Margarita Mooney Clayton on Activating the Inner Capacities of Students’ Souls

Margarita Mooney Clayton will be speaking at the 2024 National Symposium for Classical Education and will share her teaching approach that focus on the student. She says it is important to consider our understanding of the human person as the end and the means of education.

“What I hope you’ll take away from my talk is that virtue and self-discipline and self-mastery are inherent to all forms of education,” she said. It is her desire to encourage teachers and give them a renewed call to serve students through building relationships.

She holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Practical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she imparts knowledge on diverse subjects including the philosophy of social science, Christianity and the Liberal Arts Tradition, and Aesthetics and Christian Education. As the founder of the Scala Foundation in 2016, she currently serves as Scala’s Executive Director. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Yale University and pursued her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology at Princeton University. Over the course of her career, she has contributed her expertise to various esteemed institutions, including Yale University, Princeton University, Pepperdine University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Authoring impactful works rooted in her extensive experience as an educator and scholar, Her recent publications include “The Wounds of Beauty: Seven Dialogues on Art and Education” (2022) and “The Love of Learning: Seven Dialogues on the Liberal Arts” (2021). Beyond her scholarly endeavors, she has shared her insights on culture, faith, and education in widely read publications such as Comment, Plough Magazine, Real Clear Policy, Scientific American, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Miami Herald, America Magazine, First Things,  Hedgehog Review, Public Discourse, Church Life Journal, and the National Catholic Register. Clayton has also been featured in interviews conducted by organizations such as the Acton Institute, Duke Divinity School, the Institute for Humane Studies, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, and by Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio.

Hear from Clayton and other inspiring and informative speakers on March 20-22, 2024 at the Phoenix Convention Center, where they will each be giving their unique talks during the National Symposium for Classical Education. Registration is NOW LIVE!

The Symposium will focus on renewing the Great Conversation concerning great works and perennial ideas. This year we will underscore the importance of teaching and modeling the conversations that lead to insight–among colleagues, between teachers and students, with families, and across our communities. At a time when our society most needs genuine dialogue, classical schools provide a sanctuary of genuine civility. Join us to discover how classical education embodies the good conversations, providing both the means and the model for a more civil society.

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