Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling Mamas

Brandy Vencel, Mystie Winckler, and Abby Wahl
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Aug 8, 2025 • 44min

SS 160: We Did a Thing (Announcing Our Book!!)

In today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy are announcing a secret project they've been working on for over a year. It’s pretty exciting!! *** Don’t forget to register for our annual online local retreat! There are many possibilities: watch live in the comfort of your home and get access to our zoom room discussion groups for fruitful interaction, or host an in-person local group and enjoy discussion in real life with women from your local community. Either way, you’ll find this year’s topic inspiring! Just go to scholesisters.com/curriculum to register. *** The expected release date for Scholé Every Day is November 25th. That’s right! It’s just in time for Black Friday and Christmas gifts! Get on the waiting list and receive the first chapter free right now! Just go to scholesisters.com/book! *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Jul 25, 2025 • 1h 4min

SS #159: Curriculum Is More Than Something You Buy

In today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy are geeking out about curriculum, which is the topic of this year’s annual retreat. Did you know? Curriculum is something you buy, and also something you can’t buy. You’re going to love this conversation! *** Today is the day! We are opening early bird registration for our annual online local retreat. This retreat is one of our favorite things in the whole world. There are many possibilities: watch live in the comfort of your home and get access to zoom room discussion groups for fruitful interaction, or host an in-person local group and enjoy discussion in real life with women from your local community. Either way, you’ll find this year’s topic inspiring! Just go to scholesisters.com/curriculum to register. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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May 23, 2025 • 1h 15min

SS #158: Postmodernism Wants Your Kids

In today’s episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy explain exactly why they chose this topic for the 2025 Spring Training Sessions and why they think it’s important for us to prepare our kids for the world we’re launching them into. You’re going to love this conversation! *** The annual Scholé Sisters Spring Training just happened, and replays are now available! Dr. Glenn Sunshine did a great job teaching us about the disenchantment and renchantment of the world around us. Coming up on Tuesday, June 4th at noon Pacific, we are having a live meetup to discuss what we learned from Spring Training.  Our annual Spring Training is always included in the Sophie level Sistership membership. Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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May 9, 2025 • 1h 14min

SS #157: Reward Systems in Sunday School?

In today’s episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Abby revisit the topic of rewards and prize systems – specifically what to do when one is implemented at church. This was a chance to try and apply our principles to a real life situation where we don’t want to be perfectionists and we DO want to be peacemakers. You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time! Our annual spring training is coming up in just a couple weeks and you do NOT want to miss it! Dr. Glenn Sunshine will talk with us about the Resurrection of the Enchanted World. In session 1, Dr. Sunshine will explain how the world was disenchanted – how we lost a supernatural worldview. In session 2, Dr. Sunshine will describe how the world is being reenchanted (whether we like how that’s happening or not) and what the Bible has to say about it all.  Our annual Spring Training is always included in the Sophie level Sistership membership. Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Apr 25, 2025 • 1h 22min

SS #156: Wonderfully Inconvenient Motherhood (with JoAnn Hallum!!)

Our guest today is JoAnn Hallum! JoAnn is a first-generation homeschooler from the Central Valley of California who has been teaching her four boys for about 10 years. She loves to read and to tell people at parties they should read Charles Dickens. With a fine art degree in Printmaking, she discovered she loved writing when she became a stay-at-home mom. She now writes on Substack and Instagram, and sometimes Commonplace Quarterly. Her extracurricular activities include serving on the board for her local Youth Orchestra, hosting a local Nature Club, and hunting for used books. You can find her as funnyostrich on Instagram or under her name, JoAnnHallum, on Substack. In today’s conversation, Abby, JoAnn, and Brandy talk about the inconveniences of mothering teenagers and what a wonderful blessing it is. You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time! Our annual spring training is coming up in just a few weeks and you do NOT want to miss this! We are having Dr. Glenn Sunshine on to talk with us about the Resurrection of the Enchanted World. In session 1, Dr. Sunshine will talk about how the world was disenchanted –how we lost a supernatural worldview. In session 2, Dr. Sunshine will talk about how the world is being reenchanted (whether we like how that’s happening or not) and what the Bible has to say about it all.  Our annual Spring Training is always included in the Sophie level Sistership membership. Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Apr 11, 2025 • 1h 12min

SS #155: Improving Conversation

Today’s episode is a discussion about conversation. Or maybe it’s a conversation about discussion?? No matter, the point is that Isaac Watts has some helpful advice for us if we want to have fruitful interactions with others. You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! Next week, we’re hosting a live workshop with Elsie Iudicello on a white board tool called Closing Board that is as scrappy as homeschool can get – it’s the tool you never knew you needed. To attend the workshop, and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Mar 28, 2025 • 1h 10min

SS #154: Discussion is Part of a Classical Education (with Everett Vencel!!)

Our guest today is Brandy's son, Everett Vencel. Everett recently graduated from New College Franklin and now works as an audiovisual engineer at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church and as a personal assistant to the owner of a water heater company. In his spare time, he reads anything he can get his hands on and is studying Information technology. He and his wife, Emily, are expecting their first baby in June. Today’s conversation is all about DISCUSSION. What place (if any) should it have in a classical education? What are some common objections to using discussion in the classroom? You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Mar 14, 2025 • 1h 14min

SS #153: You Probably Think This Episode is About You

Today’s conversation is a discussion about the vice of vainglory. The sisters have been reading a book by Rebecca DeYoung called Vainglory: The Forgotten Vice and it’s so good! You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.
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Feb 28, 2025 • 1h 43min

SS #152: Freedom Isn't Free (with Lauren Scott!!)

Our guest today is Lauren Scott! Lauren and her husband Nathaniel, a second generation homeschool dad, have enjoyed home educating their two sons from babyhood to the teen years. Lauren holds a degree in history, is a leader in her local homeschool community, and often finds herself vacillating between “brown thumb” and “crazy plant lady” when caring for her large flower and vegetable garden. You can find her writing at keptandkeeping.com , where she encourages Christian women to Rest in Grace and Labor in Love. Today, Lauren, Mystie and Brandy discuss the school choice issue, consequences of government involvement in private education, and principles YOU can use to judge programs like these. We chose this topic months and months ago and had no idea how timely it would be. You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.  
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Feb 14, 2025 • 1h 12min

SS 151: Death of the Scrappy Homeschooler

Welcome to Season 26 of Scholé Sisters! At the risk of sound like grumpy old ladies, we are kicking off this season with a conversation about homeschool history and how you can tap in to some of homeschool culture’s strengths. You’re going to love this conversation! *** If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! Our 2025 book clubs are underway and they are fantastic! Modern Times, Norms and Nobility, Bleak House, and more! There is something for everyone. And in March, Abby, along with Jami Marstall, will be teaching a workshop on leading homeschool co-op classes that you do NOT want to miss. To join us, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.

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