Kolbecast

AMDG.  The fundamental question of defining education is one of our favorite and most frequent topics.  Today, president and founder of the Cardinal Newman Society, Patrick Reilly, joins Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan to discuss education beyond the K-12 years.  Patrick proposes the idea of education as a window into God’s mind and explains how this perspective—along with a healthy dose of frustration...

AMDG.  The words “standardized testing” may induce anxiety in parents and students alike, but today’s episode is all about a calm and competent approach. Jon & Chris Bates join Bonnie, Steven, and Steven’s wife Maggie to speak with experience as both homeschool parents and academic advisors. The group discusses why and what to test, paper and online options, and the information that testing ca...

AMDG. Last week’s elementary school tour continues today with meeting two of Kolbe’s lower elementary teachers, Eileen Duryea and Sarah Lee.  These ladies share their expertise and enthusiasm for teaching Kindergarten through second grade students in Kolbe’s unique hybrid platform. They explain how limited online time and plentiful movement keep students physically and mentally engaged, how they f...

AMDG.  Tour the metaphorical halls of Kolbe’s elementary program today with teachers Sarah Foulkes, Anna Havens, and Emily Thibodeaux.  These ladies discuss with Bonnie and Steven the practicalities of the parent-teacher partnership that helps young students thrive.  From the hybrid combination of homeschooling and online education to the highlights of what the Kolbe elementary program is and is n...

AMDG.  What causes a learning disability or difficulty and how can we help a student exercise that part of their mind?  Margaret Walsh of Secret Garden Educational Pathways joins Bonnie and Steven today to discuss the Ignatian idea of cura personalis, or care of the whole person, in the context of special education.  Margaret shares how she draws on both her liberal arts degree from Thomas Aquinas...

AMDG.  A familiar voice rejoins Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan today: Bonnie’s sister Hope, originally one of the relaunched Kolbecast’s co-hosts and now a frequent behind-the-scenes collaborator.  As the quartet gathers in the space between the old year and the new, we hear about Jordan’s newly published book and Hope’s introduction to Kolbe, as well as the long slow road of conversion and the signif...

AMDG.  Four of Kolbe’s wisest guys—Jordan, Steven, Everett, and Don—gather for a virtual men’s night on this week’s episode.  Their discussion is one for the ages, spanning stories of childhood role models and adult cross-country moves before settling into a reflection on what strength is and isn’t.  With sacrificial love and the golden mean as their foundation, the gentlemen talk about virtues to...

AMDG.  Today Celeste Cuellar rejoins the Kolbecast to discuss non-college paths—trades, military service, religious life discernment, and more.  Celeste, Bonnie, and Steven muse on how God doesn’t require saints to have college degrees, how many of the activities and interests we’re drawn to indicate our paths, and how the preparation for life is indirect.  Along with these profound and accessible...

AMDG. With the arrival of a new liturgical year and the culmination of the first semester comes finals week. That prospect might provoke some trepidation, so we call upon four ladies who address that uneasiness with sage, pragmatic advice on all things finals. In this episode we meet the student officers and lead advisor of Kolbe’s newly-formed chapter of National Honor Society and hear how the or...

AMDG.  Today is all about minor victories--those day brightening graces and breaks in the clouds that give us reassurance and motivation on the homeschooling journey. And to celebrate our 75th episode since the Kolbecast relaunch, we wanted to celebrate you, our listeners! Bonnie, Steven, Brigid, and Lauren share their own minor victories as well as those sent in by parents, students, and teachers...

AMDG. Experienced dads Mike Drapeau and Greg Simia – each the father of eight children – join Jordan and Steven to talk about a father's contribution to the homeschooling dynamic. The group discusses roles as both support parent and primary homeschooling parent, the help dads can provide with things like cooking dinner and driving kids to activities, and ways for fathers to deepen their involvemen...

AMDG.  Early in the podcast comeback,  we talked with Kolbe drama teacher Dolores Mihaliak  about the timeless significance of dramatic arts and timely capabilities of technology.  Dolores rejoins Bonnie today to have a conversation about a new way to experience the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route in Spain which dates back to the days of the apostles.  Homeschool graduate and current Ave Ma...

AMDG. Kolbe history teachers Anne Angstenberger and Erin Anderson join Bonnie and Steven today on a discussion of civilization from the annals of ancient Greece to the halls of modern sorority houses. As the group takes a deep dive into Kolbe’s high school history curriculum, they explore our emphasis on developing the skills of looking at context, engaging with primary sources, and being able to...

AMDG. Plato once observed that true beauty is a healthy shock, and Kolbe's recently-debuted “Mary and Max” logo is a striking example of evocative illustration. Today Bonnie and Steven visit with the logo’s creator: Chris Lewis of  Baritus Catholic Illustration . Chris describes the symbolic connection of proclaiming and defending the truth through artistry; the idea of graphic design as both prob...

AMDG. We talk a lot on the podcast about the importance of eloquence for people regardless of whether they’re in the liberal arts, STEM, or other professions. With that in mind, writing is an important part of the Kolbe curriculum across subject areas in keeping with principles of Ignatian pedagogy that listeners can learn more about on the Kolbe blog (see below). So how do we develop that art on...

AMDG. The change in seasons brings a great time to stop and look at how things are going with the new school year. Today we do just that, with Bonnie and Steven joined by Everett Buyarski, Megan Lengyel, and Nicole O’Connor. The group discusses midterms season, organization for elementary schoolers, Kolbe’s new National Honor Society chapter and the service opportunities involved, the similarities...

AMDG. At this midpoint of the first semester, Steven and Bonnie seek the wisdom and guidance of Kolbe Academy’s deans Celeste Cuellar and Ashley Massey. From time management to adjusting expectations to executive function, these advisors offer advice for the both the forest and the trees plus perspective on how the hiccups, obstacles, and frustrations can work for the good of everyone in the famil...

AMDG.  We’re thrilled to introduce a new cast member/podcast co-host: Steven Hayden, Kolbe’s new Development Director.  Steven joins us with a voice of experience and a wealth of knowledge from experience in both the secular corporate world and the Catholic homeschool world.  He discusses a range of topics in this introductory episode with Jordan and Bonnie, such as the camaraderie and goals Kolbe...

AMDG.  The people who serve as Kolbe Academy administration and faculty are a dedicated, highly-skilled group of Catholics committed to the pursuit of holiness, which for them includes serving Kolbe families as advisors, instructors, and sounding boards. They also serve each other in a spirit of collegiality as fellow pilgrims on the path to heaven. In today’s episode Bonnie converses with Ashley...

AMDG. When we asked Kolbe students which of their teachers they’d most like to hear on the Kolbecast, Melissa Johnson was high on their list. Melissa joins us today to talk about what life looks like for her teaching middle and high school English while raising eight children. With equal parts humor and candor, she describes her background, her experience with the many personalities present in a l...

AMDG. Professor, teacher, and all-around wise person Dr. Carl Hasler is our featured guest today, along with our dear friend and Kolbe teacher Therese Prudlo. Together, they and Bonnie discuss the little moments that take us through life and the necessity of being open to God’s grace in them. Dr. Hasler shares his background from working in a record store and telling his parents he wanted to study...

AMDG.   Holy Heroes  founders Ken and Kerri Davison—themselves the parents of a Kolbe homeschooling family —join Bonnie and Jordan on this special episode of the Kolbecast released on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, September 8. The Davisons share wisdom on homeschooling while running a family business as well as on fostering strong, devout commitment to the sacraments and the saints. They dis...

AMDG.  Senior counsel with the Home School Legal Defense Association, Darren Jones, joins Bonnie today.  A litigation attorney and homeschool graduate himself, Mr. Jones helps HSLDA member families resolve legal difficulties related to homeschooling.  During the conversation, he describes four areas of HSLDA’s work: legal defense, consulting, legislative tracking, and charitable outreach. He also...

AMDG. There’s a lot going on in a person’s middle school years, and it takes a special teacher (or several) to inspire and guide this formative period. Kolbe middle school teachers Amanda Hayes and Alexandra Pischke are two of those experts, and they join Bonnie today to share their insights. Together, they discuss the developmental stages of middle school, the combination of childhood silliness a...

AMDG. High school is an epic transition, especially for Kolbe ninth graders. Current student Xavier joins Bonnie and Jordan today to share his insight on the trials and triumphs of freshman year. The group discusses the biggest changes between eighth and ninth grades, some of the time management and workload strategies Xavier has found success in, and how to tell when a teacher thinks a topic is i...