Thank you for your interest in Classical, and for taking the time to write a review of your experiences. We appreciate your dedication to scholars. To clarify, you mention not memorizing the lesson, and that is accurate! We believe it is far better to understand the lesson, and the spirit of each prompt, than to either awkwardly or imprecisely ‘read the lesson.’ Furthermore, thank you for mentioning that we tell our scholars exactly what we want them to do (or not do, in your case of scholars talking during instruction). Research shows that specific and concrete direction is easiest for scholars to respond to—and limits the need for follow up or redirection. We do believe that candidates, particularly for Dean of Student roles, need to be near-experts in managing a classroom, since this is the primary nature of their role—as opposed to an Instructional Coach, or other content-focused role. That said, we pride ourselves on how our strong structures allow our students to focus on content, and develop the critical thinking skills we value. Because of how little learning time is lost managing scholar behavior, our scholars are able to take Latin, debate, character education, music, art and fitness—all while mastering the academic content that allows them to outperform their more affluent peers in districts like Chappaqua and Scarsdale. We take great pride in our scholars’ effort and focus on academics and character. Best of luck in finding a role that matches your goals and needs.