The CLT Alternative to Teach for America | John Snyder

On the episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Florida State Representative and founder of Employment Simplified Inc., John Snyder. They discuss Florida’s efforts to support school choice and classical education. They also cover ESI’s partnership with CLT, which helps assign teachers to schools through the CLT Classical Teaching Corps. They also dive into what happens once an applicant is accepted into the Corps and share good news for those who may still want to apply.

Apply for the CLT Classical Teaching Corps: https://www.cltexam.com/classical-teaching-corps/

Visit https://www.esiworks.com/contact/ to walk through the application process with one of their recruiters and explore next steps.

Transcript

Jeremy (00:01.784)
Folks, welcome back to the Anchor Podcast. It has been several months since we've given you an update on the CLT Classical Teaching Core, our alternative to Teach for America. I have with us today, truly one of my very favorite people in the classical education movement, a dear friend, John Snyder. John is a representative in the state of Florida and actually represents my dad's district, Jupiter, Florida there.

and he's a diehard fan of classical education, classical Christian education. Representative Snyder, thanks so much for being with us.

John Snyder (00:36.83)
Jeremy, it's always great to be with my second favorite Tate in the country. so good to join you today,

Jeremy (00:44.326)
I'm gonna have to send this to my dad now. We're gonna have to get waffles again with the old man in his neighborhood. That was a good time, John. John, you came on the Anchor podcast a number of years ago. Soren Schwab did an interview with you back then. As a little refresher, how did you discover this whole world of classical education, classical Christian education?

John Snyder (00:52.967)
Love it.

John Snyder (01:07.954)
Well, it really starts with my upbringing, Jeremy. went really, my parents, I don't think at the time knew it, but they were pioneers in the school choice movement in some way. I did everything from home school. I spent a year in the traditional public school. But really where the lights turned on for me in middle school was the three years I spent at St. Joseph's Catholic school, and then went on into a small

Jeremy (01:35.693)
Mm.

John Snyder (01:37.927)
Christian private school and quite honestly, I thought that that's how everybody learned and until I had my young daughter and really started looking for the right educational option that fit for her, you we were like so many parents just on the journey and some local community folks came to me and said, hey, would you be interested? We are trying to start a classical charter school.

here in Martin County, which is in South Florida. And in short order, when I dove into the classical education renewal movement, I realized that's how I went to school. That's how I want my daughter to learn. And it was really in 2018 that we went all in and became diehard believers in what I believe is now the movement that is sweeping America.

Jeremy (02:33.03)
I think it is sweeping America and to me, John, it is becoming the clear alternative vision to the failing mainstream secular progressive education model. And for too long, think conservatives have basically been offering to take kind of the most toxic elements out of the secular progressive mainstream education, maybe critical theory or something.

but not providing a wholly different vision that anyone left, right, center could get excited about. I I think every parent, you know, they want their kid to come back and grow in their moral imagination and their sense of wonder. And this is what's happening now. And in your work in the state of Florida on the legislative side, Florida has been the leader for this. Can you speak about that for a minute of how Florida is championing classical education on the policy front?

John Snyder (03:29.694)
Well, at the root of it, it starts with with school choice in parental empowerment because it's it's our firm belief here in the state that the parent will always make the best decision on where their child and how their child should learn, not the zip code in which they which they live. And so a couple of years ago, we passed sweeping school choice to really

let parents know that they're hard earned tax dollars. The money was going to go in the backpack and follow their student, whether it was the traditional public school, private school, charter school, home school. And through the competitive nature of school choice, what has really come out of that is parents are saying more and more as they're learning about classical education, that is the choice that they're wanting to make. I can tell you that here in Martin County,

Our school is now, and I'm not on the board anymore. I'm just a proud father. My daughter's in eighth grade going into ninth, and our four-year-old will start kindergarten there in two years, Lord willing. But enrollment is at almost 1,200 students, a wait list out the door, and that's just a small snapshot. There are pioneers all around the state and folks who have been at this.

Jeremy (04:43.553)
Incredible.

John Snyder (04:53.911)
from Jacksonville to Miami to the West Coast, the panhandle. And as more and more parents are learning about the content rich nature of what classical education really is, the demand is just continuing to rise. And so one of the key things we did again to support that effort, I know this one was a near and dear one to you was to break up the duopoly of the ACT and the SAT. And now in the state of Florida,

Jeremy (05:21.09)
Yeah, yeah.

John Snyder (05:23.154)
The classical learning test is recognized as a standardized test for college admission. so hats off to you, to the many individuals that have been at this long before I am. This is a big relay race, but that's kind of the quick snapshot of classical ed in Florida. And there's still more work to be done.

Jeremy (05:38.857)
Thank you brother.

Jeremy (05:44.623)
it

You know, it still blows my mind, know, when did the website for the University of Florida, just to look at it again, just a few weeks ago, and like there's the classic learning test to get into the University of Florida and get a full ride. get a 96 on the CLT, go to the University of Florida for free. Really, really mind blowing. But what that means is like we got public school students now who are working to get into the University of Florida and they're taking a college entrance exam that's shaping all of their prep where they're reading, they're in

John Snyder (06:15.247)
Yep.

Jeremy (06:16.24)
encountering Aristotle. They're encountering the good, the true, and the beautiful. I love that we've been able to do this, John. It wouldn't be possible without folks like yourself who are fighting for all of the best things on the legislative front.

John, let's talk CLT Classical Teaching Core, your work at ESI. I'm kind of relieved, John, that we're doing this podcast because we've had some wonderful, wonderful feedback from folks. CLT has never been in the staffing arena. We've launched this alternative to Teach for America. How do we know about this? And truth of course is that the CLT Classical Teaching Core is powered by John Snyder and your organization, ESI. I'm wondering if you could maybe speak to just what ESI is first.

John Snyder (06:29.537)
you

Jeremy (06:59.136)
this whole arena of staffing and maybe how you got into that.

John Snyder (07:04.295)
Absolutely. So ESI is short for Employment Simplified Inc. We started the company back in 2015 and we did not intend as a company to become, to go into education staffing. But just quickly what we found through the launch of our daughter's school and as we started talking to other classical schools around the country, what we found was not only was there a void in the marketplace for

teacher recruiting, the moment a headmaster began talking about the things that they cared about and wanted wanting to see in a candidate, it was just going in one ear and out the other. And so we saw a real opportunity, just as you did to say, hey, how can we, how can we contribute to the movement in the testing space and, and, and shake things up? We saw an opportunity where really human resources, HR is the

ground zero for, I believe, a progressive takeover where DEI began to drive the conversation much more than skills, abilities, and merit. And so to be able to push back in that space and stay fully compliant in how we do what we do, but just to be a common sense support, fast forward to today, we have made over 3000 education placements

around the country and public in classical charter schools and private schools and other school schools of choice around the country. And so that that's kind of ESI in a nutshell is providing recruiting and human resources support to schools of choice around the country.

Jeremy (08:55.074)
Well, that and John, it may be helpful for our audience. This I'll give a quick kind of how this happened in the first place just over the past year. But, you know, I think it's more and more people have seen that one of the real pain points in the classical movement scaling has been finding great teachers, great administrators. Number of folks came to CLT and they said, hey, you've got the database of all of these homeschool students, classically educated students who took the CLT five years ago.

Maybe that's where we're gonna find so many of these teachers. And I started thinking, my wife Erin, she did Teach for America out of college, and I didn't do it myself, but I was exposed to it. And this model of forming an elite core of top graduates, and really all of these young people who have received a classical education themselves are incredible.

And when we think through who do we want going into these schools, who's capable of passing on the fire of this tradition? Who's capable of being a classical teacher? Well, the folks who have actually received this kind of education themselves are uniquely equipped to do this well, but many of them haven't even considered teaching. And so as we started visiting colleges this past fall, Grove City, Christian and College, telling them about the CLT Classical Teaching Corps,

John Snyder (10:11.708)
So, thank

Jeremy (10:15.214)
They said, well, I don't have a teaching certificate. I'm not licensed. We said, no, you've received all the right formation to go and be an excellent teacher. And as we started getting into this and saying, wow, there's a lot more complexity than I anticipated, the two of us started talking on the phone and hammered out this partnership now where

you know, these teachers, these young people applying to this that have been accepted into the program are going to have a great experience. I'm wondering if you could kind of flesh out the picture from being accepted. know, folks are learning the news over the past few weeks that they've been accepted into the CLT Classical Teaching Corps. What happens next, John?

John Snyder (10:59.055)
Yeah, so great question. And right now we are actually engaged in dozens of conversations with those applicants who have been selected and have made it.

through to phase one. part of the message, and you really, hit the nail on the head, is that I think what more people are beginning to realize is that you can teach someone how to teach. It is very difficult to teach those core values and really instill years and years of that classical education. And so the individuals that are coming out of these

Jeremy (11:38.103)
Yeah.

John Snyder (11:40.33)
CLT affiliated schools that have been living, breathing it, they have walked the trivium. And now as they are ready to embark on their professional careers, and graduating from college, that opportunity to to really go out and do something difficult, and do something that will make a difference at what I believe that that will last into eternity. That's those are the conversations that are happening right now.

And so we're working with students and future graduates as we select down the regions. And so we're having those active conversations with those top tier classical schools that will be accepting the core teachers. And so working through that matchmaking process, getting a firm handle on exactly when those graduation dates are, what some of the training will look like as the program moves through.

There are some additional steps and hurdles because at the end of the day, we want to make sure that when a core teacher walks into the door for the first day, that they aren't just walking in blindly. They not only know what they're getting into, they are prepared to walk in that door and they're ready to go to work for two years to make a difference in the hearts and minds of the future generation.

Jeremy (13:08.36)
A question that we've been getting asked and I've been encouraged by your answer. know, folks will say, I didn't know about this. I just found out about this. You know, I'm graduating in May. Is there any way I can still apply late? Well, what is our response there?

John Snyder (13:26.075)
Yes, I would say by all means do really impart to the tremendous level of interest, not just from schools, but also from candidates. You know, at some point we will have to have a firm stop on applications, but we are in consultation with the team extending the window up to March 1st, especially for

those students who have recently graduated or are about to graduate heading into the summer. And so I know there'll be some links provided, you know, in some of the different areas that the podcast has posted. But the best way to get to us is esiworks.com backslash contact. And you can reach out to one of our recruiters.

and walk you through how that application process works and explain next steps.

Jeremy (14:29.782)
John, when I was on campus at Christendom College, I would just, just to kind of mess with students, I would say, you look like a teacher. Have you thought about teaching? And of course, at Christendom, every male wears a tie and a sports coat every day, and they're wearing these lovely dresses and everything. So of course, they actually all really do look like teachers. But what I kept hearing at Christendom, and I heard this at Grove City College as well, was I was actually homeschooled growing up. I've never been really in

in a classroom. I'm wondering, know, a huge percentage of CLT test takers and many of our highest achieving students, homeschooled students, where they didn't experience ever being in a classroom themselves, like some of our top classical Christian schools or Catholic schools, how would you respond to those students?

John Snyder (15:21.215)
Well, one of my favorite quotes from Plato is that those having torches will pass them on to others. And I think going back to what we said earlier, through the program and through the schools that are accepting

the core teachers, that's where the training comes in. And really the torch that is being passed is that deep love for the timeless principles of wisdom, of truth, things of virtue, things that matter. And I would say for that homeschooled classical student, there is no better classroom.

than right there in that environment, perhaps working alongside brothers and sisters, those of different ages. And really, I think that is almost a level of preparation unto itself. And so, you know, in the same token, we also understand that perhaps this might not be for everyone. And so the last thing we ever want to do is, you know, paint a picture that says this will be fun, this will be easy.

Yes, there will be parts of the job that will be fun. And there will be parts that will be easy. think waking up in the morning and going to do something that you truly care about, that is an easy thing to do. Walking into the classroom, though, that is a challenge. But the schools that we're working with understand the nature of the candidates and the core teachers that are coming through. So I feel confident that the support structures will be there.

for these individuals to walk in the door and again, begin passing that torch on day one.

Jeremy (17:07.982)
You know, John, when my wife did Teach for America, she did a graduate degree as teacher formation through Pace University in New York. I remember she came home from class early on and she was very confused and they had told her, don't ever, ever assume the gender of a student. Even if you are positive, you think you know what it is. This is 2004.

long before this really became, you know, this kind of mainstream bizarre thing that I think now maybe we're on the other side of, but...

John Snyder (17:38.865)
NNNN

Jeremy (17:44.078)
She was getting teacher formation, right? And the kind that, of course, I think in the classical and classical Christian arena, we would really disagree with. We have a very different vision for teacher formation than I think what they were offering at Pace University back then. And Higher Ed has now stepped up, right? Templeton at Eastern University, Brian Williams, who I believe is one of the greatest teachers in the classical education movement, Benedictine College. And you can think of Kristen Schmuck.

Weirbeck in a big way, Joseph Wysocki, what he's building with the graduate program in classical education at Belmont Abbey. I'm wondering, and I know this is our first year doing this and we're working out a lot of the details, but can you speak to this teacher formation and the partnerships that we're establishing with some of these great institutions?

John Snyder (18:34.901)
Absolutely, Jeremy. And I think you the nail on the head so often within just K-12 and higher education today. The emphasis is on teaching individuals on what to think, not how to think. And so, and really in all credit goes back to the relationships that you and your team have built with some of these

prestigious schools is creating this dedicated pipeline where headmasters have the resources where they do not have to send their teachers back into the progressive mainstream, where they can learn and take graduate level courses on what is a human, really diving into classroom management from a classical outlook. And so we are

The schools that we're working with that are taking on these core teachers have been made aware of this kind of dedicated pipeline with Benedictine, with Templeton, and some of the others as these partnerships continue to solidify. But this summer, students will have that opportunity, again, depending on the school placement, to attend in-person learning, earning up to six.

masters level courses. And so again, to be clear, not every core teacher will have that specific opportunity, but that is one where as regional placements begin to come into play, teachers will see those opportunities. And we're hopeful that as the program continues to build and as we continue to learn through this year,

That is something that just gets automatically baked in for every core teacher. But we're excited to see now just a true level of professional development that has been really made available in a network kind of way around the country.

Jeremy (20:46.638)
I love that. John, let's talk about the future and kind of vision for the future. You know, we launched a CLT Classical Teaching Core last year with just kind of imagining.

of what could the cultural impact be if there was something with kind of the reach of Teach for America, the prestige. I mean, they've got students from Harvard and Stanford and Yale that apply to Teach for America, do it for two years, and then it becomes the top thing on their resume, saying, I went and I served in one of these schools. When you think of what the CLT Classical Teaching Corps could look like in three years, in five years.

I wonder if you can kind of flesh out that vision for us.

John Snyder (21:28.167)
Well, I would say that the best is yet to come. Here we are, barely a dozen weeks past the initial vision and the interest has been off the charts. And so I think, just kind of going back to your Navy SEAL analogy, this is the very first test and

Jeremy (21:51.126)
that. Yeah.

John Snyder (21:52.113)
And we're going to take the beachhead, establish a strong presence. And I believe as more and more schools continue to grow throughout the nation, as the demand continues to grow, this is going to be the tip of the spear that meets that demand. And whether the core teachers end up saying, I want to stay in the classroom forever,

or I want to now take this experience and continue into the professional world, I think that as time goes on, having the CLT Classical Teaching Corps on a resume will be a mark of excellence. And I also believe that at the school level, as the program continues to grow, that schools will begin to use that as a matter of acclaim.

to let their parents know and let other teachers know that they are growing their teaching force with the best talent available. so, look, we aren't doing this on our own. We've got wonderful partners in this. We're just trying to row as hard as we can and as strongly as we can in our lane. But I envision this being something where in three years we have

hundreds of deployments going out into classical schools all around the country, changing hearts and really making a difference in the next generation.

Jeremy (23:29.352)
It is so beautiful to hear you speak this way. I think of both my sister and my wife, my sister Leslie. Leslie, I'm gonna send you this podcast, but she could have done anything out of college. Straight A student, straight A's all the way from middle school on. And incredible student, she did the Peace Corps. She did the Peace Corps in the Republic of Georgia.

My wife, again, when the University of Virginia couldn't have done anything, she went into teaching in some of the poorest, most underprivileged schools in Brooklyn, New York, Marcy Street projects there.

John Snyder (23:59.617)
Ehh

Jeremy (23:59.692)
Why do young people wanna do this, right? And I think that there is a call to a great adventure, a call to do something that the world needs, right? And young people, they're starving for truth, they're starving for goodness, they're starving for beauty, and they're receiving this in an incredible way in these classical schools.

And this has been the pain point, you know, of making sure that these schools are growing so rapidly and that we're continuing to staff these schools with excellent teachers that have caught a hold of this fire themselves and are eager to pass it on to the next generation. I'm so thrilled with where this is at right now. John, we want to have you on as a frequent guest to get updates about the CLT Classical Teaching Core.

on the Anchor podcast. But before we let you go, we do want to talk books for a couple of minutes here. We've had you on before, so you've answered the question. I actually don't know your answer offhand, but the question is typically the single book that has been most formative for you. My question for you is just, what are you reading right now? What are you reading to your kiddos at home?

John Snyder (24:59.367)
Let's see, well, right now we are, we're going through some pretty hardcore CS Lewis phase with the middle schooler. The three-year-old, we've been working.

on who we've got a kid's version of Lion Witch in the wardrobe. But I've got to be honest, she's more, she's got a different kind of imagination on that stage right now. So if anyone has tips for how to what to read to your three year old, I am all in. please let me know on that front. We're looking.

Jeremy (25:50.894)
We're diehard Aesop's Fables. Thank you Andrew Kern, Searcy Institute, early CLT days. Andrew sold me hard on Aesop's Fables. So we do that, have many, many copies at the Tate House. John, again, we love you dearly at CLT. We are all big fans. Again, we're here with John Snyder, who is the founder.

of ESI, the organization that is fueling the powering, let's say, the CLT Classical Teaching Core. John, thanks so much for being with us today.

John Snyder (26:26.254)
Jeremy, thanks for having me. We look forward to joining you again soon.