The Well-Trained Mind podcast

In this short bonus episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett talk to one of our amazing listeners, Kim! Kim shares an important personal story and a correction to our previous statement about IQ testing.  Where to find Kim:  Blog: www.kimrankin.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoldMyWords Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holdmywords/

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett are joined by Dr. Julia Collier and Sandra Amoroso from the Well-Trained Mind Academy to talk all things standardized testing.  Show Notes:  Resources for end-of-year testing:  Seton Testing Susan’s book: Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education Yearly Testing: How to Do It by Susan Wise Bauer Resources for SAT and ACT Te...

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett are joined by Well-Trained Mind Press editor Justin Moore to talk through the quirkier questions we receive at Well-Trained Mind Press.  Justin’s movie recommendation: The Magnificent Seven (the 1960 version!)  Resources for Planning your own Homeschool Plan:  Well-Trained Mind Recommendations Portal  Well-Trained Mind Learning Services  FAQ an...

Julie Bogart’s Books:  The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning and Life Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age Becoming a Critical Thinker: A Workbook to Help Students Think Well in the Age of Disinformation  Julie’s Secular Devotionals: A Gracious Space  Julie’s Other Reading Recommendations:  How to Really Love Your Child by...

Be encouraged! Nobody gets it right all the time. In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett share hilarious homeschool "fails" from our wonderful listeners. Click here for a link to our Facebook Post with more homeschool fails (some have pictures)! On this episode of the podcast we briefly discuss Hurricane Helene. If you are able and willing to support ongoing disaster relief efforts,...

Technology Reading List:  Marshall McLuhan The Medium is the Message The Global Village The Gutenberg Galaxy Understanding Media  Neil Postman  Amusing Ourselves to Death  Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology Ray Kurzwell The Age of Spirtual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence Kirkpatrick Sale Rebels Against The Future: The Luddites And Their War On The Industrial Revo...

Jean Lee’s website and Instagram Midwest Homeshool Expo Tell us about your funniest homeschool fail: https://www.speakpipe.com/MoreHomeschoolFails . We may feature it in an upcoming episode! Or email your homeschool fail to us at podcast@welltrainedmind.com.  (00:00) - Intro with Jean Lee (01:52) - Faith-based vs. secular homeschool education (12:02) - Other secular curricula (19:33) - Break (19:3...

Interview with WaPo Journalist Peter Jamison: NPR Fresh Air: Homeschooling is surging, but lax regulation can leave kids vulnerable to abuse, January 18th, 2024 The Report Susanna Mentioned: Report on Mathew Tirado  Learn about becoming a Guardian Ad Litem or Child Appointed Special Advocate in Your State  Tell us about your funniest homeschool fail! We may feature it in an upcoming episode!  http...

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett debunk some of the most popular myths about how the brain works. If you take a sip of coffee every time Susanna says “pigeon-hole” throughout this episode, you will end up well caffeinated for the day!  We encourage you to look up these neuromyths on your own! Below are just a few articles (and a video) to start your research:  Show Notes:  Res...

Guiding Principles:   Gretchen Ronnevik Quote We LOVE:  “When I taught classical writing to teens, there's an element to formal rhetoric called "refutation" where you address the arguments opposed to your thesis. In refutation, it's important to present the arguments of your opponents in a way that they would feel well represented, so that you can talk about where they are wrong in their argument,...

Here is a link to the standarized test that Susan recommended for students coming into classical education or homeschooling “late”:  California Achievement Test (CAT) (00:00) - Intro (00:55) - Reaction to WTM not being "classical enough"? (06:21) - How to teach several ages at once? (14:48) - Logistics of simultaneous at-home and in-school education (21:02) - How to keep the energy up after gradua...

Here are all the curricula we talk about in the episode, so you can check them out for yourself: Elemental Science  Real Science Odyssey  Nancy Larson Science  Blossom and Root  Scientific Connections Through Inquiry Online Courses/ Well-Trained Mind Academy Elemental Science (CK12)  Build Your Library  CK12 Foundation Centripetal Science  (00:00) - Intro with Courtney Ostaff (01:17) - The goals o...

What About Socialization? Via Well-Trained Mind VIDEO: Should I Join a Homeschool Co-Op?  Recommended Book: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Susan's Book: Rethinking School  (00:00) - Intro (01:44) - How to prepare for the Outside Gaze (03:27) - Peer pressure when homeschooling (13:06) - What is your "Why"? (22:05) - Homeschooling groups and co-ops (32:18) - What about socialization? (47:17) - St...

Check out Kate Snow's Website: https://kateshomeschoolmath.com/ ! You can purchase Kate's curricula, Math with Confidence and Facts that Stick on our website, welltrainedmind.com.  (00:00) - Check out 4th Grade Math with Confidence! (00:25) - Intro with Kate Snow (02:28) - Kate's background (06:30) - The problems with math curriculum (12:23) - Ripping apart Saxon (15:34) - Conceptual math vs proce...

Summary: In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss how a classical education prepares students for university education and what adjustments may need to be made to ensure your student is a competitive applicant. Show Notes:  Recommendations for transcript creators  A Sample High School Transcript Assigning High School Credit Hours by Susan Wise Bauer Tests We Discuss:  SAT webs...

ANNOUNCEMENT: We will record a Q&A episode at the end of this season. If you have questions for Susan or Susanna, send them to podcast@welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Intro (01:25) - Defining "burnout" (06:02) - Burnout is normal (15:19) - When to ask for help (18:43) - Susan's story of burnout (21:34) - Break (21:37) - Dealing with burnout (31:08) - What to do next (47:52) - Outro

Clarification on online class types: Live = Students attend video call classes at a set time. During class they can interact with their instructor and peers. They may complete additional coursework on their own, but must submit it by a particular deadline.  Asynch = Students watch video instruction on their own. There are no set meeting times. They may or may not have deadlines for coursework.  De...

German: Goethe Institute  Spanish: Instituto Cervantes French:  Alliance Francaise  Well-Trained Mind Academy Beth Gibbons – singing Penderecki/Gorecki Symphony #3 ANNOUNCEMENT: We will record a Q&A episode at the end of this season. If you have questions for Susan or Susanna, send them to podcast@welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Intro with Elizabeth Weber-Edwards (01:59) - A brief introduction...

Show notes:  What is History? How andWhy Should I Teach It by Susan Wise Bauer  Why Learn History When it’s Already on Your Phone? By Sam Wineburg  Sam Wineburg for CBS  Research on middle schoolers ability to interpret information on the internet A helpful introduction to teaching historical thinking skills Resources for Teaching History:  The Big History Project (skills taught: contextualization...

Summary: In this episode, Susan and Susanna discuss their thoughts on teaching children’s literature, particularly older books that have problematic or insensitive content.  Show Notes:  Articles We Reference:  Are some children’s classics unsuitable for kids? The Guardian American Indians in Children’s Literature Web Page by Debbie Reese  Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story Booklists and Resou...

Summary: In this episode, Susan and Susanna are joined by Julie Bogart, the founder of the Brave Writer program. Susan and Julie compare their different approaches to teaching writing and discuss which approach might work best for different types of students.  Show Notes:  Writing With Ease  Brave Writer  Julie Bogart’s Books:  The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning and...

In this episode, Susan and Susanna discuss Susan’s classical approach to teaching writing across all three stages of a classical education. Apologies, Susanna’s audio was a bit messed up in this episode!  Show Notes:  The Current State of Writing Instruction Susan’s Youtube video on teaching writing: Teaching Writing, Stage by Stage A Plan for Teaching Writing: Grades K-12, Audio Workshop The Comp...

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In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss creating a positive learning environment for young children, before formal education begins.  Our Top Recommendations for Preschool Curricula:  Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow  The Toddler Busy Book by Trish Kuffner  Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood by Pam Schiller and Patt Phipps (00:00) - Intro (00:14) - Welcome to Se...

The Marshmallow Experiment Timecodes: (00:00) - Intro (00:35) - Susan's issues with "teaching virtue" (06:18) - The four cardinal virtues of classical education | Temperance, Prudence, Courage, and Justice (06:56) - Temperance: The practice of self-control (16:00) - Prudence: The ability to determine the appropriate course of action in a given situation (23:05) - Courage: Moving forward without kn...