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Forming the Heart: Benjamin Lyda on Orthodox Education and the St. Nectarios Educators Conference
38:59
What the video says
Melanie of Ancient Faith Presents interviews Benjamin Laida, founder of Scriptorum Writing and co-host of the St. Nectarios Orthodox Educators Conference. Benjamin shares his journey from evangelical Protestantism to Orthodoxy, his two decades in education, and his conviction that the first priority of education is forming the heart toward Christ.
The conversation explores what makes education explicitly Orthodox, critiques progressive and vaguely 'classical' models, and introduces the online conference (November 6-7) featuring speakers like David Hicks, Andrew Kern, and Josh Gibbs, which aims to start a conversation and provide resources for Orthodox parents, teachers, and priests.
Key moments
- Benjamin grew up evangelical, began studying church history about 20 years ago, converted to Orthodoxy, and studied at St. Vladimir Seminary; he has taught fourth through twelfth grade, directed Shakespeare plays, helped found a school, and now trains teachers through his consulting organization Living Classical.
- Using the Pegasus metaphor, he explains that education can aid the ascent toward God but cannot complete it—only Christ and the Holy Spirit convert hearts—so educators must prioritize educating the heart, illustrated by St. John of Kronstadt's story about finding 'the door to a child's heart.'
- Pedagogical methods rest on assumptions about what it means to be human; much 'classical' education today is pedagogically similar to progressive models, and John Dewey's progressive education rests on pragmatic, materialistic assumptions that shape the wrong kind of person.
- While sympathetic to families with no alternatives, he warns against sending children to public schools without critical thought—not because of conspiracy, but because teachers' unexamined assumptions about humanity inevitably come through; a priest in Texas even told his parish to pull their kids out and built support structures.
- Co-ops, parish schools, and formal schools can learn from each other: co-ops should write down a shared vision and goals, while formal schools can learn that much education can be accomplished without large funds; some states now even provide money for alternative schooling.
- Homeschoolers lack explicitly Orthodox materials, but most good Christian materials don't contradict the faith; citing John Senior, he notes even Protestant literature teaches virtue, and encourages families that loving Christ and loving to learn matter more than standardized tests.
- Classical education is hard to define but at its broadest is a search for objectively true, communicable truth; he draws on Charlotte Mason's insight that children need living relationships with ideas, and that atmosphere, habits, and ideas—intuitively familiar from Orthodox liturgical life—are the tools that shape the heart.
- The St. Nectarios Orthodox Educators Conference (November 6-7, online, at stnectariuseducators.com) is an invitation to anyone concerned with making their children into saints; speakers include David Hicks, Andrew Kern, Josh Gibbs, and others, with recordings available to registrants who cannot attend live.
In this episode of Ancient Faith Presents, Melanie interviews Benjamin Lyda, founder of the Scriptorum Writing curriculum and co-host of the St. Nectarios Orthodox Educators Conference. Benjamin recounts his journey from evangelical Protestantism to Orthodoxy—sparked by studying church history some twenty years ago—and his two decades in education, including teaching grades four through twelve, directing Shakespeare plays, helping found a school, and now training teachers through his consulting organization Living Classical.
The heart of the conversation is his conviction that the first priority of education is forming the heart toward Christ. Using the metaphor of Pegasus, he explains that education can aid the ascent toward God but cannot complete it; only Christ and the Holy Spirit convert hearts, and educators must seek what St. John of Kronstadt called the door to a child's heart.
The discussion critiques both progressive education, which rests on pragmatic and materialistic assumptions about the human person, and much of what passes for classical education today, which often shares the same pedagogy while wearing different clothes. Benjamin cautions parents against sending children to public schools without critical reflection—not out of conspiracy thinking, but because teachers' unexamined assumptions inevitably come through.
He also addresses practical questions: co-ops and parish schools can learn from one another, homeschoolers can use good Christian materials even when not explicitly Orthodox, and loving Christ and loving to learn matter more than standardized tests. Drawing on Charlotte Mason, he notes that atmosphere, habits, and living ideas—familiar from Orthodox liturgical life—are the tools that shape the heart.
The episode closes with details on the online St. Nectarios Orthodox Educators Conference (November 6-7, 2026), featuring speakers such as David Hicks, Andrew Kern, and Josh Gibbs, with recordings available to registrants.
Main points
- Benjamin Lyda's path from evangelicalism to Orthodoxy and two decades of teaching shaped his conviction that education's first task is forming the heart toward Christ.
- Education can aid the ascent to God but cannot accomplish conversion—only Christ and the Holy Spirit can, so educators must find the door to a child's heart.
- Progressive education rests on materialistic assumptions about the human person, and much modern 'classical' education shares the same pedagogy.
- Practical guidance for families: co-ops and schools can learn from each other, and loving Christ and loving learning matter more than test scores.
- The online St. Nectarios Orthodox Educators Conference (November 6-7, 2026) gathers speakers like David Hicks, Andrew Kern, and Josh Gibbs for parents, teachers, and priests.