AfterCast: An Audio Companion for the Classical, Charlotte Mason Mama

EP 35: How She Learns: My Personal Continuing Education Journey Mar 07, 2019

Today is the FINAL installment of this Learning How to Live Series -- which makes this the END of Season 4! What I tried to do, and hope I accomplished, was take the categories we’ve been discussing these past few weeks and show how they play out in my own life – not because the way I do it is the one right way, but simply because it’s always useful to have an example of how this might work. I hope you find it helpful as we look at different ways to learn in the midst of busy days!

Thank you for joining me this season. Please make sure you're subscribed so that you're notified when AfterCast come back after the break.

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EP 34: A Mama’s Continuing Education: Oh, the Endless Possibilities! Feb 28, 2019

Today is NOT just a review. Yes, we walk through everything we’ve learned over this huge series and remind ourselves of the amazingly numerous possibilities. But the point isn’t the review – the point is to think of these as categories and then discover what similar options exist for us today. I think you’ll find some real gems to help keep you learning in the midst of your busy days.

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EP 33: Becoming a Charlotte Mason Teacher in a Utilitarian World Feb 21, 2019

Today we begin to end our Learning How to Live series. We’re heading toward application. Before we get too practical, we need to discuss the WHY. Why keep learning? There are some good reasons to learn and some bad or insufficient reasons to learn, and it takes wisdom to know the difference. Listen up for an exploration of the heart of self-education.

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EP 32: Local Group Meetings and Conferences for Continuing Education Feb 14, 2019

Today we continue with our Learning How to Live series. Up until this point, we’ve mostly talked about things that can be done privately – reading books and magazines and such. This time, we take a look at communal activities like meetings and conferences. There’s some information here that you won’t want to miss!

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EP 31: Magazines as Continuing Education Feb 08, 2019

Today we continue with our Learning How to Live series by discussing magazines and the part they played in the education of Charlotte Mason’s parents and teachers. Do you think magazines can play a part today? Is there anything else that might be similar? Listen up to find out!

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EP 30: On Mother Culture Jan 31, 2019

Today, we take a look at something called Mother Culture. If you found the idea of a Mothers’ Education Course, which we talked about in Episodes 27 and 28, overwhelming, this is the solution for you. Make sure you listen to the end so you hear all about the freebie tracker I offer that makes Mother Culture even more fun.

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EP 29: The Mother's Compass Jan 24, 2019

Today, I’m interrupting our Charlotte Mason series to bring you this season’s special conversation. Brittney McGann is back with me today; I hope you recognize her from last season. Brittney has been studying Charlotte Mason for over seven years. Mason’s philosophy embodies all the things Brittney loved about her own upbringing and everything she would have wished for in her education, had she known it was possible. Brittney hosted the Grace to Build Retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina for three years and has presented workshops at multiple Charlotte Mason conferences. These days she is teaching her three children, leading two Charlotte Mason groups and working with her husband to restore native plants to their 3.5 acres.

Today, Brittney and I discuss the "Mother’s Compass". We talk about working within limitations -- for both ourselves and our children. It’s a great discussion you won’t want to miss!

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EP 28: Charlotte Mason's Mothers' Education Course: The Content Jan 17, 2019

Today’s episode is our second on Charlotte Mason’s Mothers’ Education Course. If you recall, last episode we talked about the HISTORY of the course. This time, we’re looking at the content of the course and also asking a few questions about what it’d look like to build a course for today’s mothers.

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EP 27: A Brief History of Charlotte Mason's Mothers' Education Course Jan 10, 2019

Are you ready to take a look at Charlotte Mason’s Mothers’ Education Course? Before we talk content, we need to know our history, and I think you’ll find this lesson particularly interesting.

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EP 26: A Note on Lectures at the Ambleside Teachers' College Jan 03, 2019

Today’s episode is super short, but still worth hearing. We briefly speculate on what lectures at Miss mason’s college might have contained, and generally take one last look around at life at Ambleside.

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EP 25: At College with Charlotte Mason Dec 28, 2018

In today’s installment of our Learning How To Live series, we take a close look at what it was like for the students who went to Ambleside and studied under Charlotte Mason. Have you ever wondered what it was like for a governess at the training school? Stay tuned to find out!

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EP 24: The Self-Education of Miss Charlotte Mason Dec 20, 2018

Today, we're taking a look at Charlotte Mason’s personal habits. She was quite the well-read lady, and it turns out this didn’t happen by accident. Let’s check out what Miss Mason did and think about how we can make better choices with our time.

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EP 23: Learning How to Live Dec 13, 2018

Welcome to Season 4 of AfterCast! I'm so glad you're here! Today, we're kicking off a new series of episodes. This whole season is going to have one focus: continuing our education as homeschool teachers. To think about that, we're going to discuss all the ways Charlotte Mason and her comrades continued their educations.

But first, we need to start at the beginning: what does it mean to have the heart of Charlotte Mason teacher? How does a Charlotte Mason teacher flourish? Listen to find out!

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EP 22: A Living Reproduction of the Past Sep 06, 2018

For this final episode of the season, we’re tackling some tough questions: why are names like classical education and great conversation so difficult to define? Is Charlotte Mason for everyone? And what does it mean to duplicate a tradition in a living way?

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EP 21: How Education Is Like Sandpaper Aug 23, 2018

In a Charlotte Mason education, there is no specialization. All students are to study all subjects. The question is WHY? Today, we’re going to take a look at some possible reasons using Socrates, Aristotle, MBTI, and some lesson Miss Mason teaches us in her book Formation of Character.

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EP 20: Christian Conflict with the Inklings Aug 09, 2018

Today’s episode is a crossover episode with the Charlotte Mason Poetry Podcast, and I’m chatting with CMP’s very own Brittney McGann! Brittney and I read the book Bandersnatch together – it was an excellent read (I highly recommend it) and a great place to start for a conversation about conflict in community.

Join us today as we learn lessons from how the Inklings succeeded … and also failed ... and learn from them about building a healthy community.

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EP 19: How to Move Forward Jul 26, 2018

So, you figured out something is wrong with your homeschool. Good. The question is what to do next. A lot of us find it paralyzing to discover our imperfections. Today, we’re devising an action plan to get moving.

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EP 18: Putting the Generosity Back in Generous Education Jul 12, 2018

Charlotte Mason prescribe a “broad and generous education” for her students. For a variety of reasons, this can be a daunting task. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest obstacles to implementing this sort of education: OURSELVES.

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EP 17: What Did Charlotte Mason Mean by "Short Lessons?" Jun 29, 2018

If you’re thinking that because Charlotte Mason prescribed short lessons, this means your high schooler should only do 20 minutes of math, you’re thinking wrong! Today, we’re doing a deep dive into what we mean when we say “short lessons.”

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EP 16: How to Help Your Children with Hard Books Jun 14, 2018

It’s easy to say that our children should read hard books, but what does that look like in practice? Do we just throw them into the deep end and hope for the best? No! There’s actually a lot we can do to help, which is our topic for today.

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EP 15: If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It May 31, 2018

Are you feeling the pressure to change things in your homeschool because there are new, hip curricula on the market? Or maybe it's the opposite -- you're tempted to hang on to something that isn't really working? Either way, this episode is for you!

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EP 14: Why Your Curriculum Should Include Hard Books Dec 07, 2017

Is YOUR child reading a hard book right now? Is he really struggling? Is your mommy heart going out to him, tempting you to let him drop the book? It’s completely normal to feel this way… BUT … before you let him drop the book, let’s think through the situation a bit. Sometimes, we need to drop a book. But lots of times, we don’t. It takes wisdom to know the difference.

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EP 13: The Use and Misuse of Charlotte Mason’s First Principle Nov 09, 2017

Children are born persons. — Charlotte Mason’s First Principle of Education

In today's episode, we're digging deeply into this principle. What does it mean? What are its limitations? How do we apply (or misapply) this principle?

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(IN 01) Let's Talk About ... Charlotte Mason History (with Karen Glass!) Oct 05, 2017

I received a couple questions recently regarding AmblesideOnline, Charlotte Mason, the teaching of history, memorization of timelines, and more that made me think of conversations I've had in the past with Karen Glass. I decided to use them as an excuse to have a conversation with her and record it for AfterCast. That's what I'm presenting to you today.

Karen Glass, if you aren't familiar with her, is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, and also the brain behind Mind to Mind, an abridgment of Charlotte Mason’s sixth volume. Karen is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, ages 13 to 27, who have been homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end. She has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years.

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EP 12: Starving Our Children Sep 21, 2017

Today's episode discusses something I picked up in Charlotte Mason's book, Home Education ... that IDEAS are the food of the MIND. What are the implications of this? What about when children are limited in their ability to read and discover ideas for themselves? How does this change the way that we treat our children?

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EP 11: Far as the Curse is Found (Suffering and Holiness) Sep 14, 2017

Today's episode isn't about homeschooling, unless you count the fact that it's part of my series, The Low-Energy Mom's Guide to Homeschooling. Life continues, even though we're homeschooling, and sometimes life gets ugly. Let's talk about why that is.

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EP 10: Music and the Poetry of Education Aug 31, 2017

In today’s episode, I have a bit of debate with a chapter in Clark and Jain’s book, The Liberal Arts Tradition. I love what they said in terms of philosophy, but I don’t think they took the practical implementation of their philosophy nearly far enough. I tried to provide what I think is a helpful push in the right direction.

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EP 09: Are You Sabotaging Your Charlotte Mason Homeschool? Aug 24, 2017

If you feel like you’re messing up your Charlotte Mason homeschool, the first thing you need to know is that you’re not alone. Returning to our basic principles – and remembering that principles and practices are not always the same thing – can help us focus on what matters most.

To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast. To support the show, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/donate. To find Brandy on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog.

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EP 08: The Best Kept Secret of Homeschooling Aug 17, 2017

Homeschooling has a lot of side-benefits, as you probably know. These benefits aren’t reasons to homeschool, but they are good things nonetheless. We could talk about how children are able to get more sleep or have more free time. But are these the BEST kept secret? Nope. The best kept secret benefits US – the teachers – not the children. What is it? Keep listening and you’ll find out.

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EP 07: My Child Doesn't Like X: Homeschooling Meets Resistance Feb 16, 2017

Why we don't need to rearrange the entire curriculum just because Johnny hates something on the day's agenda ... with some help from Aristotle via C.S. Lewis.

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EP 06: My Teacher, My Logos? Feb 09, 2017

If a logos is a central organizing principle, then we should think about what is the central organizing principle of our homeschools. We might hope it is one thing when in fact it's another -- which means it's time to be honest with ourselves!

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RT 01: Observing Holy-Days with Eusebius Feb 02, 2017

Eusebius, The Church History (translated by Paul Maier) is a book I've been reading with E-Age-Fourteen for our Bible/Church History category and it is just fantastic. It reminds me a lot of the book of Acts, and also Bede's Ecclesiastical History. I honestly think reading through it has been a great way to kick off high school.

In today's episode, I read an excerpt and then attempt to pull out a principle that I personally found helpful, and I hope you do, too. I'd tell you what that principle is, but I think it's nicer to hear it in context, so why not click that play button?

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EP 05: Possibility, Not Heredity Jan 26, 2017

Charlotte Mason's 2nd principle says, "[Children] are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil." This can trip some people up, especially Protestants.

When we look at the context of hereditary determinism, we start to understand what she was fighting against. That's what we're doing today: using a bit of Charles Dickens in order to understand the historical context.

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EP 04: The Don't Look Theory of Parenting Jan 19, 2017

When it comes to parenting, I can have an overwhelming desire to intervene. Unfortunately, this desire can interrupt the necessary process of learning through experience. I needed to take drastic measures in order to protect my children ... from ME. Thus the genesis of my Don't Look Theory of Parenting. Turns out, it's far less tempting to intervene if you're not looking.

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EP 03: All Education is Self-Education Jan 12, 2017

Charlotte Mason once said that "all education is self-education." Okay. That's great. But what if my child is a late bloomer? Does this mean that I as the mother need to start being more aggressive and take my child's learning in my own hands? Can I MAKE learning happen?

Is it possible that our jobs as mother-teachers requires patience more than anything else?

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EP 02: Education is Enculturation Jan 07, 2017

When Charlotte Mason was asked her opinion on "moral instruction direct and indirect," she offered an interesting third way: wide reading. Today, we'll talk about how wide reading feeds the imagination which fuels moral development.

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EP 01: Are Narration and Discussion Interchangeable? Jan 05, 2017

I met someone who told me she didn't require narration because her child like to jump straight to discussion -- and the discussions were good ones, so that was that. In order to decide whether or not discussion can replace narration like that, we need to think through what narration is and why we do it.

To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast .

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EP 00: Welcome to AfterCast! Dec 31, 2016

For many years now, Afterthoughts has been a sort of intellectual watering hole for all of you classical, Charlotte Mason homeschooling mamas out there – I like to call you Afterthinkers. You are thinking people – idea people – who never let a good book go to waste. You keep yourselves intellectually agile by reading books, often old books, seeking out the best that has been thought and said, and mixing it into your everyday lives of laundry and dishes and dinner and long division.

At Afterthoughts, we have spent over a decade nourishing our minds on theology, educational philosophy, and a million other books and subjects thrown in – all the while bringing these ideas into a direct collision course with our daily lives. Because what good is an idea if we don’t use it – live it, breathe it? As an audio companion, this podcast is a chance to hear Afterthoughts blog posts rather than read them. Couple that with some bonus content focused on books and interviews, and you’ve got AfterCast.

In this first brief episode, Brandy explains what AfterCast is all about and what the different types of episodes are all about.

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