Students today need to be deeply formed to love what is true and beautiful, and they also need practical skills and confidence that comes from real life experiences they can carry into college, career, and beyond.

In this episode of BaseCamp Live, Davies Owens sits down with Mitchell Slater, founder and CEO of Slater Strategies, to talk about entrepreneurship, risk, and why many students are not being prepared for real life as well as they could be.

Mitchell shares his story of growing up homeschooled in Alaska, learning hard work through real responsibilities, and starting his first business at 17 because his parents gave him room to try and learn. Together, they unpack why failure is such a powerful teacher, why our culture fears it, and how schools can create safe environments for students to practice real-world problem solving.

They also dive into Mitchell’s SMT program, which trains a small team of students to help tell their school’s story through marketing, communication, and community engagement, without handing students unrestricted tech or social media access.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• Why students need life prep, not just college prep
• How parents can encourage kids to take healthy risks and learn from failure
• What “marketing” includes beyond social media, including storytelling, writing, newsletters, and campus experience
• How SMT works and why it can feel like a modern, dynamic version of the yearbook team
• A simple shift in language that helps kids think like problem-solvers: “What problem do you want to solve?”

You will leave with practical encouragement for how to help students become real world ready, with confidence rooted in faith, responsibility, and meaningful work.

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
Wisephone by Techless
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy

Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.com

Don't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

“What is classical Christian education?” sounds like an easy question, until you try to answer it.

In this episode, Davies Owens is joined by Dr. David Diener, professor of education at Hillsdale College and executive director of the Alcuin Fellowship, to offer a clear, grounded explanation of what classical Christian education is and what it is not. They explore why this approach begins with the purpose of education, not just the methods, and how it aims to form students into a certain kind of human being, equipped to live well in this life and the next.

You will also hear how classical Christian schools differ from many modern models that treat education primarily as a transaction for career readiness, and why “integration” matters more than adding spiritual elements onto an otherwise secular framework.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• Why the goals of education shape everything else, curriculum, culture, and classroom life
• How classical Christian education connects belief and practice so formation is not an afterthought
• Why “you have to see it” is often the best explanation, and what to look for when you visit a school
• How this approach prepares students for a rapidly changing world, including AI, by prioritizing thinking, communication, and wisdom
• What distinguishes a truly classical and truly Christian school beyond slogans and aesthetics

If you have ever struggled to explain classical Christian education to a neighbor, a grandparent, or even yourself, this conversation gives language for what many families sense: this is not nostalgia, it is a living tradition that forms students for faithfulness, clarity, and courage.

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
Wisephone by Techless
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy

Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.com

Don't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Healthy habits are one of the greatest gifts we can give our children because habits quietly shape what they love and who they become. In this episode, Davies Owens is joined by Jeff Hendricks, headmaster at Providence Christian School of Texas, for a practical conversation about how formation happens through repeated, everyday actions.

Jeff defines a habit as a repeated action that becomes instinctive. It begins with conscious effort, but over time it becomes automatic, like driving a car. That matters because the virtues we hope to see in adulthood, generosity, courage, hospitality, do not appear overnight. They are built through small faithful practices.

A key theme throughout the conversation is that there is no neutral setting. Every child is learning habits of one kind or another, intentionally or passively. Jeff also addresses a common misconception: habit formation can sound harsh or overly strict, but discipline on the front end leads to freedom later. Like musicians and athletes, children gain joyful confidence when foundational skills become second nature.

Jeff shares several “best of” habits Providence emphasizes with families:

• Prayer and reading God’s Word: not necessarily formal or elaborate, sometimes simply reading Scripture together and praying. The point is consistency and priority.
• Attention: children cannot learn without it. Jeff offers practical ways to train attention at home, including multi-step instructions, narration, picture study, and observation exercises.
• Obedience: responding right away and all the way, with the understanding that respectful questions can happen at the right time. This trains children to relate rightly to God-given authority.
• Neatness and orderliness: restoring order to a space and to routines, even when it takes more time than doing it yourself.
• Serving others: training children to defer preferences and practice small acts of service that slowly reorient the heart away from self.
• Working hard and doing your best: building a “work before play” rhythm, teaching excellence without overwork, and helping children grow into wise self-management.

In closing, Jeff encourages educators to keep habits simple and intentional, and he encourages parents that it is never too late to begin. Start where you are, choose one habit, and keep it steady. Often the best change is the one you quietly begin and faithfully continue.

Resources Mentioned:

• Practical Tips for Teaching Habits to Your Children (pdf)

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
Wisephone by Techless
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy

Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.com

Don't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.