Everyday Educator

Is assessing ever a blessing??  According to guest Kelli Wilt, that depends on your perspective!  Join host Lisa Bailey as Kelli shares how Blue Book exams can be a celebration of what we know, and an opportunity to indulge in some deep conversations.  Parents, you'll hear some helpful tips for preparing for Blue Books all semester long;  directors, Kelli gives some great practical ideas for makin...

Conversations, wonder, art, patterns…does this sound like math time at your home?  If not, maybe you'd enjoy math more if you made the switch to The Math Map!  If you are wondering about this classical, one-room-schoolhouse approach to math, listen as Curriculum Assistant Babs Harrell gives us an inside look at an amazing new resource:  The Math Map.    Life is busy! Download audio versions of the...

Listen in this week as Academic Advisor Emily Martin shares practical tips and   wisdom for enjoying the science fair project as a family.  What exactly will your student learn?  How can you be the best advisor and lead learner for this segment of the Challenge A journey?  Don't give up—listen in!   Curious about homeschooling? Want to see Classical Conversations in action? Visit an Open House, wh...

When your children are very young, what does homeschooling look like?  Is there a schedule?  Do I need lesson plans?  What curriculum do I use?  Parents who want to know how "getting started" should look will love this episode!  Amy Jones joins Lisa to share some thoughts worth remembering and some encouragements that will start your journey off on the right foot.  Practical ideas shared with love...

If shepherding your Challenge student through unfamiliar assignments has you scratching your head, this is the podcast for you!  Experienced mom and CC director Deborah Switzer joins Lisa to talk about making learning together a blessing.  Bonus:  get all the inspiration and practical help you need to make the Art Grant Proposal (Challenge II) a favored assignment.   Celebrating together! Has your...

What's the best part of a treasure hunt, the prize or the hunt?  Listen in as Lisa and guest Jennifer Courtney explore how the best education is the treasure hunt your family makes through God's creation.  The simple yet profound process of "echoing  in celebration" is explored, and the catechesis wheel comes to life as these experienced homeschool moms recall some lessons that shaped their unders...

Reading, 'Riting, "Rithmetic…we all know we want our kids to know the basics.  But surely that's not all, and certainly those aren't the most important "basics"!  Listen to some thoughts from veteran homeschool moms Brittany Lewis and Kelli Wilt as they talk to Lisa about planting the seeds of some more important fruits of knowledge.    Mark your calendar for the 2025 National Commencement, May 16...

For parents with multiple kids, homeschooling can feel like a juggling act!  How can we make the ideal of the one-room schoolhouse come alive at our houses??  This week's guest, Denise McLain, offers encouragement and practical tips for larger families who want to learn together.  Bonus: hear how The Math Map has revitalized her family's math education! Curious about homeschooling? Want to see Cla...

It's the ultimate crossover episode . . . Delise and Ginny are joined by CC legend and host of the  Everyday Educator  podcast Lisa Bailey! Lisa recently became a grandmother, so in this conversation, she chats about parenting versus grandparenting. As a parent, she was often so focused on doing everything right that she missed out on opportunities to enjoy the small, simple moments of her childre...

Why is having a conversation so hard?  Maybe it's just certain conversations… or certain people…!  What IS a good conversation, anyway?  Listen in this week as guest Daniel Shirley helps Lisa define a good conversation, a good conversationalist, and some really good ways to encourage good conversations at home and in community.  It'll be good, we promise.   Take control of your homeschooling journ...

What IS morning time?  How do I "do it"?  What do I need?  Can I do it with ALL my kids?  If these are your questions as you begin the new homeschool year, this week's Everyday Educator guest will bless you.  Amy Jones joins Lisa to talk about a way to connect your family as you begin your homeschool day, setting the tone for a lifetime of learning.  With practical ideas for little ones, older one...

As Foundations communities gear up, families gather supplies, expectations, and sometimes worries!  If you're wondering how to get the most out of your Foundations experience, this week's guest will give you the answers.  Courtney Bradshaw, Foundations Academic Advisor, shares the tips and truths that have brought her family through 11 years of Foundations. Learn more about the Copper Lodge Librar...

As the new academic year begins, we offer families some encouragement from a couple of moms who may be farther along the journey than you are now.   Join Lisa and guest Kelli Wilt as they share the lessons that a look in the rearview mirror has revealed to them—lessons about their children, about their schedules, their assumptions, and the hardest job you'll ever love.   The Secret Garden  is a be...

As you and your student approach the Challenge years, you may be considering all the changes ahead.   Maybe you are wondering how to navigate all the new responsibilities, and assignments, and even a new schedule.   But you may not have recognized the bigger challenge of Challenge!   Join Tim Knotts   as he sheds some light on how parents and students can continue the journey together and meet the...

What's the best thing to do as you begin to homeschool?   Start your own library!   How to begin, what to include, when to share your books, where to keep all those books??   Listen as self-professed "Keeper of the Books" Jennifer Courtney shares about her own library and her journey to promote a culture of reading in all her communities.   Great inspiration AND practical suggestions abound.   CC...

You likely know all the academic reasons to study Latin alongside your kids; but, do you know the best one?   Listen this week as homeschool mom, Support Representative and Latin student Heatherly Sylvia offers some thought-provoking (and potentially convicting) reasons to study Latin alongside our children.     Celebrating together! Has your student or community done something noteworthy? We are...

Calling all families with questions about "dual enrollment" and the Challenge program!   You need to listen to this week's episode, as Daniel Shirley shares with Lisa the details of CC Plus and all its benefits for families.   Daniel offers counsel for assessing a student's readiness for concurrent enrollment, as well as ideas on how to get started with registration.   Whether you're thinking abou...

Take your family on a "road trip" this summer, between the pages of a book—or two!   Reading opens doors to strange new lands and wonderfully amazing experiences.   Reading together opens up worlds of possibilities for great conversations with those we love the most.   Our last Summer Book Club of the year shares stories from Africa.   Copper Lodge Library offers a collection of stories presented...

Reading can magically transport us to faraway places, introduce us to new people, and teach us new skills.   Reading is also a gateway to great conversations and exciting explorations.   In this week's episode, Lisa shares three stories from Exploring Insects with Uncle Paul and provides some great conversation starters and ideas for further family explorations.   Don't miss it!   (It's also a gre...

Do you need some suggestions for helping busy kids slow down long enough to enjoy read aloud time?   Here's an idea:   stay active!   There are lots of ways to enjoy a good story while you move.   Listen in this week as Lisa shows you how as she reads 3 more stories from Kings of Rome. Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at  copperlodgelibrary.com .

Settle back and spend some time chasing your imagination this summer-pick up a book!   Reading as a family draws us together and gives us something to savor.   Listen in this week as Lisa shares some stories from the Cycle 1 resource Ancient World Echoes.   She'll also offer some great tips on how to make the stories stay alive after the reading ends.   At Classical Conversations®, we believe that...

How do you feel about…spiders??   In Week 2 of our Summer Book Club, Lisa shares more tips on reading as a family, and offers more ideas for generating conversation and activity after you read.   Exploring Insects with Uncle Paul is our focus, and you'll love this introduction to the Copper Lodge Library selection that has a distinct Cycle 1 connection.   Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library...

Looking for some refreshment this summer?   Spend a little time reading aloud together as a family!   Listen in this week as Lisa shares three big benefits of reading as a family. Bonus?   Lisa reads aloud three stories from the Copper Lodge Library's Kings of Rome series (a perfect lead in to Cycle 1!!), AND offers some conversation tips for diving deeper into the story.  

Want to raise readers?   Surround your family with books!   This week's guest, Jennifer Courtney, offers simple ideas on how to whet your family's appetite for reading.   Listen for suggestions on how to build a family library as well as ideas on Cycle 1 "resources" to collect for next year.   CC parents, tutors, and Directors – are you looking to level up your skills in guiding and assessing your...

Everybody enjoys knowing the "inside story" of familiar things; listen in this week and discover the behind-the-scenes workings of CC's Copper Lodge Library.   You'll meet the editor, find out how those footnotes were created, and get a glimpse into what's available for your family.   Listen in as Lisa and Stephanie Meter discuss libraries (public and personal) and why reading as a family brings u...