Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling Mamas

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SS #147: Strong Mothers, Special Needs (with Adelaide Garner!!) Nov 01, 2024

Our special guest today is Adelaide Garner. Adelaide is wife to Ben, and mother to four little treasures. They are Reformed Evangelical Christians. She was a pastor’s wife for many years, but their family has moved into Ben owning a small business. Adelaide and Ben are second generation homeschoolers and use Charlotte Mason’s principles. They live in a 120-year-old farmhouse on several acres outside of Houston, Texas. Six years ago, Adelaide, after many years of struggling with her own health. decided to become a certified health coach. When she learned to ask better questions, she found better answers for her health and the health of her family. She enjoys helping women find a grateful, sober-minded, and non-anxious approach to caring for the wellbeing of their families, to the Glory of God.

We had a few audio issues during this recording, so you'll have to forgive us for the handful of snags you hear along the way.

With that said, today's conversation was fascinating because it combines a book we all read for last year's mentorship, A Failure of Nerve, by Edwin Friedman, with issues surrounding autism and other special needs.

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The live kickoff for our newest Scholé Sisters mentorship took place a couple weeks ago. Our mentorships are for Sophie-level Sistership members. However, our kickoff was for everyone, even those of you on our free plan. If you are not yet in the Sistership but want to watch the replay of the live kickoff for the Mentorship (which we've named Stable and Steadfast: Standing on Your God-given Rights), go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up!

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Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.

SS #146: Education — Training Religious Habits Oct 11, 2024

Today’s episode is the fourth and final in our series exploring Charlotte Mason‘s chapters on habits from her book School Education and so Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss one of the most off-limits topics: religion. You’re going to love this conversation!

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The live kickoff for our newest Scholé Sisters Mentorship will take place on Friday, October 18th at 1:30 PM Pacific. Our mentorships are for Sophie level Sistership members. However, our kickoff is for everyone, even those of you on our free plan! If you are not yet in the Sistership but want to participate in the live kickoff for the mentorship (which we’ve named Stable and Steadfast: Standing On Your God-Given Rights) go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.

SS #145: Why Latin? (with Angela Reed!!) Sep 27, 2024

Today’s guest is Latin teacher extraordinaire, Angela Reed! Angela has been a student of lingua Latina and classical civilization for over twenty-five years. She started on this path in high school when she took her first Latin class and, for extra credit, joined the Latin club. Angela has been enthusiastically carrying a classical torch ever since. When she first encountered the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, it was not long before she began to study how Latin fit within it. This research led to some surprising insights, experimentation in the classroom, and a new direction for her teaching: Living Latin Lessons—live online classes offering a Charlotte Mason approach to Latin. Angela and her husband live in Florida and share a life of books, music, and outdoor adventures with their five children.

In today’s episode Mystie and Brandy talk with Angela about defending the study of Latin and how a person's reasoning changes as they get older and become more experienced. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is attention, because without attention, we cannot learn. Join us LIVE NEXT SATURDAY on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you all! Go to scholesisters.com/attention and register today!

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Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.

SS #144: De-stress With Natural Consequences Sep 13, 2024

In today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss the idea of natural consequences with a perspective shift that can really de-stress your motherhood. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is attention, because without attention, we cannot learn. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you all! Go to scholesisters.com/attention and register today!

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SS #143: If You Build It, Moms Will Come Aug 02, 2024

In today's episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy dig into the history of the Scholé Sisters annual retreat, giving you a behind-the-scenes glance at our decision making that we've never shared before.

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Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is ATTENTION, because without attention, you cannot LEARN. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you! You can grab a hostess kit or individual registration by going to scholesisters.com/attention.

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SS #142: Attention is a Homeschool Essential Jul 19, 2024

In today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss ATTENTION, because it’s the topic of the 2024 Scholé Sisters retreat. They do this using a chapter on solitude from AG Sertillanges’ book The Intellectual Life. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is ATTENTION, because without attention, you cannot learn. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you all! Early bird registration is open now and only lasts until July 31st, 2024 so don’t delay! Register today by going to scholesisters.com/attention – that’s scholesisters.com/attention.

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SS #141: Raising Children Who Love to Learn May 17, 2024

In today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss what it means when we say we want to raise kids who love to learn. What are the implication of this goal? Does it affect how we teach? You’re going to love this conversation!

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It’s not too late to catch the replays of our annual Spring Training Sessions! The second session was just on MONDAY! Our coach this year was Andrew Zwerneman from Cana Academy. Andrew taught two sessions on history. The first session gave us a classical view of history. The second session proposed a method for teaching history. It was so great and we got amazing feedback from everyone who attended. To catch the replays, just go to scholesisters.com/history to sign up.

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SS #140: Rewards and Motivation May 03, 2024

In today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss rewards and how to connect them to intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation.

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Don’t forget to register for our annual Spring Training Sessions! This is happening SOON! Our coach this year is Andrew Zwerneman from Cana Academy. Andrew is going to teach two sessions on history. The first session will help us get away from Marxism and adopt a classical view of history. The second session will propose a method for teaching history. It’s going to be so great! To register just go to scholesisters.com/history to sign up.

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SS #139: A Classical College Education (with Andy Patton!!) Apr 19, 2024

Our guest today is Andy Patton. Andy Patton has held various roles in healthcare technology and venture capital. As an entrepreneur in the healthcare space, he built and successfully exited his first company. He has also started and currently owns a company in the construction industry. Before going into business, Mr. Patton spent his early career as a high school teacher of Latin, Greek, music, and math. He joined New College Franklin as President of the College in 2023. Prior to that, he served for nine years on the Board of Directors, including the last five years as Chairman of the Board. He has taught courses on Dante as well as Economics.

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy discuss classical college education with Andy Patton. Is there a difference between attending a classical college and being a classics major at a "regular" college? Can the classically educated get jobs after they graduate?? You’re going to love this conversation!

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We are pleased to announce that registration for our annual Spring Training Sessions are now open! Our coach this year is Andrew Zwerneman from Cana Academy. Andrew is going to teach two sessions on history as a classical subject. The first session will help us get away from Marxism and adopt a classical view of history. The second session will offer us a method for teaching history. It’s going to be so great! To register just go to scholesisters.com/history to sign up.

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SS #138: A Little More Conversation, Please (with Andrew Zwerneman!!) Apr 05, 2024

Our guest today is Andrew Zwerneman. Andrew J. Zwerneman serves as President and Master Teacher at Cana Academy. For 40 years, he has taught and consulted in secondary schools that emphasize classic humanities. For 19 years he headed schools — 2 at the public charter school, Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona, 17 at Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, Virginia. Andrew has degrees from both Notre Dame AND St. John’s University, and he has authored two books: History Forgotten and Remembered and The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal.

In today’s episode, Brandy and Mystie are peppering Andrew with questions about seminar-style teaching: what it is, where it comes from, how it fits into the classical tradition, and more. You’re going to love this conversation!

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We are pleased to announce that registration for our annual Spring Training Sessions are now open! In fact, one reason why we asked Andrew to be here today is because we hired him as this year’s coach. Andrew is going to teach two sessions on history as a classical subject. The first session will help us get away from Marxism and adopt a classical view of history. The second session will offer us a method for teaching history. It’s going to be so great! To register just go to https://scholesisters.com/history to sign up.

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SS #137: Fairy Tales are True (with Vigen Guroian!!) Mar 25, 2024

Today’s guest is Vigen Guroian. Until his retirement in 2015, Dr. Guroian was Professor of Religious Studies in Orthodox Christianity at the University of Virginia. He is now a Permanent Senior Fellow of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, Senior Fellow at the Center on Law and Religion at Emory University, Distinguished Fellow of the John Jay Institute, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum. He also is on the faculty of Memoria College online. Most importantly for our purposes, he is the author of a book we love and highly recommend: Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination.

Today’s episode was such a delight to record. Abby and Brandy had a great time discussing with Dr. Guroian truth and how it relates to fairy tales. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Did you sign up to do the 5x5 reading challenge this year? If so, you need to join the Sistership as a Sophie membership and get the accountability you need and the support you want. With weekly check-ins and quarterly zoom-style meetups, you will be encouraged to continue in good reading habits as well as get fun advice on which book to read next. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie.

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SS #136: Moral Training with Charlotte Mason Mar 08, 2024

Today’s episode is the third in our four part series on Charlotte Mason’s chapters from School Education that cover the training of physical, intellectual, moral, and religious habits. Today, we’re discussing the training of MORAL habits. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Did you sign up to do the 5x5 reading challenge this year? If so, you need to join the Sistership as a Sophie membership and get the accountability you need and the support you want. With weekly check-ins and quarterly zoom-style meetups, you will be encouraged to continue in good reading habits as well as get fun advice on which book to read next. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie.

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SS #135: Unit Studies Are Overrated Feb 23, 2024

Today’s episode is on unit studies and why Charlotte Mason disapproved of them so much. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Did you sign up to do the 5x5 reading challenge this year? If so, you need to join the Sistership as a Sophie membership and get the accountability you need and the support you want. With weekly check-ins and quarterly zoom-style meetups, you will be encouraged to continue in good reading habits as well as get fun advice on which book to read next. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie.

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SS # 134: What is the 5x5 Reading Challenge? Jan 12, 2024

It has come to our attention that while we discuss and refer to the Scholé Sisters 5x5 Reading Challenge regularly, we've never actually done an episode on it. Today, we remedy that problem! We discuss the history of the challenge as well as how it works.

Today's episode is hosted by Abby Wahl (because Brandy is in the middle of a cross-country move). Her ever-faithful cohost is, of course, Mystie Winckler.

To join the 2024 5x5 Reading Challenge, go to scholesisters.com/5x5 and sign up!

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SS #133: Mom is the Magic of Christmas Dec 15, 2023

Today’s episode is our annual Christmas episode. We begin by revisiting the theme of our very first Christmas episode, Don’t Be the White Witch. We continue with a discussion of generosity and tradition-making that you will love.

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Every year, we give our Sophie members a special Christmas gift. This year, our Sophie members are receiving a workshop on book selection that Mystie and Brandy filmed with Dr. Christopher Schlect from New Saint Andrews College. In a world of woke, how do we go about choosing books? If you want access to this Christmas gift, don’t delay! Christmas gifts always disappear after Epiphany. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie.

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SS #132: Intellectual Training with Charlotte Mason Nov 24, 2023

Today’s episode is the second in our four part series on habits and training. Last time, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy talked about physical training. Today they’re discussing intellectual training, including that most controversial assertion of Charlotte Mason, that attention can be trained. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you heard about the ongoing Sophie Mentorship inside the Scholé Sistership? It started on October 23rd and it’s not too late to join! The mentorship is called Grow Up: Courage to Be the Adult in the Room. We’re reading from four different books and having various types of rich discussions as we flesh out how to grow up so that we can better mother our children. There is a 3-week break over Christmas to give time to catch up if you want to jump in now. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie to be a part of this fabulous four-month study.

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SS #131: Outsourcing for High School (with Jami Marstall!!) Nov 03, 2023

Our very special guest today is Jami Marstall. Jami has been homeschooling with Charlotte Mason’s principles, primarily following AmblesideOnline, for the past 17 years. She has graduated three of her four children from the family homeschool and has one high schooler left. Jami loves to read about and discuss educational history and philosophy. She always dreamed of being a professional student and homeschooling continues to be the perfect career to fulfill that ambition.

Today’s episode is a conversation Abby and Brandy absolutely loved having with Jami. It is so common to put homeschoolers into public school for high school because mothers feel unequipped for such a big undertaking. They discussed an alternative that all three of them have used that has helped them homeschool for the long haul: outsourcing. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you heard about our new Sophie Mentorship? It started on October 23rd and it’s not too late to join us! The mentorship is called Grow Up: Courage to Be the Adult in the Room, and we’re spending a bunch of time immersed in ideas surrounding being an adult and becoming a strong leader. We’re reading from four different books, including the classic Art of War by Sun Tzu, and having various types of rich discussions as we flesh out how to grow up so that we can better mother our children. Go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie to partake in this fabulous four-month study.

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SS# 130: Empathy Is Bad for Your Kids Oct 20, 2023

Today’s episode is the annual episode we recorded at the retreat when we were together in real life, which means we have to apologize to you for the sound. You’d think it’d be better in person, but the reality is that a single shared microphone is a questionable idea. With that said, we had so much fun discussing a portion of Edwin Friedman’s excellent on leadership, A Failure of Nerve. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you heard about our upcoming Sophie Mentorship? It starts very soon on October 23rd! If you like today’s podcast discussion, you will love the mentorship because we’ll be spending extended time immersed in ideas surrounding being an adult and becoming a strong leader. In fact, the mentorship is called Grow Up: Courage to Be the Adult in the Room. We’ll be reading from four different books (including the classic Art of War by Sun Tzu) and having various types of rich discussions as we flesh out how to grow up so that we can better mother our children. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join as a Sophie to be a part of this fabulous four-month study.

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SS #129: Physical Training with Charlotte Mason Sep 29, 2023

Today’s conversation is the first in a four-part series covering Charlotte Mason’s chapters from School Education on training children physically, intellectually, morally, and religiously. Today we cover physical training — not so much the how as the what and the why. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you registered for our fall online local retreats yet? If you are listening to this episode the day it comes out, the retreat is NEXT SATURDAY October 7th! Our annual Homeschool Essentials Retreat always takes a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! Discussion is an important part of our retreats. When you purchase an individual registration, you can still enjoy post-session discussions online in our Zoom rooms! They are so great! We cannot wait to spend time with you all get yourself registered ASAP by going to to scholesisters.com/time.

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SS #128: Division or Dialogue (with Pastor Chad Vegas!!) Sep 15, 2023

Our guest today is Chad Vegas. Chad is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, CA, where he has served since 2006. Chad received his M.A. from Talbot School of Theology. He also spent nearly two decades in public school education as both a teacher and Board Member. He has been married to Teresa since 1994 and they have 2 children. Chad is the co-author of Missions by the Book: How Theology and Missions Walk Together, available at all major booksellers.

Our conversation in this episode kicks off with Pastor Chad’s interpretation of Matthew 18 – what does it really mean and how do we know if it’s being abused or misused? After that, Mystie, Chad, and Brandy dig deeply into public conversation and where we Christians can and should draw lines. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you registered for our fall online local retreats yet? Our physical hostess kits are sold out, but digital hostess kits are still available. Our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat always takes a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! We cannot wait to spend time with you all on Saturday, October 7th so mark your calendars! Just go to scholesisters.com/time to sign up.

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SS #127: Curriculum as Crutch Sep 01, 2023

Today’s conversation is all about curriculum. What does it mean to say that curriculum can be a crutch? Is that a bad thing? What does a healthy relationship with curricula look like? You’re going to love this conversation!

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Have you registered for our fall online local retreats yet? Our physical hostess kits are just about sold out, but digital hostess kits are still available. Our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat always takes a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! We cannot wait to spend time with you all on Saturday, October 7th so mark your calendars! Just go to scholesisters.com/time to sign up.

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SS #126: Hosting a Desert Retreat (with Kara Hughes!!) Aug 04, 2023

Our guest today is Kara Hughes. Kara is a Christian homeschooling mama to 5 children – a toddler, and then a 4th grader, 5th grader, 7th grader and 9th grader, all of whom use AmblesideOnline. She loves reading and hiking, and especially the two together when she can get them. Kara is also the librarian at a homeschool curriculum library, and is trying to reteach herself piano, convince her piece of desert to grow something, and actually finish a knitting project someday.

Today is the second of our two summer episodes. In this one, Abby and Brandy get into the nitty gritty of hosting a Scholé Sisters retreat with special guest, Kara Hughes.

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Are you ready for the annual Scholé Sisters Online Local Retreat? Our annual Homeschool Essentials retreats always take a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! We cannot wait to spend time with you all on Saturday, October 7th so mark your calendars! Early bird registration is now live. Just go to scholesisters.com/time to sign up.

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SS #125: Numbering the Days of Your Homeschool Jul 21, 2023

Today is the first of our two summer episodes. In this one, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy wax philosophical about this year’s retreat topic: time.

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Are you ready for the annual Scholé Sisters Online Local Retreat? Our annual Homeschool Essentials retreats always take a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! We cannot wait to spend time with you all on Saturday, October 7th so mark your calendars! Early bird registration is now live. Just go to scholesisters.com/time to sign up.

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SS #124: Redeeming the Five-Paragraph Essay (with Renee Shepard!!) May 19, 2023

Our guest today is Renee Shepard. Renee was one of the fortunate few to be homeschooled back when that wasn’t really a thing. When she had her own children, she wanted to provide an even better education for them. That drove her to a study of classical education, and over the last ten years she has been homeschooling her children while staying a step ahead of them as she completed her Masters in Classical Christian Studies at New Saint Andrews college. She has been teaching the progymnasmata at various homeschool co-ops for the last 5 years and next year will begin teaching part time at Logos School.

Today, we’re going to talk about this classical approach to writing — called the progymnasmata! — how it relates to the modernist five-paragraph essay, why it’s better than modernist writing curricula, and so much more.

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Renee Shepard isn’t just our guest for this episode; she’s the teacher we hired to teach summer school this year! Renee is going to unwrap a big gift for us, one that has been sitting under classical education’s tree, untouched, for a very long time, and that is CLASSICAL WRITING. Did you know that classical education has its own, highly effective way of teaching writing, that writing was taught this way for at least 1500 years, and that when we abandoned this way of teaching, that was when writing began to decline? You’re a classical homeschooler; you don’t have to use a modernist writing program. Renee will help. To register for summer school, go to https://www.scholesisters.com/writing and sign up!

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SS #123: Honor Thy Philosophical Fathers (Brent Pinkall on Chinese Classical Education) Apr 28, 2023

Our guest today is Brent Pinkall, author of the fabulous new book, Redeeming the Six Arts: A Christian Approach to Chinese Classical Education, which the Sisters cannot recommend enough. Brent Pinkall is a Lecturer of Rhetoric at New Saint Andrews College. Before joining the NSA faculty, Pinkall taught rhetoric at a classical Christian college in China for more than five years. He has also taught at various public universities in China, including Lanzhou University, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, and Central China Normal University. In addition to rhetoric, Pinkall has taught college-level courses in logic, epistemology, history of classical education, classical pedagogy, astronomy, English, and English literature. He has ministered in China for more than twelve years, with a focus on promoting classical Christian education there.

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Are you ready for this year’s spring training? It’s going to be amazing!! We’re calling it Dead White Guys because the latest attack on classical education seems to be the claim that classical education should be discarded because much of the source material was written by white men. Scholé Sisters has hired Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager from The Center for Biblical Unity to fit all of us for conversing on these issues. Session 1 is all about Critical Theory and Session 2 is basically a defense of classical education against the attacks of Critical Theory proponents. Each session ends with a live Q&A! It's going to be so great! Go to https://www.scholesisters.info/crt/ to register!

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SS #122: Put the Masterly Back in Masterly Inactivity Apr 14, 2023

Today, Mystie, Brandy, and Abby attempt to straighten out one of the biggest misunderstandings in the Charlotte Mason world: masterly inactivity. The term is constantly misused, so they start off with definitions. But keep listening because they'll go into detail on how exactly this concept can be applied to real life. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Are you ready for this year’s spring training? It’s going to be amazing!! We’re calling it Dead White Guys. A common attack on classical education is the claim that classical education should be discarded because much of the source material was written by white men. Scholé Sisters is bringing in Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager from The Center for Biblical Unity to fit us for conversing on these issues. Session 1 is all about Critical Theory and Session 2 is basically a defense of classical education against the attacks of Critical Theory proponents. Each session ends with a live Q&A! It's going to be so great! For more information, go to https://www.scholesisters.info/crt/ and while you're there, go ahead and register!

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SS #121: Barefoot in the Kitchen with the Ideal Type (featuring David Hicks!!!) Mar 31, 2023

Today's very special guest is David Hicks. Does the famed author of one of the bestest books EVER, Norms and Nobility, really need any further introduction? Well, what you may not know about him is that he spent thirty years of his life in private education, serving as head of school for a number of schools across the country, and culminating as Chief Academic Officer for Meritas LLC, which owned and operated private college prep schools around the globe. David and his brother Scot did an excellent translation of Marcus Aurelius called The Emperor’s Handbook and are currently working together again on translating a series of Lives from Plutarch. David and his wife have four grown children and live off the grid on a ranch in the beautiful state of Montana.

Today’s episode is sort of a dream come true for Mystie and Brandy as they have read and discussed David’s book, Norms and Nobility, off and on since they were in their 20s. David was SUCH a joy to talk to and you going to be so blessed by this conversation.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? In January, we kicked off our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. It is not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan and in addition to a replay of our big kickoff webinar, you will get tons of accountability, book ideas, and support.

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SS #120: Let Them Go (Launching Boys with Toby Sumpter!!) Mar 17, 2023

Our guest today is Toby Sumpter. Toby pastors King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho. He and his wife Jenny have been married over twenty years and they have 4 kids, one of whom has recently flown the coop. He is a co-host of the CrossPolitic Show and author of Blood-Bought World and No Mere Mortals. He holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies with an emphasis in church history, and he teaches high school civics at Logos School.

Today’s episode is a little different because it’s not focused on doing the homeschool project well, but on ending it well. Most importantly, how do we let our sons go when holding on feels so important?

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? In January, we kicked off our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. It is not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan and in addition to a replay of our big kickoff webinar, you will get tons of accountability, book ideas, and support.

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SS #119: Rewards Revisited (with Jason Barney!!) Mar 03, 2023

Our guest today is Jason Barney from the Educational Renaissance Podcast! Jason serves as the Principal of Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN. In 2012 he was awarded the Henry Salvatori Prize for Excellence in Teaching from Hillsdale College. He completed his MA in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton College, where he received The Tenney Award in New Testament Studies. In addition to his administrative responsibilities in vision, philosophy and faculty training, Jason has taught courses in Latin, Humanities, and Senior Thesis from 3rd-12th grades. He has published several books, including A Classical Guide to Narration with the CiRCE Institute and A Short History of Narration with Educational Renaissance. He regularly speaks at events and conferences, including SCL, ACCS and the CiRCE Institute, and has two courses on ClassicalU on Charlotte Mason and Narration. In addition, he has provided training for schools, like the Geneva School, the Covenant School of Dallas and the Ecclesial Schools Initiative. Jason blogs regularly on ancient wisdom for the modern era at www.educationalrenaissance.com.

Jason Barney has written a lot over the years about the use of rewards and their affects on children. Abby and Brandy thoroughly enjoyed discussing rewards and intrinsic motivation with him, and we think you’ll love what he had to say!

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? In January, we kicked off our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. It is not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan and in addition to a replay of our big kickoff webinar, you will get tons of accountability, book ideas, and support.

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SS #118: Grit and Bear It Feb 17, 2023

We’re discussing GRIT today. What is grit REALLY? And do kids need grit? DO moms need grit? And if we need it … how do we get it? You’re gonna enjoy thinking through these questions.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? In January, we kicked off our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. It is not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan and in addition to a replay of our big kickoff webinar, you will get tons of accountability, book ideas, and support.

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SS #117: Religion is Essential Feb 03, 2023

Is real education necessarily religious? And if so, where does that leave modern claims to a secular education? These are the questions we raise in today's episode.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? In January, we kicked off our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. It is not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan and in addition to a replay of our big kickoff webinar, you will get tons of accountability, book ideas, and support.

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SS #116: Feasting in a Time of Fasting Dec 16, 2022

Today, we present our annual Christmas episode! In light of inflation and the fact that, for many of us, Christmas has to be different this year compared to last, we thought we’d go over the first couple chapters of Little Women and discuss how to feast in a time of fasting.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? We are really enjoying the current Sophie Seminar, TechTonic! Together, we’re reading our way around the screen time issue. The goal of this seminar is for us all to be better equipped to make just judgments in this area of life. After all, informed opinions are the only opinions worth having. It’s not too late to join the seminar! Head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan! If you join soon, you’ll also get our AMAZING Sophie Christmas gift!

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SS #115: Indoctrinate Me Dec 08, 2022

Today’s episode is a response to the popular saying that real education teaches kids “not WHAT to think, but HOW to think.” We think this is a dangerous false dichotomy. Can we make a good argument in favor of indoctrinating your kids? We’re gonna try!

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? We are really enjoying the current Sophie Seminar, TechTonic! Together, we’re reading our way around the screen time issue. The goal of this seminar is for us all to be better equipped to make just judgments regarding screens. After all, informed opinions are the only opinions worth having. It’s not too late to join the seminar! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan!

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SS #114: Well-Educated Daughters (with Rebekah Merkle!!) Nov 11, 2022

Our guest today is the one and only Rebekah Merkle. Rebekah has dabbled in a number of occupations ranging from running her own clothing label to designing fabrics to becoming a full-time high school humanities teacher (which is fitting, because she was a student in one of the founding classical Christian schools in the USA). Most importantly for today’s discussion, Rebekah is the author of the book Eve in Exile, which Mystie and Brandy both read and recommend.

Today's chat with Rebekah Merkle is all about educating daughters ... and launching daughters. Do you want to value homemaking while still having a well-educated daughter? If so, this conversation is most definitely for you!

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? We recently began our newest Sophie Seminar, TechTonic! Together, we’re reading our way around the screen time issue. The discussions so far have been great! The goal of this seminar is for us all to be better equipped to make just judgments about this issue. After all, informed opinions are the only opinions worth having. It’s not too late to join us! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan!

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SS #113: The Ideal Type Oct 28, 2022

Today’s episode is our annual retreat episode, meaning we recorded it when we were in Dallas. As is typical of that style of recording, the sound quality is questionable ... but the content is great (if we do say so ourselves)!! We discussed the existence of the Ideal Type using David Hicks’ authoritative book, Norms and Nobility. We think you’ll love this conversation.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? We just began our newest Sophie Seminar, TechTonic! Together, we’re reading our way around the screen time issue. We had our first Live session on Monday and it went great! The goal of this seminar is for us all to be better equipped to make just judgments about this issue. After all, informed opinions are the only opinions worth having. It’s not too late to join the seminar! All you have to do is head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan!

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SS #112: How to Build an Educational Philosophy (Part 3: What Does a Well-Educated Person Look Like?) Oct 14, 2022

Today’s episode is the final in our three-part series designed to get you started on forming an educational philosophy. Whether you have been studying philosophy for years, or you are brand new to classical homeschooling, you are going to LOVE today’s discussion, which explores what a well-educated person is like.

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Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? We're about to start our newest Sophie Seminar, TechTonic! Together, we’re going to read our way around the issues surrounding screen time so that we'll all be better equipped to make just judgments about this issue. After all, informed opinions are the only opinions worth having. Head on over to scholesisters.com/join and sign up for the Sophie plan to join in!

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SS #111: How to Build an Educational Philosophy (Part 2: What is Education?) Sep 23, 2022

Today’s episode is the second in our three-part series designed to help you get started forming an educational philosophy. Whether you have been studying philosophy for years, or you are brand new to classical homeschooling, you are going to LOVE today’s discussion, which centers on the definition of education.

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Are you as excited about this year’s local online retreats as we are?? It’s coming up very soon, but it’s not too late to sign up to host a local retreat of your own. Just grab our digital hostess kit and start planning. Our Homeschool Essentials retreats are perfect for homeschool mom groups, even if not all your members are classical or Charlotte Mason. This year we’ll be talking all things habits and habit training. To register to be a hostess, or just to attend, head over to scholesisters.com/habit and sign up!

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SS #110: How to Build an Educational Philosophy (Part 1: What is Man?) Sep 09, 2022

Today’s episode is the first in three-part series designed to get you started on forming an educational philosophy. Whether you have been studying philosophy for years, or you are brand new to classical homeschooling, you are going to LOVE today’s discussion, which centers on the nature of man.

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Are you as excited about this year’s local online retreats as we are??? The physical delivered-in-your-mail hostess kits have sold out just like Brandy predicted, BUT this doesn’t mean you can't still sign up as a hostess. If you want to host, just grab the digital hostess kit and start planning your own local retreat. It’s the perfect thing for the homeschool mom group even if not all your members are classical or Charlotte Mason. This year we’ll be talking all things habits and habit training. To register to be a hostess, or just to attend, head over to scholesisters.com/habit and sign up!

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SS #109: Aristotle vs. The Behaviorists (The Habits Episode!) Aug 12, 2022

In today’s episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss the new retreat format and why we love it, what’s different compared to last year, and also take a deep dive into this year’s theme, habits, by discussing what Aristotle had to say about habit in Nichomachean Ethics. We hope you’re ready to geek out about habits with us because that’s what today is all about!

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Are you interested in hosting one of our annual online local retreats?? We are SO EXCITED about this year’s plan! Mystie has gone above and beyond to make hosting dreamy for you. The real – yes: delivered in your mail – hostess kit has exclusive swag for you and your guests, plus all the papers and supplies to make it fun and simple. It’s the perfect thing for the homeschool mom group, even if not all your members are classical or Charlotte Mason. This year at the retreat, we’ll be talking all things habits and habit training. To register to be a hostess or just to attend, head over to scholesisters.com/habit and sign up!

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SS #108: Hostess with the Mostess: It's Retreat Time (with Danielle Cyrus!) Jul 29, 2022

Our special guest today is Danielle Cyrus. Danielle was a pre-law student when God disrupted her plans and led her to education. She has 4 children and has been married to Grant for 20 years. She began homeschooling as her oldest reached school age and has been neck deep in books ever since. Danielle is a tutor in the Classical Conversations Essentials program and has led various home-education support groups and retreats on Classical and Charlotte Mason philosophies. She is passionate about fostering supportive community for home-educating parents.

Danielle has been hosting a local Scholé Sisters retreat for years so Abby and Brandy thought it’d be great to get together with her for a bit and discuss the ins and outs of of hosting a local retreat, and get her to explain why she loves retreats so much. Danielle gives plenty of helpful tips along the way so listen up!

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SS #107: Building a Community (with Melissa Cummings!!) May 20, 2022

Our special guest this week is Melissa Cummings. Melissa and her husband Steven are second generation Christian homeschooling parents of five. She directs a Classical Christian homeschool co-op in her rural community, and also manages to pull off the annual Paideia Northwest conference for mamas raising kids for Christ. You can find her at JoyfulDomesticity.com.

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy talk with Melissa about creating and nurturing community. Trust us, Melissa knows how it’s done! She built a thriving homeschool community in her own backyard! Building a homeschool community takes time and energy, which is why we don’t just ask Melissa about building community – we ask her how to know if it’s worth the sacrifice.

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This summer, Scholé Sisters will be hosting some workshops led by Melissa who plans to walk us through what it takes to build a community, whether it be large or small. These workshops will be FREE for Sistership Sophie members! Just go to scholesisters.com/sisters to sign up.

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SS #106: Stop Looking for Hacks (You Need a Philosophy) May 06, 2022

So many people are turning to homeschooling these days, and the first question they usually ask is about curriculum – what should they use and how should they use it. In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy discuss why it’s useful to back up and talk about why everyone needs a philosophy and how to go about building one.

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Earlier this week on Tuesday, Scholé Sisters hosted our annual Spring Training. Our coach this year was Dr. Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies from Grove City College. He gave us an amazing history lesson on Marx and Marxism and answered a lot of great questions at the end. Replays are available, and if you sign up shortly after this episode comes out, you’ll still have time to register and attend our live debriefing session with Mystie, Abby, and Brandy on May 10th. Just go to scholesisters.com/true to register.

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SS #105: You're Not the Boss of Me, Now (A Discussion About Authority) Apr 22, 2022

To prepare for today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy read the first two chapters of Charlotte Mason’s third volume, School Education, which is all about authority. Our conversation centers on trying to grasp exactly what is unhealthy authority, what is healthy authority, and then how do we fight the anti-authority culture we live in? It was s a great discussion!

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Are you ready for this year’s Spring Training? In seeking to understand the times we are in, we have hired as this year’s coach Dr. Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies from Grove City College. Dr. Trueman is the author of the remarkable book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Understanding the times helps us prepare our children, yes, but also prepares US to live counterculturally with confidence. Dr. Trueman is the perfect coach to help us understand how to navigate these strange cultural waters. Just go to scholesisters.com/true to register.

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SS #104: Political Rehab (with Brett Stroud!!) Apr 08, 2022

Our guest today is Brett Stroud. Brett is the President of Providence Classical Academy in Bakersfield, California. He is a graduate of the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program at Biola University, and of the Pepperdine University School of Law. The mission of Providence Classical Academy is “To provide the children entrusted to its care with a liberal education grounded in the Christian scriptures and the Western tradition, with the goal of forming godly, virtuous, self-governing men and women.”

Today’s episode is something of an intervention. It looked like Abby was going to abandon politics altogether and so, naturally, Brandy got a lawyer and came to the rescue. You will love not just that is worked … but HOW it worked!

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Are you ready for this year’s Spring Training? We are SO excited to invite you to join us LIVE for the Excellent Marxmanship Spring Training. This year’s coach is the one and only Dr. Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies from Grove City College. Dr. Trueman is the author of the remarkable book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. We need to understand the times so we can prepare our children, yes, but also so that we can be prepared to live counter-culturally with confidence. Dr. Trueman is the perfect coach to help us understand how to navigate these strange cultural waters. Just go to scholesisters.com/true to register.

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SS #103: Becoming More Human (How Could You Say Such Things?) Mar 25, 2022

In today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby discuss the idea that classical education “makes you more human.” Depending on what you think this means, the phrase can come off as offensive, in conflict with Charlotte Mason’s assertion that children are born persons, and more. Because of this, they’re taking a deep dive into what this really means and why they think it matters.

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Do you want to enhance your reading? We’ve still got some copies of our 5x5 challenge reading journal in the shop! The Scholé Sisters 5x5 Journal helps you read, review, understand, and assess. It is designed to help you go deeper in your reading and thinking. Stop waiting for the right time or pen or month! The time is now — start building habits of thinking and cultivate your intellectual life. Go to scholesisters.com/journal and get your copy today.

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SS #102: Music to My Ears (with Greg Wilbur!!) Mar 11, 2022

Our special guest today is the one and only Gregory Wilbur! Greg is founder and president of New College Franklin—a Christian college that concentrates on the classics and the seven liberal arts with a discussion-based approach and spiritual formation. In addition to teaching and developing curriculum, his current academic focus is advancing the disciplines of the Quadrivium by bringing together leading voices in its renewal. An award-winning musician, Greg has released seven albums of his compositions of congregational psalms, hymns and service music as well as theatrical musicals and film scores, and his hymns can be found in more than ten hymnals. Having taught for almost thirty years, he is a frequent speaker on music, the Quadrivium, arts, liturgy, and worship and serves as Chief Musician and liturgist at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, TN. Greg, his wife, Sophia, and daughter, Eleanor, enjoy travel, reading, cooking, taking walks and life in middle Tennessee.

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy dig interrogate Greg about music. In The Liberal Arts Tradition, music appears twice: once as a sort of poetic mode of knowing, and later as a liberal art that looks suspiciously like math. We want to know where instruments come in.

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It’s not too late to join the Excellent Marxmanship seminar going on now in the Sistership. Excellent Marxmanship is all about Marx with an X – and how he has made his marx (pun intended!) on the world around us. To join us as we read Plutarch, the Communist Manifesto, and more, go to scholesisters.com/marx

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SS #101: Tell Me What I Wanna Hear (Josef Pieper on Flattery and Lies) Feb 25, 2022

In today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy dig into Josef Pieper’s lesser-known work Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power. They end up spending a lot of time on the idea of flattery which is … super uplifting. The good news is that they decide in the end that what we are already doing in classical education works for this issue, too!

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It’s not too late to join the Excellent Marxmanship seminar going on now in the Sistership. We are already learning lots and having a great time. Excellent Marxmanship is all about Marx with an X – and how he has made his marx (pun intended!) on the world around us. To join us as we read Plutarch, the Communist Manifesto, and more, go to scholesisters.com/marx

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SS #100: The 100th Episode Book Bash Feb 11, 2022

Welcome back to Scholé Sisters. Today kicks off our 17th season of the show. This episode has been SIX YEARS in the making! It’s our one hundredth episode! In honor of 100 episodes and also over a MILLION downloads, Mystie went through and figured out our top five most-referenced books. Today we’re sharing a little bit of the personal history of the podcast, and then we jump into these top five books and tell you why you should own them, too.

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On Monday, February 7th our Excellent Marxmanship seminar started up in the Sistership. It’s not too late for you to come and join us! Excellent Marxmanship is Marx with an X – and how he has made his marx (pun intended!) on the world around us. Join us as we read Plutarch, the Communist Manifesto, and more. You’ll be glad you did!

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SS #99: The Ordinary Homeschool Dec 03, 2021

Today is our annual so-called Christmas episode, and the least Christmassy one we’ve ever done. Oops. No matter! We were all together in Idaho and recorded this conversation, inspired by chapter 3 of the book The Supper of the Lamb just for you. It might not be super Christmassy, but we like to think this episode is a gift nonetheless.

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Please note: If you are not in the Sistership, you are really missing out! Our 2021 Sophie Christmas gift came out this week. It’s a Plutarch resource you will NOT want to miss. The annual gift is only available until January 6th, so go grab yours ASAP. We will also be giving away the prizes for 5x5 Challenge Finishers soon so watch for instructions on how to get that. There is also ... so much more! Why don’t you just head over to scholesisters.com/sistership and join us?

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SS #98: Ordo Amoris: Ordering the Affections Nov 12, 2021

Today’s episode is the second of the two that we are doing that cover ideas from CS Lewis’ book The Abolition of Man – more specifically from his first essay in that book, entitled "Men Without Chests." If you haven’t listened to episode 97 yet, we recommend you go back and do so before listening to this one. Today we’re discussing yet another phrase that gets thrown around in classical circles: ordo amoris, or, in English, ordering the affections.

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The end of the year is sneaking up on us and with it comes the end of our annual 5x5 Reading Challenge. There will be prizes available for finishers, of course! Do you long for some accountability to help you get your reading done? Some interesting discussion? General help finishing strong? All of that and more is available inside the Scholé Sistership. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership and join us!

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SS #97: Men Without Chests Oct 29, 2021

Today’s episode is the first of two that we (Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby) are doing that covers ideas from CS Lewis’ book The Abolition of Man – more specifically from his first essay in that book, entitled Men Without Chests. This book contains a lot of terminology that gets thrown around in classical circles and we’re going to tackle those definitions together!

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Announcement: We are doing reading journals again this year! (The real, physical copies that we sold out of so quickly last year.) They are going to have the same great layout you have come to love, which helps you make a reading plan, track your progress, and also improve in your ability to process and review a book. The cover will be updated so that you can tell last year’s copy from this year’s copy on your shelf. Make sure you are in the Sistership so you can be one of the first to know when it's available in the shop. Just go to scholesisters.com/sistership to join.

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SS #96: Can Virtue Be Taught? Oct 15, 2021

Today, Mystie, Pam, Abby and Brandy toss around the question of whether or not virtue can be taught. This can be a controversial subject, but we think you’ll find it is worth talking about rather than avoiding.

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Last Saturday was our annual retreat and it went SO WELL. It was so refreshing to spend a whole day thinking about memory and remembering, why it’s essential for education, and how we can incorporate it into our educational process. If you missed you, replays are STILL available! In fact, you can even still host a group; it just won’t be live, and you’ll use the replays instead. If you want to get in on the 2021 annual retreat, head on over to scholesisters.com/memory and sign up.

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SS #95: What Is a Liberal Art? (with Dr. Christopher Schlect) Oct 01, 2021

Our guest today is Dr. Christopher Schlect. Dr. Schlect has been a fellow of history at New Saint Andrews College for many years where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, the history of American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. Dr. Schlect is the Director of New Saint Andrews College’s graduate program in Classical and Christian Studies and also serves classical and Christian Schools around the country through his consulting and teacher training activities.

Mystie and Brandy cornered Dr. Schlect and demanded an answer to that strangely confounding question: What is a liberal art? What followed was wonderful thoughts on what liberal arts are, what they are for, how to use them, and much encouragement for homeschooling moms like all of us.

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If you are listen to this episode right when it comes out, the big thing you need to know is that our annual fall retreat is coming up NEXT WEEKEND! We have been preparing something super special and we cannot wait to share it with you. We are meditating on the idea of memory and its connection to education – you might even say that this whole retreat is a response to Hugh of St Victor’s assertion that without memory there is NO education. Memory is essential, which means it pays to spend time thinking about it. We hope you join us for a rich feast of ideas and practices on Saturday October 9. Go to scholesisters.com/memory to register.

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SS #94: Cooking Like It's 1999 (with Betsy Farquhar!) Sep 17, 2021

Our guest today is Betsy Farquhar. A Southerner by birth, Betsy currently lives in the Northwest with her Renaissance man husband and their three amazing teenagers. She’s the managing editor for Redeemed Reader where she and her team read ahead FOR you and review new books for children and teens. Betsy learned to make bread with her grandmother at age 11, owns several cast iron skillets, and believes running out of butter is a bonafide emergency. She still calls her mother regularly for advice about dinner and life.

This year as the New Year rang in, Betsy and a friend gave themselves a cooking challenge: cook like it’s 1999, which basically means very little internet. Along the way, Betsy has learned about a lot more than cooking. From digital noise to treating the art of educating a bit like a recipe, we think you will LOVE her thoughts.

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Remember: our fall retreat is all about MEMORY. Will we cover ideas about memory WORK? Yes. Will we cover the topic far beyond those narrow bounds? Also yes. Head on over to scholesisters.com/memory register and prepare to think about memory like never before.

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SS #93: Revived by Reading (with Karen Harris!) Sep 03, 2021

Our guest today is Karen Harris. Karen Harris is married to Wes and is the homeschooling mother to 10 children. She and her family love to read, travel, and have adventures together. The author of "A Happy Mother of Children: Disciplines of Happiness," Karen continues to write and learn from her home in Maryland.

Karen and a friend have been on a mission to give themselves the classical education they never received using Susan Wise Bauer’s plan from her book The Well-Educated Mind. Abby and Brandy were SO inspired by Karen’s story of burnout and revival that they couldn't wait to share with you!

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Memory is an essential ingredient in our homeschools. We homeschool moms worry if we're doing it right, if we're doing it enough, if it's going to work at all. Want to sort out your ideas about memory in education? Come to the Scholé Sisters retreat — Homeschool Essentials: Memory — and rest assured that no matter how imperfect our efforts, they are all worthwhile. After the retreat day — which is basically a homeschool mom in-service — you will reenter your homeschool with renewed vigor and vitality and vision. Go to scholesisters.com/memory to register!

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SS #92: Mother Knows Best: Censorship in the Home Aug 20, 2021

Today, Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby are tackling the big issue of censorship. They attempt to juxtapose some thoughts from Plato and John Milton and pursue questions like what is censorship, why would we do it, and when we should avoid it.

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If you want to dig into this topic with more depth and practical advice, you'll love our Spring Training event taught by Rosaria Butterfield: Intellectual Hospitality. We only have so much time with our kids at home. Whether or not we censor particular books, we still have to choose where our time and energy will go, which books we will buy and read, and what to prioritize during our school hours. Rosaria's sessions are down-to-earth, relatable, and practical. Intellectual Hospitality is your next step to dig into today's topic. Find it at scholesisters.com/hospitality

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SS #91: In Loving Memory Jul 16, 2021

This special summer season is one episode long and all about our annual retreat. We are in the process of making some major changes to it, all of which we think you’re going to love. The purpose of the retreat has always been to foster, first and foremost, real life community. We’ve taken steps to make that time of homeschool fellowship even better than before.

Want to know more about it? Listen up! Pam, Mystie, Abby and Brandy are discussing all the many changes they’ve come up with so far and explaining the how and why behind them. You’re going to be as excited as they are about it!

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Don’t leave without registering for this year’s retreat! As you just heard, the new topic is Homeschool Essentials and this year’s theme is Memory. This retreat is going to be so much fun. Registration is open TODAY and you know you hostesses want to get your hands on that awesome hostess pack so go to scholesisters.com/memory to get yours. Early bird pricing ends August 6th, so don’t delay!

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SS #90: Background Knowledge: The Door to Understanding May 21, 2021

In today’s episode, Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss portions of Saint Augustine’s book On Christian Doctrine that deal with the need for background knowledge in order to read with understanding, especially understanding metaphors. This was a very fun reading assignment!

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Don’t forget to become a Sophie level member of the Sistership! You will get our Spring Training sessions with Rosaria Butterfield this month, along with access to all the other wonderful things going on, AND our annual summer gear! Click here to sign up.

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SS #89: Dorothy Sayers' Latin Lament (with Renee Shepard) May 07, 2021

Renee Shepherd is back with us again today. Renee and her husband, who were both homeschooled, are now homeschooling their six children. She is currently finishing her graduate degree in Classical Christian Studies at New Saint Andrews College, where her favorite things to study are theology, Latin, and literature.

Renee brought a lesser known article by Dorothy Sayers to our attention, and that’s what Mystie and Brandy are discussing with her today. We think you will be interested in how it rounds out what Sayers said in her well known Lost Tools of Learning.

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Spring Training is coming up later this month!

Registration is open for our annual Spring Training. Our coach is the one and only Rosaria Butterfield, author of a number of wonderful books, including The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. We asked Rosaria to coach us on what we like to call Intellectual Hospitality. How do we read classics with discernment, handle disagreements with grace, or confront inconsistency & error with love? Rosaria is going to help us with all that and more. Just click here to register.

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SS #88: Transitioning to Independent Work Apr 23, 2021

In today’s episode, Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy break down the transition to independent work from preschool all the way to high school and beyond. This conversation gives us a lot to think about!

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Spring Training is coming up next month!

Registration is now open for our annual Spring Training Our coach this year is the one and only Rosaria Butterfield, author of a number of wonderful books, including The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. We have asked Rosaria to coach us on what we like to call Intellectual Hospitality. How do we read classics with discernment, handle disagreements with grace, or confront inconsistency & error with love? Rosaria is going to help us with all that and more. Just click here to register.

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SS #87: How to Contemplate Apr 09, 2021

In today’s episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss their way through the entire Thinking Person’s Checklist at the back of Alan Jacob’s book, How to Think. This was a fun and interesting conversation to have and they think you’re really going to enjoy it!

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Spring Training is coming up next month!

Next month — the month of MAY — is our annual Spring Training, as you well know. We are pleased to announce that our coach this year is the one and only Rosaria Butterfield, author of a number of wonderful books, including The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. While registration is not yet open, now is the PERFECT time to go ahead and sign up for your Sophie membership. You’ll get all the normal fabulous benefits of being a Sophie, and as usual the Spring Training sessions are included in your membership at no extra charge. Click here to sign up.

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SS #86: What Has Athens to Do With Abuja? (Classical Education in Africa) Mar 19, 2021

Today’s guests are Karen Elliott and Erica Robertson from Rafiki Schools. Karen has served with Rafiki since 1990, including twelve years on the mission field, most of that time in Jos, Nigeria. Upon returning to the U.S., she became the Director of Africa Operations for the Rafiki Home Office and was responsible for managing the ChildCare and Education Programs for all ten Rafiki Villages as well as curriculum development. She served at the Home Office for ten years before being named Rafiki's Executive Director in January of 2012. Erica has worked with the Rafiki Foundation since 2010. She was the headmaster of the Rafiki School in Rwanda for three years, and held the same position in Nigeria for five years. She currently serves as the Director for Africa Operations at the Rafiki Home Office in Florida.

Today’s episode is our way of remembering that Christian classical education isn’t just about America or the West – it’s an attempt to raise up well-educated and faithful Christians around the whole globe. What does it look like to pursue this Christian heritage in Africa? Today you’ll get a very exciting glimpse!

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Are you thinking about summer reading for your kids or maybe even pulling together your book lists for next year?

How do you know what books will be best for you and your family? How do you know which book lists to pay attention to and which to ignore? Can you defend your choices when people cast doubts on them? On March 27, at 9:30 am Pacific, Steven Rummelsburg will be teaching a workshop on How to Choose Good Books followed by a 45 minute Q&A session. By the end of the class, we will understand what makes a classic a true classic and why we should seek out and study the classics. Come get your bookish priorities reinforced and reinvigorated at Steven's How to Choose Good Books workshop. Click here to register.

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SS #85: Beyond Restful Learning Mar 05, 2021

Today’s episode is our attempt to answer the question of what is scholé? And how do I know if I’m doing it right? Is scholé just restful learning? Or is there more to it than that? These are interesting questions to tackle!

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So what is scholé anyway? What gives with using such a weird Greek word? Scholé Sisters has a short, free guide to understanding what scholé is and how to get some in your life and homeschool. We want to make scholé approachable and practical. Scholé is more than reading and more than restful learning. It's an approach and an attitude. Our Beginner’s Guide to Scholé will help you jumpstart your own schole practices. Click here to find it right on the front page of our website - for free.

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SS #84: Passport to Foreign Language (with Amber Johnston!!) Feb 19, 2021

Our guest today is Amber Johnston. Amber lives in Georgia nestled among pine trees, hammocks and ziplines with her husband and their four children. Her happy place is the back porch on a rainy day, preferably with a giant mug of hot tea and a good book. When they have the chance, her family enjoys extended worldschooling trips to immerse themselves in other cultures. Amber blogs about adding mirrors and windows to a traditional Charlotte Mason education at HeritageMom.com and you can also find her on Instagram as @heritagemomblog.

Today’s episode is all about tackling a foreign language. Amber is not just wonderful about telling you HOW to go about foreign language; she also gives you a big WHY. Let’s face it: foreign language can be intimidating and so we put it off until the kids are older. If we are going to get brave start ‘em young, we need a really big WHY.

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Ready for the Commonplace Workshop?

Are you intimidated by commonplacing? Not sure if you're doing it right? Uncertain how to get started? You're not the only one. So, on February 20th at 9:30 am Pacific, join us for a LIVE Commonplace Workshop where we will break down the process of getting started and keeping up with commonplacing. It doesn't need to be complicated and you don't need to make it a keepsake. At the Commonplace Workshop we'll each share our own commonplace practices and real life examples, helping you see how doable and unfancy - and how beneficial! - commonplacing can be. Click here to register.

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SS #83: The Uncommon Commonplace Feb 05, 2021

Do you keep a commonplace book (or wish you did)?

Today’s episode is serves as a first half for our upcoming Commonplace Workshop. Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss what a commonplace book even is and why anyone would want to keep one. It’s a great discussion you don't want to miss and will get you ready for the Workshop, which is happening this month!

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Ready for the Commonplace Workshop?

Are you intimidated by commonplacing? Not sure if you're doing it right? Uncertain how to get started? You're not the only one. So, on February 20th at 9:30 am Pacific, join us for a LIVE Commonplace Workshop where we will break down the process of getting started and keeping up with commonplacing. It doesn't need to be complicated and you don't need to make it a keepsake. At the Commonplace Workshop we'll each share our own commonplace practices and real life examples, helping you see how doable and unfancy - and how beneficial! - commonplacing can be. Click here to register.

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SS #82: You Can't Cancel Christmas Dec 04, 2020

The death of culture and festivity is not a less important death than bodily. No matter what government officials say, Christmas is coming and must be honored with festive celebration – piety requires it.

In this episode, Brandy Vencel, Pam Barnhill, Mystie Winckler, and Abby Wahl discuss how festivity and scholé fits into the curricular framework found in Kevin Clark & Ravi Jain’s PGMAPT formulation in The Liberal Arts Tradition. With occasional timely musings about how festivity is different and difficult this season, they return to our responsibility to keep up the cheer – because we do have a hope that extends beyond the grave, a true reason to truly celebrate with as many of our number as we can.

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Join the Sistership Sophie Level to get Christmas gift access!

Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? If not, you really should since the annual Christmas gift for Sophie level is so close to ready that it’ll be out by the time you listen to this. Santa’s elves have been working away for months on an amazing printable 5x5 Challenge Journal that is FREE for all of our Sophie members in December and January! Click here to join.

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SS #81: Don't Forget to Remember (Memory Work with Maria Bell!!) Nov 20, 2020

Our guest today is Maria Bell. Maria educates her children at home in the Charlotte Mason tradition and enjoys studying and sharing with others the biblical roots of Miss Mason’s philosophy. She is a linguist by training and profession, but her heart is for the ministry of motherhood and the pursuit of Truth. She resides in the Washington D.C. metro area with her husband and three children.

Today’s discussion about memory work and recitation is just delightful. Maria Bell sees these things not as building piles of knowledge, but as nourishing the soul in a way that promotes spiritual growth. Her words are a soothing balm to the soul

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Preparing for a new school year in January?

If you need to teach logic this year, consider using the Scholé Sisters Liberty of Logic course. This is a very unique approach. Teacher Steven Rummelsburg will help you go deep into logic as a liberal art and then assist you in teaching your children the art using the class textbook. We cannot recommend this course enough! Click here to learn more.

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SS #80: Let's Get Physical (Gymnastic in a Classical Education) Nov 06, 2020

Today’s discussion about physical training in classical education was one Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby got to record when they were all together in Phoenix for the Loving Well retreat. They do get philosophical and discuss why these things are important, but they also get practical and talk about a bunch of ideas that they hope will help us all get started if we’re ready to get physical in our homeschools.

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Join the Sistership Sophie Level to get Christmas gift access!

Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? If not, you really should since the annual Christmas gift for Sophie level is coming up soon. Santa’s elves have been working away and while Brandy isn't quite ready to tell you what it is, she wants you to know that (1) it’s nothing at all like last year and (2) it’s pretty awesome. Click here to join.

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SS #79: East Meets West: Classical Education in China (with Ravi Jain!!) Oct 23, 2020

Our guest today is Ravi Jain, who is now tied with Cindy Rollins for the Scholé Sisters title for Most Appearances as this is his third time on the show. Ravi Jain has a BA from Davidson College, an M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Graduate Certificate in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. He coauthored The Liberal Arts Tradition with Kevin Clark, now translated into Chinese.

Ravi currently teaches Calculus, AP Calculus, and Physics at the Geneva School in Orlando, Florida. He has given over 150 talks and workshops throughout America, Africa, and China on topics related to education, theology, mathematics, and science. He has served as a deacon in his church and is a founding Alcuin fellow. He enjoys spending time with his two boys, Judah and Xavier, and his wife Kelley Anne, whom he met in Japan.

Today’s discussion is Brandy's favorite so far from this season because she finally got to ask Ravi Jain about a number of things she's been thinking pondering; his thoughts on things like multiculturalism and Western Imperialism and how they relate to Christian Classical education in general and the Christian classical school movement in China in particular are fascinating.

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Join the Sistership!

Have you joined the Scholé Sisters Sistership yet? If not, you are missing out on some of the best conversations for classical homeschooling moms on the internet. Mystie is leading a book study for Sophie level members through The Liberal Arts Tradition right now. It’s never too late to join because this study will always be available for Sophies in the form of a study guide. This is just one of the many benefits of a Sophie level Sistership membership. Click here to join!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #78: Pursuing the Classical Education you Never Received (with Susan Wise Bauer!!) Oct 02, 2020

We are absolutely thrilled to have Susan Wise Bauer on the show today! Susan Wise Bauer is a writer, historian, educator, and farmer. She’s the author of twenty books and the founder of the educational publishing company Well-Trained Mind Press. Susan's parents taught her at home for most of elementary and middle school, and all of high school. She went on to earn graduate degrees in divinity, English literature, and American studies. She has been married to Peter since 1990. They have four grown children, all taught at home; one child-in-law, one grandchild; and many, many sheep.

Today’s discussion is all about giving ourselves the classical education we never received. That’s was Susan Wise Bauer’s book, The Well-Educated Mind, is all about, and it’s why we knew she was the perfect person to discuss this with. You are going to LOVE listening to her!

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Join the Sistership!

Have you joined the Scholé Sisters Sistership yet? If not, you are missing out on some of the best conversations for classical homeschooling moms on the internets. There is always something going on designed to enrich your life as a mom for the better. Whether it’s a Sophie mentorship, a book club, or even a Scholé Everyday 7-day challenge with Abby, you’ll be glad you joined. Click here to sign up.

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Download this episode's Scholé Sheet! Scholé Sheets are designed to help you think through and apply the ideas you've taken in, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Registration for Loving Well is now open!

SS #77: Let's Get Together, Yeah Yeah Yeah (Communities vs. Networks) Sep 18, 2020

Today’s discussion between Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby centers on the differences between communities and networks as spelled out by John Taylor Gatto in his wonderful little book Dumbing Us Down. To which do you belong? Is there an ideal? There's a lot of food for thought in this episode.

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Registration is now open for this year’s online local retreats which will take place live on Saturday October 10th. The theme of this year’s retreat is Loving Well and our guest speaker is Karen Glass! This is going to be a wonderful time in which we deeply explore the topic of love as it relates to homeschooling, mothering, and continuing our own educations. Click here to register.

If you want to host a local retreat event, just click here to fill out the form and we’ll help you pull it off.

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Download this episode's Scholé Sheet! Scholé Sheets are designed to help you think through and apply the ideas you've taken in, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

Registration for Loving Well is now open!

SS #76: The Wonder Years (Quintilian and the Classical Preschool) Sep 04, 2020

Is there really such a thing as classical education for preschoolers? You may be surprised to learn that yes the ancients actually had opinions on what to do with the little ones entrusted to us. In today’s episode, Mystie, Brandy, and Abby discuss a bit about what Plato, Aristotle, and Quintilian had to say on this subject.

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Registration is now open for this year’s online local retreats which will take place live on Saturday October 10th. The theme of this year’s retreat is Loving Well and our guest speaker is the one and only Karen Glass! This is going to be a wonderful time in which we deeply explore the topic of love as it relates to homeschooling, mothering, and continuing our own educations. Click here to register.

If you want to host a local retreat event, just click here to fill out the form and we’ll help you pull it off.

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Download this episode's Scholé Sheet! Scholé Sheets are designed to help you think through and apply the ideas you've taken in, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #75: Love Chat, Baby, Love Chat (with Karen Glass!) Jul 31, 2020

Our special guest today is one of our favorite people, Karen Glass! Karen Glass has been homeschooling her children for 25 years, and she’s not quite finished yet. She is one of the founders of the AmblesideOnline curriculum project and has delved deeply into Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education. She has lived in Poland, where her husband ministers, for over twenty years. In the last few years, she has begun writing books to share some of the things she has learned along the way.

Today’s episode covers more about the fall retreat. In the first part we formulate our response to the extrovert revolt that took place after Episode 74. After that, we discuss the Loving Well theme and how each of us (including Karen, who is this year's guest speaker) plan to approach it in our talks.

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Early-bird registration is now open!

Our annual fall online local retreats are something we forward to every year, and this year is no exception. Click here for early-bird registration for the Loving Well retreat. If you want to host a local retreat event, we are still doing this (in states where it is legal). Just click here and fill out the form and we’ll help you pull it off.

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SS #74: Retreats Go Viral (Summer Bonus Season) Jul 10, 2020

Today’s episode is all about the fall retreat. In the first half, Brandy, Mystie, and Abby talk about Covid and lockdown … and how to manage a retreat if we’re still on lockdown (including what Scholé Sisters plans to do to help support unique situations). In the second half we talk about how we overhauled part of our program to make room for something super special from Abby.

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Get your Beginner’s Guide to Scholé!

We have a special treat for you today! You can download for free our new Beginner’s Guide to Scholé. If you are not a beginner, you still will like it, but even more important is that we’ve set it up where you can share it. That’s right. You know all those friends you’ve been trying to share scholé with? This is the resource you’ve been waiting for! Our gift to you. ♥

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #73: A Scholé for All Seasons May 29, 2020

Today’s episode is extra long! Our topic is scholé and how it changes with the seasons of motherhood. Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby discussed having all preschoolers, starting to homeschool, the teen years, and then guessed what the particular challenges might be in launching children. It was a long episode because it’s a big topic!

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Join us in the Sistership!

Many fun things are going on in the Sistership these days. Abby is prepping a follow-up contemplation session for Spring Training. If you wish Spring Training wasn’t over, you’ll be thrilled with what she has in the works.

Also, all the Sophies are getting a bookbag this summer! They are very cute and we are super excited about them. Click here to get in on all this and more!

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Download this episode's Scholé Sheet! Scholé Sheets are designed to help you think through and apply the ideas you've taken in, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #72: The Grammar of Grammar (with Kevin Clark!) May 15, 2020

Our guest on the show this time is Dr. Kevin Clark. Kevin is the founder of The Ecclesial Schools Initiative, an organization that’s partnering with local churches to plant a network of affordable and accessible Christian classical schools. Kevin is an Alcuin fellow with The Society for Classical Learning and a member of the teaching faculty in the Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program at The Templeton Honors College. Most importantly, he is Taryn’s husband and father to Aubrey, Caedmon, Naomi, and Eleanor.

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy have a rousing conversation with Kevin Clark about the trivium and grammar sections of the revised edition of The Liberal Arts Tradition. What changes were made to the book for this new edition, and why? You will really enjoy hearing his answers!

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Have you upgraded your Sistership membership to Sophie level yet?

We highly recommend you do – Spring Training is included for no extra charge, plus you get access to all the other great things, including the Cutting Room Floor from this episode. We chatted with Kevin for over 90 minutes! Brandy had to cut a lot, and it wasn’t just his dog barking. As a Sophie Member, you can listen to the cutting room floor selections while you wait for the next session of Spring Training. Click here to find out more.

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Download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet! Scholé Sheets are designed to help you think through and apply the ideas you've taken in, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #71: Homeschoolers Militant (with Andrew Pudewa!!) May 01, 2020

Today’s episode was recorded BEFORE the demise of 2020, before quaratines, lockdowns, and economic tragedies. We cut a couple things that no longer made sense, but the rest of it survives as useful and oh so encouraging.

Our special guest today is Andrew Pudewa, the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.

Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his wonderful, heroic wife, Robin, have homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of fourteen, making their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Andrew Pudewa helps us be brave and not hide our homeschooling light under a bucket. He says we should be practicing homeschool evangelism. And when he said this, NO ONE KNEW the entire country would be doing school at home by the time this went live. What Andrew says here is even more applicable than when he first said it.

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Don’t forget to register for Spring Training 2020!

Did you know? If you sign up for a Sophie level Sistership membership (or already have one) Spring Training is included, along with all the other great things (I’m looking at YOU, Kelly Cumbee’s amazing Shakespeare mentorship)? If you aren’t a Sophie, click here to go sign up. If you already are a Sophie, we highly encourage you to go through the Spring Training 2019 sessions if you haven’t already as a way to prepare for this year’s Spring Training.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #70: Arguing About Words (The Episode Formerly Known as the Bonus Episode) Apr 17, 2020

We’ve been promising you a bonus episode for a while and today is the day! The only thing is, Abby made us do a Scholé Everyday, and then we talked too long, so we did the logical thing in this situation: we decided to make it a “real” episode. What does this mean for the season? Well, it’ll just be longer. There will be nine episodes instead of our usual eight, making this a sort of bonus after all.

Today, we're discussing an article on education written by Steven Rummelsburg that originally appeared in The Imaginative Conservative called The Problem of Language and Our Schools. If you’d like to read the article before listening, just click here. This is a rousing conversation on an excellent topic and also ... listen up because we're making a very big announcement!

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Registration for spring training is now open! Titled "Great conversations about the Great Conversation: How to develop an understanding of a Socratic Seminar as it ought to be," this series of three sessions (LIVE at 5pm on May 11, 18, and 25) transcends all the crazy swirling around us and gets to the heart of truths that matter, even when things feel chaotic.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #69: Socratic Trialogue (with Renee Shepard!) Apr 03, 2020

Our special guest today is Renee Shepard. Renee has been married for 14 years. She and her husband, who were both homeschooled, are now homeschooling their six children. She is currently finishing her graduate degree in Classical Christian Studies at New Saint Andrews College, where her favorite things to study are theology, Latin, and literature.

This episode is a follow up to an episode we did last year called Someone Stole My Socrates. Brandy, Mystie, and Renee discuss a work by Plato called Gorgias. (Brandy likes to call it Gorgeous.) Whatever you call it, it’s a Socratic dialogue. We decided that if we want to know what Socratic discussion is all about, we should go straight to the source. It’s great fun!

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Sign up for our 30-60-90 planning session! Quarantine got you down? It’s not too late to check out or 30-60-90 planning session from last weekend. Just click here to register. This will send you the planning pages and the replay to watch. We’ll help pull you out of your slump so that you are faithful and fruitful during these admittedly weird times.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #68: Make Classical Education Scholé Again Mar 20, 2020

In today's episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy take on the trials and tribulations of classical homeschooling. The three of them talk solutions to rescue a ho-hum classical education. It’s so easy to get away from scholé and become rabid box-checkers. How do we revive ourselves when that happens? That’s what today’s discussion is all about!

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Join the Sistership! In these trying times, practically our ONLY community is our online community. Ironic, hm? We've got some great book clubs going, a Plutarch class, and more! Just click here and sign up for the Premier membership! You’ll help support the podcast and get fun and interesting bonus audio all at once!

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #67 Death by Sticker Chart (with Karen Glass!) Mar 06, 2020

Our special guest today is one of our favorite people, Karen Glass! Karen Glass has been homeschooling her children for 25 years, and she’s not quite finished yet. She is one of the founders of the AmblesideOnline curriculum project and has delved deeply into Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education. She has lived in Poland, where her husband ministers, for over twenty years. In the last few years, she has begun writing books to share some of the things she has learned along the way.

Today, Abby and Brandy chat with Karen about motivation. Are there right and wrong ways to motivate students? What does motivation have to do with good character? And can sticker charts really be the death of virtue?? So many questions and a great conversation!

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Join the Sistership! We cut about five minutes from this episode and it’s available (with our many other bonuses) in the Cutting Room Floor Bonus section on the Sistership. To listen in, just click here and sign up for the Basic membership! You’ll help support the podcast and get fun and interesting bonus audio all at once!

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #66: A Faculty of Friends Feb 21, 2020

In today's episode, Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby discuss the "faculty of friends" concept presented by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark in the new revised edition of The Liberal Arts Tradition, an idea that also appears in Norms and Nobility, Poetic Knowledge, and more! We think you’ll find this episode inspiring and encouraging.

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Jump into our Shakespeare mentorship! The Sistership Premier Shakespeare mentorship led by Kelly Cumbee – she’s guiding us through As You Like It – just began, and it’s not too late to join in! If you ever wanted someone to hold your hand through a Shakespeare play, Kelly is your woman. To join us, just click here and sign up for Premier membership.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #65: Falling in Love with Shakespeare (with Kelly Cumbee!) Feb 07, 2020

Our guest on the show today is Kelly Cumbee. Brandy and Mystie have known Kelly for over a decade because she was a participant in the old online book clubs led by Cindy Rollins. Brandy is very excited to introduce you to her.

For over twenty-five years Kelly Cumbee has been educating her seven children at home, where she mostly sits in her rocking chair and reads aloud to them what she herself wants to learn. She has always loved music, nature, and stories, and passionately believes that they are all connected. She is prone to info-dumping and telling everyone to read The Faerie Queene.

We love today’s episode because it’s one-part interview, one-part hearing about Kelly’s plans for our upcoming Shakespeare mentorship, and one-part interesting background information on not just Shakespeare, but also Jane Austen! Altogether, it’s a recipe for a fabulous episode you won’t want to miss.

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Kelly will be leading the Shakespeare mentorship in Sistership Premier that starts NEXT WEEK — if you’re listening to this a little later, it’s starts the week of February 10th 2020. The more she tells me about her plans for this, the more enthusiastic I become! The Shakespeare mentorship is only for Sistership Premier members, so click here to join.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #64: How Christmas is Like a Funeral Dec 06, 2019

Today, we present our annual Christmas episode! We’re using Josef Pieper’s book In Tune with the World to discuss festivity, Christmas, and, of course, FUNERALS. That’s right. You don’t want to miss this one!

Topical discussion begins at 15:04.

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Wondering what you want for Christmas but not sure? Allow us to suggest an annual membership to Sistership Premier! We’ve got a great lineup for 2020 including more bonus audio, a Shakespeare mentorship with Kelly Cumbee, fabulous Spring Training sessions, the annual summer T-shirts and more! Click here to join!

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #63: Who's Your Daddy? Nov 22, 2019

In today's episode, Mystie and Brandy dig deeply into the four types of reading explained by AG Sertillanges in his wonderful book The Intellectual Life. Before Brandy read this, she didn't even know there were four types of reading! It's a very interesting distinction to make, and we think you'll love today's discussion.

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Have you joined Sistership Premier yet? We hope so! The Sistership Premier Christmas gift is coming soon! We want you to have something extra special just for you and that's why we asked Ravi Jain (co-author of The Liberal Arts Tradition) to come and give you some math inspiration. The live event is happening early in December so sign up and join us! Click here and join to be eligible for this year's Christmas gift.

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Don’t forget to download this episode's Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #62: The Scholé Sisters Go Liberal (with Ravi Jain!) Nov 08, 2019

We’re thrilled to have Ravi Jain back on the show today. Obviously, Ravi is co-author of the fabulous book, The Liberal Arts Tradition, but here's a little more about him: Ravi Jain graduated from Davidson College, received an M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary, and later earned a Graduate Certificate in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. He began teaching Calculus and Physics at the Geneva School in 2003 where he has developed an integrated double period class called “The Scientific Revolution.” In this class the students read primary sources like Galileo and Newton in order to recapitulate the narrative of discovery while preserving the mathematical and scientific rigor expected of a college level treatment. He has given over 100 talks and workshops throughout the country and overseas on topics related to education, theology, mathematics, and science. He has two boys, Judah and Xavier, and is married to Kelley Anne, whom he met in Japan.

In today’s episode, we get some of the background on the new edition of The Liberal Arts Tradition. After this, we dive deeply into the curriculum section from the new edition and talk about the fine arts, the servile arts, and the liberal arts. You’re going to love hearing Ravi’s thoughts!

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Don’t forget to download Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #61: Have Your Humble Pie ... and Eat It, Too! Oct 25, 2019

Today’s episode was recorded live at the beach house while Brandy, Mystie, and Pam were at the fall retreat! The sound quality is a little less than usual, but it was very fun to record face-to-face. Our topic today is humility and teachableness. You’ll enjoy this interesting conversation.

Join our November challenge! We are hosting our first ever month-long CHALLENGE! As you know, principles aren’t for having or knowing – they are for LIVING. What if you took a principle and determined to live it out in some small way every weekday for a whole month? Think what a difference that would make and the power of the habit you would build! Click here to learn more about our challenge.

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Don’t forget to download Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #60: History as a Center Cannot Hold (with Angelina Stanford!) Oct 11, 2019

Our guest today is the lovely and delightfully controversial Angelina Stanford. Angelina has an Honors Baccalaureate Degree and a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Louisiana. For over twenty-five years, she has shared her passion and enthusiasm for literature with students in a variety of settings — everywhere from university classrooms to homeschool co-ops to homeschooling her own three children. You can find Angelina at angelinastanford.com where she teaches online literature classes for middle school through adult, as well as webinars and short term classes. She had a big summer, launching The Literary Life Podcast with her longtime friend Cindy Rollns., and in June she married her very own poet. Angelina lives quite happily in a honeymoon cottage in North Carolina, tracking down rare books and inspiring poetry.

In today’s episode, Brandy read Angelina a quote from herself on teaching history from last time she was on the show – she cause quite a ruckus with this one. Then, Brandy and Mystie asked her to defend herself. What resulted was a truly amazing conversation!

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Don’t forget to download Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode and download Your Scholé Sheet.

SS #59: Scholé Sisters Group Therapy Sep 27, 2019

In today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, and Mystie get real about Scholé Sisters groups. First, they talk about Pam’s Scholé Salon, specifically what they’ve done and how it’s going. From there, they transition to what to do when groups experience change or difficulty. Groups, even GOOD groups, will experience trials and setbacks, and it’s important for all of us to think about how to respond.

Don’t forget to download Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation happening there. Click here to download your copy for free.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #58: Scholé is Diffuse (with Ashley Woleben) Sep 13, 2019

In today’s episode, Brandy and Mystie discuss so many good things with special guest Ashley Woleben — what scholé is and how it relates to what the book A Mind for Numbers calls "diffuse mode learning," plus how to make scholé a part of your life. Ashley is always a very interesting person to talk to and we know you’ll love this episode.

About Ashley Woleben:

Ashley is a military wife and homeschooling mother to five. She obtained a BA concentrating on the fields of anthropology and classical studies and has completed her MA in humanities with a focus on Medieval theology and global literature. Focusing on philosophical anthropology, she is currently co-hosting The Classical Homeschool Podcast and blogging at Between the Linens.

It's still not too late to join in next week's retreat! If you are listening to this episode the day is comes out, then the Scholé Sisters fall retreat is one week from TOMORROW! September 21st! We’re so excited! If you want to plan a local retreat for your group, click here to get more information or sign up. If you want to register as an individual, click here.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #57: Heroes First! (with Wendi Capehart) Aug 30, 2019

It was something Wendi Capehart said at AmblesideOnline Camp during her talk that inspired this conversation. Mystie and Brandy are discussing why starting with heroes in a child's education is not white-washing, and why pointing out the darkness too young might backfire.

Wendi Capehart from the AmblesideOnline Advisory board is a very busy lady, so we were thrilled when she — rightly dubbed "the smartest woman on the internet" by Cindy Rollins — agreed to a phone call with us this summer.

Let us tell you a little about Wendi. Wendi and her husband Bill have been Christians since their teens. They married at 20 and have been married 37 years. They have seven terrific grown children, 4 stalwart sons-in-law, 14 unsurpassingly wonderful grandchildren, and have also helped raise their two perfectly delightful god-sons (as well as occasionally hosting Japanese exchange students and Ukrainian orphans). The Capeharts have lived all over, most recently in the Philippines for two years, where they served as missionaries with a Christian school in Davao City. In January they will be moving to Malaysia to the city of Kota Kinabalu where they will help establish a learning center, among other projects. Click here to look at their previous newsletters and subscribe to new ones.

Wendi blogs at Wendi Wanders. She has published an e-zine called Education for All. The latest issue contains most of the material from her talk on Imagination at AO Camp, including the material and sources that had to be cut. Click here for more information.

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SS #56: A Time to Laugh Jul 26, 2019

We are pleased to have Cindy Rollins back on the show today. Cindy homeschooled her nine children for over 30 years. She is co-host with Angelina Stanford of the popular Literary Life Podcast and curates the Over the Back Fence Newsletter. She is the author of some wonderful books. My favorite is Mere Motherhood: Morning Time, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification. The desire of Cindy’s heart is to encourage moms using Charlotte Mason’s timeless principles in the classical tradition.

In today’s episode, the four of us are giving you a little peek at the content of the fall retreat. Our theme is Laughing Well and, as usual, we each have our own angle on the topic. You’ll find out why we chose the theme and the general ideas we intend to cover.

If you are listening the day this episode releases, there is only ONE WEEK LEFT for Early Bird Registration. That’s right: Early-Bird registration ends on Friday, August 2nd. Just click here to register today!

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SS #55: Make Your Retreat a Treat! Jul 12, 2019

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy are talking all things Scholé Sisters fall retreat planning with Jenn Discher and Danielle Cyrus. Jenn and Danielle both hosted large retreats last year and have lots of great tips for you.

Jenn Discher and her husband and three kids (ages 9, 7, and 4) live in North Georgia, outside of Atlanta. Jenn was a high school history teacher for six years before her oldest was born and she's homeschooled since the beginning. Regarding homeschool philosophy, Jenn relies heavily on Charlotte Mason’s ideas and the classical tradition, slowly growing in her understanding of both!

Danielle Cyrus has been married to her husband, Grant, for 17 years. She lives in Willamette Valley, Oregon where she homeschools their three kids, ages 12, 10, and 8. Danielle and her family have always homeschooled, growing their understanding of the Classical tradition and the methods of Charlotte Mason as they go, always working out how they weave together.

As you probably noticed, Early Bird Registration is now open for the Laughing Well Scholé Sisters fall online local retreats. Click here to register. Yes, this year’s theme is “laugh.” Please don’t think this means stand up comedy! This is about joy and levity and faith –and the heart of what it means to be at peace while we homeschool.

It’s true: you can register and do the retreat all by yourself. A fair amount of people do that. But the retreat was designed to give local groups the opportunity to have a nice local retreat for themselves – a real all-day getaway – without lots of planning and logistics.

Whether you’ve wanted to put together a local retreat but doubted your ability, or you’ve done one before but are looking for fresh ideas, this episode is for you.

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SS #54: Gainsaying Sayers May 24, 2019

In today’s episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy finish up their conversation about Dorothy Sayers' essay, The Lost Tools of Learning, which began in Episode 49. In fact, if you haven’t listened to Episode 49, you really should do that first. Anyhow, in this episode the Scholé Sisters discuss and debate the trivium portion of the essay. It’s great fun you won’t want to miss.

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This episode is sponsored by The Scholé Sisters Sistership. Have you joined the Sistership yet? Our new-and-improved Sistership platform is the place for meaty and humorous conversation together, sharing your Scholé Everyday, and discussing ideas. Premier members get even more, with audio transcripts available for episodes, and, currently, a book club with Cindy Rollins! With four different levels, there is something for everyone at the Sistership. Click here to learn more.

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SS #53: You've Got a Friend in Me May 10, 2019

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy use part of CS Lewis’ book The Four Loves to discuss friendship – how Lewis defines it, if we womenfolk are capable of it, and how it’s different from other things like companionship and affection. We wrap up by applying this to … yes! … book clubs. We think you’ll love this.

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This episode is sponsored by Scholé Sisters Spring Training Sessions! If you are listening to this episode right when it comes out, one of these sessions already took place on Monday evening. The good news is there is still time to sign up! Eric Hall is leading us in three amazing sessions total that will help YOU get started with classical Christian education by thinking deeply about philosophy. You can easily catch up by simply signing in and watching the replay.

These sessions take place the first three Monday evenings of May 2019 (and, yes, replays will be available). The first session answers the question Why Education? – Why do our children need to be educated in the first place? The second answers the question Why Classical? What makes classical education distinct from modern education? And the third session answers the question Why Christian? This last session will help you think deeply about the integration of faith and learning.

Click here to register … unless of course you are a Sistership Premier member. If that is the case, your registration is included in Premier and you should have already received an email that explains how to attend the session. For the rest of you, I repeat: go register for these fabulous Spring Training Sessions before we close the doors!

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SS #52: Philosophy for Mommies (with Eric Hall!) Apr 26, 2019

Eric Hall is back on the show with us today. We had rave reviews when he appeared in Episode 29 called I’m Not the Holy Spirit. So many of you wanted to hear more from him, but let us introduce again in case you haven't yet heard that episode.

Eric Hall is an adjunct professor of English at Bakersfield College where he teaches writing and literature. Eric has a B.A. in English from the Master's College followed by graduate studies in theology at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and studies in rhetoric and philosophy at Clemson University. In keeping with his diverse interests in literature, theology, and philosophy, Eric aspires to integrate learning within the humanities to develop a deeper appreciation of how God may be encountered diversely in everything that is. In his spare time, Eric likes to rock climb and read St. Thomas Aquinas.

Today’s conversation with Eric is perfect if you plan to attend his Spring Training Sessions, yes, but also perfect if you ever plan to read a book on educational philosophy. Brandy and Mystie talk with him about what philosophy really is and what are some best practices when it comes to studying it. You’ll love this discussion!

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This episode is sponsored by our very own Spring Training Sessions! Eric Hall will be leading us in these amazing three sessions that will help YOU get started with classical Christian education by thinking deeply about philosophy. These sessions take place the first three Monday evenings of May (yes replays will be available).

The first session answers the question Why Education? Why do our children need to be educated in the first place? The second answers the question Why Classical? What really make classical education distinct from modern education? The third sessions answers the question Why Christian? This last session will help you think deeply about the integration of faith and learning. Registration is now open so click here to sign up unless of course you are a Sistership Premier member. In that case, your registration is included in Premier and you will receive an email that explains how to attend the sessions.

For the rest of you, we repeat: click here to register for these amazing Spring Training Sessions.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #51: Unschool to ClassiCOOL (with Amanda Gauthier-Parker!) Apr 12, 2019

Our guest on the show is Amanda Gauthier-Parker. Amanda is as a Christian, a wife, a mother, and a homeschooler. Her journey from John Holt unschooling to Charlotte Mason and classical education has taken its twists and turns, while always chasing truth, goodness and beauty, and the path God has set before her. This spring she will graduate her first of five children, and will have 15 more years of homeschooling ahead in which to keep learning and growing. She posts on Instagram as @truthgoodnessandbeauty.

Today’s conversation is a little different from what we normally do, but we think you’ll enjoy hearing about classical education as a philosophical and life journey. How did our guest Amanda Gauthier-Parker move from unschooling to classical and Charlotte Mason? Listen in to find out!

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This episode is sponsored by The Literary Life Conference. Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are veteran homeschool moms and experienced teachers who share a passion for books and a life shaped by books. They also have a heart for homeschool moms! In response to hearing moms express disappointment that they can never travel to hear them speak, Cindy and Angelina decided to bring the conference to the moms! Join Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins for an Online Conference exploring the Literary Life. Watch the conference from the convenience of your own home! And sessions are recorded and available to everyone who registers, so you can watch anytime -- even during naptime! At only $29, you will be encouraged and inspired to cultivate a literary life for yourself and your family.

The conference includes a talk from Cindy and a talk from Angelina and caps off with a discussion, where both speakers will respond to each other's talks and develop ideas further. Essentially, you will get to listen in on the conversations that Cindy and Angelina have at conferences behind the scenes. Angelina says, "I always thought that the best part of a conference was when we would build on each other's talks and make new connections, but no one ever got to hear those moments. We decided in this conference to share that conversation with you." Click here for more information and to register.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #50: A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action (with Abby Wahl!) Mar 29, 2019

This episode is a fantastic conversation we had with Abby Wahl in which we jump off of Neil Postman’s thoughts on the need to not just take in information, but also take action, and apply this to the reading and thinking we do in our scholé time.

Who's Abby?

We're glad you asked! Abby Wahl is not only a friend of ours, she’s also one of the hosts on the Sistership. Abby is a country living farmer/rancher, a loving wife and mom of five who homeschools … and reads whenever she can!

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This episode is sponsored by the Sistership. The Sistership is now a hopping place - with an app! - for conversation and camaraderie and even book clubs, both online and local. Our goal with the new-and-improved Sistership is to foster community not only with likeminded women online but also with your local ladies who might not always be so likeminded. We're all better for iron-sharpening-iron, and classical homeschool moms need to seek out dialectic that builds virtue by pushing us toward clarity and commitment. Click here to learn more -- we have membership options from free to premier and we'd love to have you.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

SS #49: The Sisters on Sayers — Not the Podcast You Expected Mar 15, 2019

This is the first of two episodes in which the Sisters say things about Dorothy Sayers -- specifically, they say things about her famous essay, The Lost Tools of Learning. What sort of things, you ask? Today, we're talking good stuff: the good, the true, the beautiful. Join us!

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This episode is sponsored by the Sistership. Have you joined the Sistership yet? On our new-and-improved Sistership platform we not only have meaty and humorous conversation, we also provide a safe and private spot for local groups to coordinate and converse about their meetings. Mystie and Brandy tell you more about the Sistership at the end of this episode. For now, click here to find out more!

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SS #48: Someone Stole My Socrates! Mar 01, 2019

This episode, Brandy and Mystie discuss the Socratic Method. Is it really classical? Is it progressive? Does it have anything to do with Socrates? Has Socrates been kidnapped and, if so, it is right to hunt him down and steal him back??

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This episode is sponsored by the Scholé Sisters newsletter! I know what you’re thinking: why in the world is our newsletter sponsoring our own podcast episode? Well, it’s because we want you on our newsletter email list! We’ve got some pretty exciting things coming up, and the newsletter is the surest way to find out all the details. So if you don’t get our monthly newsletter (which is pretty good in its own right), go sign up! Just go to scholesisters.com, scroll down to the bottom, and fill out the form.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

SS #47: Rightly Dividing (with Karen Glass!!) Feb 15, 2019

Mystie and Brandy are glad to have Karen Glass back on the show to help us kick off Season 8. Karen is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition and Know and Tell: The Art of Narration and a member of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, mostly grown and married, who were homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end. Karen has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years

For this episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Karen discussed division -- what it is, how people do or don’t cause it, and whether it’s always wrong.

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This episode is sponsored by the book In Memoriam: A Tribute to Charlotte Mason. After Charlotte Mason died in 1923, a memorial service resembling an educational conference was held in her honor. Those who had spent years observing her life and work warmly described her impact on their own lives and careers. These sentiments -- some philosophical, some personal -- were recorded in the book In Memoriam. In Memoriam is biography, memoir and philosophical commentary all in one, but more importantly, it’s great February reading -- you’ll find it full of small, inspiring bites that warm your insides and get you philosophically motivated. Grab your copy on Amazon today!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

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SS #46: What the Dickens? Dec 07, 2018

Today’s episode features a discussion of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol, which is Brandy's FAVORITE Christmas story. Naturally, Mystie and Pam tried to ruin it for her, but she was undaunted, and thinks you will be, too.

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This episode is sponsored by Mystie’s Brain Dump Guide. Do you have a lot to do and too much to keep track of? Of course you do! Mystie’s all new Brain Dump Guide will help you take the cluttered jumble inside your head and straighten it out so you can step out of your scattered, overwhelmed mode and go into strategic creative mode. Download the guide and get started today. Declutter your head with a brain dump. It’s cheap, fast therapy we can all use.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

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SS #45: Need Scholé? Just Add Joy! Nov 16, 2018

If you have ever smelled smoke at your house and wondered if you were starting to burn out at this homeschooling thing, this episode is for you. Brandy was tempted to burnout early this year and so she and Mystie chatted about homeschooling, minimalism, and why sometimes adding something is a better approach that cutting back even more.

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This episode is sponsored by Start Here, the definitive starting place for studying Charlotte Mason. When Charlotte Mason was trying to distill her educational philosophy into its simplest form, she ended up with 20 core principles. These are the 20 most important aspects of her philosophy. Using the book For the Children’s Sake, Miss Mason’s volumes, articles from Miss Mason’s magazine The Parents’ Review, the best blog posts on these subjects, and discussion questions meant to help you dig deeply, Start Here is a comprehensive study guide to the big ideas governing Charlotte Mason’s philosophy. It’s perfect for a Scholé Sisters group! Just head on over to the Afterthoughts shop and use the discount code sisters to get 15% off at checkout.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

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SS #44: Prioritizing Words (with Angelina Stanford!) Nov 02, 2018

Our guest today is Angelina Stanford! Angelina Stanford has a Master's degree in English literature and has been teaching, writing, speaking, and training teachers for over 20 years. She is the co-star of the popular Close Reads podcast, as well as the new Shakespeare podcast, The Play's the Thing. You can find Angelina at her website where she teaches class for middle school, high school, and adults. And look for her upcoming book, How to Understand Every Story: From Greek Gods to Superheroes, coming out next year.

Have you ever wondered why books are such a big deal in classical education? Wouldn’t it be easier to just pop in a movie and be done with all the lesson planning? It’s an interesting question, and Angelina Stanford, true to form, stood on her soapbox while giving Mystie and Brandy her answer. It was great.

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This episode is sponsored by Charlotte Mason Boot Camp. Want to whip those Charlotte Mason muscles into shape? This intense, 6-week Charlotte Mason Boot Camp does just that! It’ll take that philosophical flab and turn it into nothing less than confidence. It’ll give you all the growing, stretching, and strengthening you’ve been looking for. There are three sessions of Charlotte Mason Boot Camp per year: spring, summer, and fall. To get on the interest list, click here and sign up!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

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SS #43: Forgotten Classics (with Martin Cothran!) Oct 19, 2018

In this episode, Mystie and Brandy talk with Martin Cothran from Memoria Press. Martin is known for (among other things) his knowledge of forgotten classics – really good books almost no one remembers. It was our pleasure to discuss with Martin the nature of these books and how to find them.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

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SS #42: Carpe Librum (Seize the Booklist) Sep 21, 2018

If you were bummed that you were unable to attend the Scholé Sisters session at GHC in Cincinatti, and then extra disappointed we were unable to offer you a recording … this is for YOU! Brandy, Mystie, and Pam have redone the whole thing, and you can even get a download of the document handout with all the important details!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!)

Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

And did you know we have a monthly newsletter? Click here and scroll to the bottom to sign up!

SS #41: Living Books Are Books for Life Sep 07, 2018

In this episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Pam kick off Season 7 of Scholé Sisters with a discussion about living books. What are they, what is their significance, and how can you identify them? This is a totally fun discussion about reading -- and how picky should we be anyway? -- that you don't want to miss!

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Click here to register for the Learning Well Online Local Retreat (with Cindy Rollins)

Click here for more information on planning your local retreat.

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SS #40: Moms: Learn and Grow! (Part II -- with Cindy Rollins!) Aug 07, 2018

In this special bonus summer season episode, the Scholé Sisters meet up with Cindy Rollins for a special, 2-part podcast. Catch the first part over on The Mason Jar podcast, and then come back here for Part II. In Part I, we discussed Charlotte Mason's views on self-education and how that applies to moms. In Part II, we take it all a step further with discussion of why reading is important, where hobbies fit in, and MORE!

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Click here to register for the Learning Well Online Local Retreat (with Cindy Rollins)

Click here for more information on planning your local retreat.

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And did you know we have a monthly newsletter? Click here and scroll to the bottom to sign up!

SS #39: Plan an Amazing Local Retreat (with Brittany Lindvall) Jul 20, 2018

Welcome to our special 2-episode summer season of Scholé Sisters!! (Try saying that three times fast!) Today, we're chatting with Brittany Lindvall, leader of one of our Scholé Sisters Local Retreats last year. She'll tell you what worked, what didn't, and why she's doing it again this year. We hope this gets your creative juices flowing as you start to plan your own retreat for your own local Sisters.

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Click here to register for the Learning Well Online Local Retreat (with Cindy Rollins)

Click here for more information on planning your local retreat.

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

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SS #38: An Education by Any Other Name... May 25, 2018

In today’s episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy discuss the power of educational metaphors – are we using the right images to picture our homeschools? Metaphors aren't absolute -- it's what we mean by them and how we apply them that matters. Join the Scholé Sisters as they hash out metaphors and discuss what makes a good one worth using.

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This episode is sponsored by In Memoriam. After Charlotte Mason died in 1923, the PNEU held a memorial service in her honor, though (quite appropriately) it more resembled an educational conference. Those who had spent years observing her life and work warmly described her impact on their own lives and careers. These sentiments -- some philosophical, some personal -- were recorded in the book In Memoriam. In Memoriam is biography, memoir and philosophical commentary all in one. It offers the most intimate look at Charlotte Mason from those who knew and loved her best. If you want to study Charlotte Mason, but don’t feel like reading philosophy straight up, In Memoriam is the perfect solution. Grab your copy on Amazon today!

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SS #37: Livin' La Vida Latin (with Angela Reed!) May 11, 2018

Brandy is talking at length about Latin today with Angela Reed. Angela is a homeschooling mother of 5 in the Sunshine State of Florida. A former classroom teacher, degreed in Classics and Latin and persuaded by Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy, she channels these enthusiasms onto Instagram: building community with friends @charlottemasonirl, researching how Latin fits within a CM paradigm @thecmlatinproject, and documenting family life, homeschooling, and the day-to-day @athena_amidstthereeds.

Brandy asks Angela some of the tough questions we all want answers to: Why Latin first is the New Testament is in Greek? Can I do a modern language instead of Latin? Why Latin at all?? Can I do Latin with my children when I don't know Latin myself? We tackle these, plus Angela helps us decide which pronunciation to you and shares about some of her favorite curricula.

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This episode is sponsored by Plan Your Year. Plan Your Year is the homeschool planner that shows you how. It walks you step-by-step through creating a homeschool plan unique to your home, your kids, your family. There are over 40 printable planning pages plus an 80-page planning guide where Pam walks you through creating your plan. Nothing ever expires and you get free updates every year. It’s the only homeschool planner you will ever need. Click here to check out a free sample pack of planning pages.

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SS #36: Is Scholé for Everyone? Apr 27, 2018

In today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, and Mystie raise the question of whether scholé is for everyone. Or is it just for the bookish and more academic? They had to begin by defining scholé, of course. This episode is about scholé in real life with our kids and FOR our kids. How do we help them "do scholé"? There are some big questions discussed this time!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

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This episode is sponsored by Teaching Reading with Bob Books. Teaching Reading with Bob Books is a line of printable phonics lessons that is 100% gimmick-free. The goal of the TRwBB method is to teach reading as simply as possible -- it aims at that little space in your day where reading muscles are grown -- the key ten to fifteen minutes of instruction that can change a child’s life. Click here and use the discount code sisters to get 15% off at checkout.

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SS #EP 35: Twaddlicious! Apr 13, 2018

On today's episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy have a rousing discussion on the subject of twaddle. What is it? What isn’t it? Is it ever acceptable? Some of us have unconventional opinions on this subject.

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This episode is sponsored by Plan Your Year. Plan Your Year is the homeschool planner that shows you how. It walks you step-by-step through creating a homeschool plan unique to your home, your kids, your family. There are over 40 printable planning pages plus an 80-page planning guide where Pam walks you through creating your plan. Nothing ever expires and you get free updates every year. It’s the only homeschool planner you will ever need. Click here to check out a free sample pack of planning pages.

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SS #34: Bling Your Pre-Reading with a Notebook Makeover (with Celeste Cruz) Mar 27, 2018

Our guest today is Celeste Cruz. Celeste is the Catholic homeschooling mother of nine children ages 11 and under, blogger at Joyous Lessons, and one of the hostesses of CharlotteMasonIRL on Instagram.

In this episode, Pam, Brandy, and Celeste have an in-depth conversation about transforming the chore of pre-reading for our children’s lessons into a beautiful scholé experience for Mom. They cover the technical aspects of notebooking, letting go of perfectionism, and MORE!

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This episode is sponsored by The Simplified Organization Brain Dump Guide. How much crazy do you have rolling around in your head? Before you declutter your closets, you should declutter your head! By writing down all the obligations, responsibilities, reminders, random facts, and expections that keep your mind churning, you'll free up your mental energy so you can use it where you need it. The free Brain Dump Guide at Simply Convivial will walk you through the process with prompts and tips so you can declutter your head and move ahead with clarity and peace. Visit Simply Conivial and download it today!

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SS #33: Narration: The Act of Knowing (with Karen Glass!) Mar 09, 2018

Brandy is pleased to have Karen Glass back on the show today. Karen is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, she’s the brain behind Mind to Mind, an abridgment of Charlotte Mason’s sixth volume, and her third book, Know and Tell: The Art of Narration just debuted last month. Karen Glass is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, mostly grown and married, who were 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.

In today’s episode, Brandy and Karen dig deeply into the connection between narration and knowledge. Unfortunately, because Karen is in Poland, the sound is below our normal quality. We guarantee, however, it is still worth listening!

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Click here to get the show notes for today's episode.

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This episode is sponsored by A Month of Morning Time. Morning Time is a wonderful addition to your homeschool, but sometimes planning it takes way more time and energy than you have to spare. You get overwhelmed trying to choose the best books to read. You have no idea which poems and artwork are the “good ones.” Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are wonderful ideals but the people in your house need clean laundry and three meals a day. Ready-made Morning Time plans can help reduce your decision fatigue, spend less time planning, and still add delight to your homeschool day. Click here to download a free sample.

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SS #32: Paideia Is All Greek to Me Feb 23, 2018

In today’s episode, Mystie Winckler and Brandy Vencel discuss Werner Jaeger’s introduction to his three-volume series, what Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, Jaeger's definition of education, what culture is, why Christians are resistant to honoring the Greeks, and much more. Download to listen, subscribe and be a Sister!

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This episode is sponsored by The Afterthinker’s Guide to Charlotte Mason’s Home Education. That's right! Brandy has a NEW Charlotte Mason study guide out for 2018! Home Education, Charlotte Mason’s seminal work on educational philosophy and character development, is a must-read for every homeschooling parent seeking to nurture her children with the rich nutrients of life and literature. The Afterthinker’s Guide to Charlotte Mason’s Home Education is your key to unlocking these nourishing educational truths in your home! Tested and refined through her own research and group leadership, Brandy Vencel has developed a pair of guides for this valuable endeavor: one for group leaders and one for group members. Don't let the different versions fool: these guides can be used for group or individual study. Click here to get your copy!

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