Kolbecast

AMDG.  The one area of life where gravity doesn’t quite apply is head knowledge and heart knowledge—in formation, even for young children, the heart is the most important piece.  Today Joan Claire FitzPatrick, Jamie Leatherby, and Michelle Kim join Bonnie and Steven to discuss how Catechesis of the Good Shepherd uses beauty and child-led engagement to bring children to God.  The ladies explain how...

AMDG.  What do jazz music, Thomas Aquinas, and Nietzsche have in common?  Listen to this week’s episode and find out as Dr. Carl Hasler and current Kolbe students Hannah, Luke, and Teresa talk with Bonnie and Jordan about Kolbe’s philosophy course and club.  They share their insights on why the philosophy course and club are worthwhile even though philosophy is woven throughout Kolbe’s history, li...

AMDG.  If you’re a hesitant homeschooler or unconvinced parent considering homeschooling, put this episode at the top of your playlist.  Today Cathy and Nicolai Lund—parents of two Kolbe alumnae and one current Kolbe high schooler—join Bonnie and Steven to share their experience with candor, humor, and encouragement.  They share their rough start: how Cathy felt unequipped, how Nicolai undermined...

AMDG.  We’ve talked before about the distinction between learning theology as a school subject and learning to be a faithful Catholic in our current world.  We explore this concept in greater nuance on today’s episode as Chrissy Almanzar and Nicholas Senz discuss Kolbe’s new world religions course, which surveys religions from Hinduism to Shintoism to the Abrahamic faiths and more.  Chrissy and Ni...

AMDG. The longings put there in your heart are meant to lead you to your personal vocation. That can be easier said than lived, though, right? Today Adam and Pamela Castor join Bonnie and Steven to discuss vocations and discernment in an approachable, pragmatic conversation. The Castors share their thoughts and guidance on bringing the faith alive at home, how family life is the church in miniatur...

AMDG.  Science is a body of knowledge that’s constantly in flux, and students and parents alike may approach science—especially in the upper grades—with misconceptions or concerns.  Today, Kolbe science teachers Elizabeth Hoxie, Katie Bradley, and Ann Still join Bonnie and Steven to discuss how science does not need to be watered down or diluted to be palatable to Catholics.  Our guests share thei...

AMDG.  We’ve talked before about the importance of the physical spaces where homeschooling and general life happen.  Today, Jonathan Conrad of The Catholic Woodworker joins Bonnie and Steven to discuss the benefits of surrounding ourselves with physical, beautiful sacramentals to remind us of who we are, who God is, what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it.  Jonathan shares some of his background...

AMDG. As enrollment season arrives, we’re taking a look at the opportunities Kolbe Academy middle and high school students have to take homeroom, a course that’s come a long way since it was first offered and now combines opportunities for academic support, community, and personalized guidance from Kolbe’s devoted, resourceful teachers. This episode features four of those marvelous homeroom instru...

AMDG.  To flourish as a human being is to think well, love well, discern well, work well with others, and so much more.  Today, Magdalen College president Dr. Ryan Messmore joins Bonnie and Steven to discuss how Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in Warner, New Hampshire, provides an atmosphere where every day is designed to shape young people to do just that.  Dr. Messmore describes the blend o...

AMDG. Our Life after Kolbe series continues as Steven and Bonnie hear from Mark Knox, campus minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, Texas; Monica Conrow, a Kolbe homeschooling mom and youth minister in Oregon; and Elise Athman, another Kolbe mom and former FOCUS missionary, about the vibrant Catholic student ministries on a growing number of state and secular campuses. In the s...

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...