Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling Mamas

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...

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! *** This episode is sponsored by the Sistership . Have you joined the Sistership yet? On our new-and-improved Sistership...

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?? *** 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?...

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 ha...

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. *** 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...

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. *** This episode is sponsored by  Start Here , the definitive...

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...

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

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! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where...

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! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to register for the Learn...

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...

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 Si...

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

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...

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! *** Click here to get the show notes for toda...

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. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** 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 t...

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...

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...

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

Welcome to SEASON FIVE of Scholé Sisters! Mystie and Brandy are kicking this season off right with the one and only Cindy Rollins. Today's discussion centers on the idea of being impervious. We discuss not allowing "things" to get to us, absorbing emotion, self-control, menopause (gulp), and more! This is a conversation you don't want to miss. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episo...

Today, the Scholé Sisters get real about Christmas. Mystie says we can be classical not just in our approach to education, but also in our approach to happiness. Does the classical tradition have something to offer us at Christmas as well? We talk about depression and grief, yes, but also bad attitudes and dangerous expectations, all in an attempt to encourage all of us toward a better Christmas....

This episode is a something of a bonus for those of you who attended our Leading Well retreat this past summer. If you DIDN'T attend the retreat, we think you'll still enjoy the episode. But more importantly, a lot of you have asked if we offer replays of the retreat for those who missed it, or didn't know about it at the time. Starting TODAY, the answer to that question is a resounding YES! So –...

Have you ever tried to sort out the tension between God's grace and our pursuit of virtue? Is virtue ultimately a free gift of grace? And, if so, how can we say it is the goal of Christian education? If virtue IS our goal, how do we impart it? How do we test it? And is there a danger in homeschooling when it comes to virtue tests? And what if we fail? What if everything we've done isn't enough? To...

The third and final episode in our series on education as an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life, today's discussion is all about LIFE. What is meant by "education is a life?" How do we procure this life for ourselves and our children? We manage to dip into Vittorino da Feltre, Plato, Quintillian, Cicero and MORE -- don't miss it! BONUS: Scroll down to the bottom of the show notes to get a downlo...

"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life." Today, in the second of our three-part series, we're discussing education as a discipline. What do we mean by discipline? How do we use it as a tool of education? The Scholé Sisters get real about this topic. BONUS: Scroll down to the bottom of the show notes to get a downloadable Atmosphere Audit to help you put these ideas into action in yo...