Find a Mentor. Be a Mentor.
For over 15 years the CiRCE Apprenticeship has been equipping teachers to understand the nature and principles of classical education, and showing how those principles can be brought back to any classroom.
"The CiRCE Apprenticeship has been a deeply formative experience . . . I have grown in my ability as a teacher and am learning how to truly love my students. The Apprenticeship is intense and challenging, but worth every moment. The fellowship of being in a group of people who share a common desire to love the true, good, and beautiful is unlike anything else I have ever experienced."
Jill C.
The Tradition Awaits
"The supreme task of education is the cultivation of the human spirit to teach the young to know what is good, to serve it above self, and to reproduce it." - David Hicks
The CiRCE Institute's Apprenticeship Program is an in-depth, personal teacher development community in which a Master Teacher mentors a small group of educators in classical rhetoric and classical modes of instruction. It's founded on the idea that to feed students properly teachers must feed themselves. With mentorship and community at its core, it's a program for teachers (from all walks of life) who want to drink deeply from the wisdom of the ages, engage in inspiring conversation with like-minded friends, and push hard towards Truth, Wisdom, and Virtue.
Click here to learn more about our mission and what we teach.
Mentorship Matters
The mentor/apprentice relationship–and the community that springs out of it–is the very heart of the program. Each of our seven groups is kept small so that mentors and apprentices can truly know each other. The mentors guide the apprentices by providing assessment that blesses them, accountability that strengthens them, and regular discussions that nurture them. The environment is welcoming and safe, the community develops over shared meals and stories, the pedagogy is founded on Christian classical education forms, and the assessment is for the apprentice to flourish. These are the things that set this teacher training program apart.
Meet the Head Mentors
Live Q&A!
Do you have questions about how the CiRCE Apprenticeship works? Our head mentors are here to help! Each week this spring, one of them will be available via online Zoom room to answer your questions about the program. So whether you have questions about the curriculum, the retreat experience, or the purpose of the program, we're here to clarify.
Click the link to join during any of the times listed below. This will also be the link to all future dates, so keep it handy!
Click here to join us in Zoom!
Meeting ID: 959 2942 8526
Passcode: APS2021
"Just say yes. This program changed my life. When I entered the apprenticeship I had never read a classic, I did not understand the connection between form and freedom, and I had a lot of growing to do as a teacher. Because of this program, not only did I grow and learn in all of those areas, but I also became a better human, a better friend, a better neighbor. Please check this out. You will not regret it. "- Jennifer D.
COMMON QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE CURRICULUM FOR THIS PROGRAM?
The Apprenticeship curriculum operates on a three-term rotation in which each term corresponds with one academic year. Thus every apprentice completing three consecutive years will cover all of the selected literature. For example, an apprentice who joins during Term B advances to Term C and concludes with Term A. Each term works through The Lost Tools of Writing, Norms and Nobility, and three selections from classical literature. Additionaly, apprentices teach The Lost Tools of Writing weekly at home to a group of one or many students. Click here for details.
HOW MANY RETREATS ARE THERE?
Apprentices attend two retreats each year: a 5-day summer retreat and a 4-day winter retreat. The summer retreat initiates a year-long journey with fellow apprentices and the Head Mentor and is held at the end of July or early August at a location determined by the Head Mentor. Apprentices MUST be present for the duration of the retreat. The winter retreat is held during a week in February determined by the Head Mentor.
Both retreats are refreshing times of learning, fellowship, and camaraderie. Click here for more information on the retreats.
WHO TYPICALLY JOINS THE PROGRAM?
CiRCE apprentices come from a wide range of circumstances and are typically homeschool parents, private and public school teachers, homeschool co-op instructors, and university professors. Click here for more.
HOW MUCH TRAVEL IS INVOLVED?
Apprentices will have to travel to the two mandatory retreats each year. The retreats take place during early August and February in or near Charlotte, North Carolina (East Coast groups); Houston, Texas (Gulf Coast group), Cleveland, OH (Midwest group), Denver, CO (Rocky Mountain group); and Newbury, NH/Annapolis, MD (Mid-Atlantic group). The Mid-Atlantic group could also meet near Philadelphia, PA.
WHAT IS THE WEEKLY WORKLOAD?
In total, you can expect to spend approximately 6-10 hours a week on the Apprenticeship; some people even say 4-7 hours is sufficient. The workload estimates depend on your current teaching circumstances. Apprentices are required to teach The Lost Tools of Writing at home throughout all three years while they are in the program. This teaching requirement can be met in a teacher's current classroom or in a new setting. Some apprentices teach their spouse, teach their children, teach a group of fellow teachers from school, or launch a new class and offer it to their homeschool community.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The Apprenticeship costs $2850/year in tuition, plus a $400 deposit to guarantee a seat. In addition to the tuition and deposit, apprentices should expect to pay for travel, lodging, and food for the two retreats. A general estimated cost for each retreat is $500 plus airfare if applicable. Including all fees and expenses, the estimated cost for one year in the Apprenticeship is $3750.
WHAT ARE "APPRENTICES" & "JOURNEYMEN"?
An apprentice is a first-year participant. Second and third-year participants who have met all first-year requirements are referred to as journeymen. As a journeyman, you take on a mentoring role with the first year apprentices and are required to read different material. The costs, travel, and time commitments are the same for journeyman as they are for apprentices.These terms indicate progress in the program.
HOW ARE APPRENTICES EVALUATED?
Apprentices receive an evaluation in December for the fall semester and in May for the spring semester. During evaluations, Head Mentors provide apprentices with valuable feedback and suggestions for improvement. Apprentices are assessed on their participation, teaching, and writing. Click here for more details on evaluation.
WHAT IF I'M INTERESTED, BUT NOT ABLE TO JUMP IN?
We have a number of preparatory options that are less time-consuming and demanding than the full program. You can learn about them here.