bright eyes and full hearts... a fully alive human being." (A, 36:38)

• On Outcomes Versus Formation:

  • "I want a stonemason or carpenter or a plumber who reads Plato. That is cool." (A, 37:01)
  • "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you." (A, 38:07)

Timestamps & Segment Guide

• 00:00 – Deacon Roberts on the inner conviction to found a school and the drive for truth, beauty, goodness.
• 04:10 – Host Jack’s introduction and first question: the rise of classical schools.
• 05:36 – Deacon Roberts on the philosophical roots and parent demand for classical education.
• 13:13 – Explanation of Chesterton schools; curriculum and network.
• 18:09 – Tradition of craftsmanship, field trips, and formation beyond academics.
• 22:08 – Story behind Martin Saints’ name; inspiration for founding.
• 28:02 – The logistics and support networks for starting a classical school.
• 29:20 – The importance of fundraising and community-building.
• 34:30 – The challenge of balancing education’s practical ROI with deeper human formation.
• 36:17 – Roberts’ impassioned defense of classical education as forming “fully alive human beings.”
• 38:07 – Faith as the center, quoting Scripture and C.S. Lewis on educational priorities.
• 39:46 – School websites and closing thoughts.

Resources Mentioned

• Martin Saints Classical High School: martinsaintsclassical.org or whyymsc.org
• Chesterton Schools Network
• Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE)

Tone and Takeaway

The episode is both enlightening and inspiring, offering listeners a blend of personal testimony, educational philosophy, and practical advice on culture-building through classical schools. Deacon Roberts’ comments are earnest and passionate, suffused with humor and hope — a stirring call to pursue something more than mediocrity in education, to foster lives that are genuinely rich, ordered, and alive.

Recommended for:

• Parents interested in alternative education
• Educators seeking renewed vision
• Supporters of faith-based or classical schooling
• Anyone questioning the trajectory of modern education