Smartphones have become the default for families, but what if the default is actually harmful? In this episode, Davies Owens talks with Chris Kaspar, founder and CEO of Techless, about why modern devices were never designed with children in mind and how parents can choose a healthier path.

Chris shares the moment that opened his eyes as a foster parent and explains why families today feel trapped between two extremes. Either give kids full access to the digital world or reject technology altogether. He argues that both options miss the mark. The real issue is the design, incentives, and addictive features built into mainstream phones that quietly shape identity, attention, and spiritual formation.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• Why smartphones were never created for children
• The hidden harms built into everyday tech
• What a healthier, middle path looks like
• How families can transition with confidence
• Why kids actually crave limits and protection

This conversation offers a compelling third way. Not hyperconnected and not Amish, but a thoughtful, intentional approach that meets basic communication needs without exposing kids to the dark side of digital life. Chris also shares why kids often want more boundaries than parents realize and how families can make sustainable changes together.

Resources Mentioned:

• Wisephone Discount
• Techless

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy
Life Architects Coaching

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.

Senior thesis is the capstone of a classical Christian education, and Dr. Tom Vierra believes it may be one of the most countercultural things schools do today. In this episode, Davies Owens talks with Tom, longtime classical educator and Senior Thesis Coordinator at Wilson Hill Academy, about why thesis is far more than “just a big paper.” Tom shares his path from early days at Great Hearts to helping shape Wilson Hill’s senior thesis program, where students research a topic that matters, write a 12–15 page thesis-driven paper, and publicly defend it. Along the way, they learn self-management, deep research, biblical reasoning, and confident communication that carry far beyond college.

Together they unpack the six-part classical rhetoric structure, including exordium, narratio, and refutatio, and why Wilson Hill requires students to write an antithesis paper arguing against their own position. This habit trains humility, civil discourse, and the ability to engage real counterarguments rather than living in an echo chamber. Tom also gives examples of standout thesis topics, from classical music and beauty to AI in medicine and political theory, and explains how schools can approve ambitious topics that still reflect a biblical worldview.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• Why senior thesis is the true capstone of classical Christian education
• How the six-part structure and antithesis train deeper thinking and discourse
• Ways to navigate AI while still forming original thinkers and speakers
• Practical encouragement for parents and schools walking through the thesis year

Davies and Tom address the challenge of AI, why filters and detection tools are not enough, and how a live oral defense reveals whether students truly own their work. They also touch on Augustine’s “all truth is God’s truth” approach to pre-Christian thinkers like Aristotle and Cicero, and how their insights on persuasion, instruction, and delight can be used faithfully under Scripture. Tom closes with encouragement for parents who feel the weight of senior year and for educators who want to make thesis a core part of their school’s identity rather than an add-on requirement.

Resources Mentioned:

• https://wilsonhillacademy.com/guide

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy
Life Architects Coaching

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.

Classical learning has deep roots in the United Kingdom. Yet many schools in England, Scotland, and Wales have drifted toward child-led, utilitarian models that leave students unformed and unmoored. At the same time, a quiet renewal is beginning to take shape.

In this episode, British educator Jamie Burns, founder of the Fellowship for Classical Learning, joins host Davies Owens to share how he rediscovered classical Christian education, why he believes it is the answer to the UK’s educational crisis, and how God is using a small group of families to start new schools in London and Cardiff.

Jamie traces his own story, from an average state education to rich conversations around his family’s dinner table, through years in mainstream schools, and finally to an “aha” moment listening to Andrew Kern that gave him language for what he had always felt. Along the way he offers a clear, inside look at the current state of education in England, Scotland, and Wales, and the surprising ways classical ideas are resurfacing in policy, practice, and school life.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• How Jamie grew up with a relativistic school education yet tasted something very different at home
• Why a simple question, “What is school for?”, revealed a stark contrast between UK schools and US classical schools
• How recent reforms in England embraced phonics and knowledge-rich curricula, while Wales and Scotland doubled down on child-led learning
• Why the pace and pressure of modern schooling can feel inhumane, even when test scores improve
• How the Fellowship for Classical Learning is launching two new schools, Fountain Christian School in London and St Anselm’s in Cardiff
• Why historic Christian schools in Britain often exist in name only, and why teacher character now matters more than ever
• Encouragement for parents who are counting the cost of choosing a different path for their children
• Hope for educators and school starters who feel underqualified, yet called, to stand in the classical Christian tradition

Technology, politics, and culture may be shifting quickly, yet this conversation reminds us that God is at work in quiet and surprising ways. Listeners will come away with fresh vision for what schooling can be, a deeper sense of solidarity with believers in the UK, and renewed courage to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty in their own communities.

Resources Mentioned:

• www.fellowshipforclassicallearning.co.uk
• www.stanselmscardiff.co.uk
• www.thefountainschool.london

Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:

The Herzog Foundation
The Champion Group
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy
Life Architects Coaching

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.