Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling Mamas

In today’s episode, Brandy and Mystie discuss so many good things with special guest Ashley Woleben — what scholé is and how it relates to what the book A Mind for Numbers calls "diffuse mode learning," plus how to make scholé a part of your life. Ashley is always a very interesting person to talk to and we know you’ll love this episode. About Ashley Woleben: Ashley is a military wife and homeschooling mother to five. She obtained a BA concentrating on the fields of anthropology and classical studies and has completed her MA in humanities with a focus on Medieval theology and global literature. Focusing on philosophical anthropology, she is currently co-hosting The Classical Homeschool Podcast and blogging at Between the Linens. It's still not too late to join in next week's retreat! If you are listening to this episode the day is comes out, then the Scholé Sisters fall retreat is one week from TOMORROW! September 21st! We’re so excited! If you want to plan a local retreat for your group, click here to get more information or sign up. If you want to register as an individual, click here. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

It was something Wendi Capehart said at AmblesideOnline Camp during her talk that inspired this conversation. Mystie and Brandy are discussing why starting with heroes in a child's education is not white-washing, and why pointing out the darkness too young might backfire. Wendi Capehart from the AmblesideOnline Advisory board is a very busy lady, so we were thrilled when she — rightly dubbed "the smartest woman on the internet" by Cindy Rollins — agreed to a phone call with us this summer. Let us tell you a little about Wendi. Wendi and her husband Bill have been Christians since their teens. They married at 20 and have been married 37 years. They have seven terrific grown children, 4 stalwart sons-in-law, 14 unsurpassingly wonderful grandchildren, and have also helped raise their two perfectly delightful god-sons (as well as occasionally hosting Japanese exchange students and Ukrainian orphans). The Capeharts have lived all over, most recently in the Philippines for two years, where they served as missionaries with a Christian school in Davao City. In January they will be moving to Malaysia to the city of Kota Kinabalu where they will help establish a learning center, among other projects. Click here to look at their previous newsletters and subscribe to new ones. Wendi blogs at Wendi Wanders. She has published an e-zine called Education for All. The latest issue contains most of the material from her talk on Imagination at AO Camp, including the material and sources that had to be cut. Click here for more information. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to register for the retreat. Click here for more information on leading a retreat. Click here to join the Sistership. Click here to follow us on Instagram!

We are pleased to have Cindy Rollins back on the show today. Cindy homeschooled her nine children for over 30 years. She is co-host with Angelina Stanford of the popular Literary Life Podcast and curates the Over the Back Fence Newsletter. She is the author of some wonderful books. My favorite is Mere Motherhood: Morning Time, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification. The desire of Cindy’s heart is to encourage moms using Charlotte Mason’s timeless principles in the classical tradition. In today’s episode, the four of us are giving you a little peek at the content of the fall retreat. Our theme is Laughing Well and, as usual, we each have our own angle on the topic. You’ll find out why we chose the theme and the general ideas we intend to cover. If you are listening the day this episode releases, there is only ONE WEEK LEFT for Early Bird Registration. That’s right: Early-Bird registration ends on Friday, August 2nd. Just click here to register today! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy are talking all things Scholé Sisters fall retreat planning with Jenn Discher and Danielle Cyrus. Jenn and Danielle both hosted large retreats last year and have lots of great tips for you. Jenn Discher and her husband and three kids (ages 9, 7, and 4) live in North Georgia, outside of Atlanta. Jenn was a high school history teacher for six years before her oldest was born and she's homeschooled since the beginning. Regarding homeschool philosophy, Jenn relies heavily on Charlotte Mason’s ideas and the classical tradition, slowly growing in her understanding of both! Danielle Cyrus has been married to her husband, Grant, for 17 years. She lives in Willamette Valley, Oregon where she homeschools their three kids, ages 12, 10, and 8. Danielle and her family have always homeschooled, growing their understanding of the Classical tradition and the methods of Charlotte Mason as they go, always working out how they weave together. As you probably noticed, Early Bird Registration is now open for the Laughing Well Scholé Sisters fall online local retreats. Click here to register. Yes, this year’s theme is “laugh.” Please don’t think this means stand up comedy! This is about joy and levity and faith –and the heart of what it means to be at peace while we homeschool. It’s true: you can register and do the retreat all by yourself. A fair amount of people do that. But the retreat was designed to give local groups the opportunity to have a nice local retreat for themselves – a real all-day getaway – without lots of planning and logistics. Whether you’ve wanted to put together a local retreat but doubted your ability, or you’ve done one before but are looking for fresh ideas, this episode is for you. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

In today’s episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy finish up their conversation about Dorothy Sayers' essay, The Lost Tools of Learning, which began in Episode 49. In fact, if you haven’t listened to Episode 49, you really should do that first. Anyhow, in this episode the Scholé Sisters discuss and debate the trivium portion of the essay. It’s great fun you won’t want to miss. *** This episode is sponsored by The Scholé Sisters Sistership. Have you joined the Sistership yet? Our new-and-improved Sistership platform is the place for meaty and humorous conversation together, sharing your Scholé Everyday, and discussing ideas. Premier members get even more, with audio transcripts available for episodes, and, currently, a book club with Cindy Rollins! With four different levels, there is something for everyone at the Sistership. Click here to learn more. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy use part of CS Lewis’ book The Four Loves to discuss friendship – how Lewis defines it, if we womenfolk are capable of it, and how it’s different from other things like companionship and affection. We wrap up by applying this to … yes! … book clubs. We think you’ll love this. *** This episode is sponsored by Scholé Sisters Spring Training Sessions! If you are listening to this episode right when it comes out, one of these sessions already took place on Monday evening. The good news is there is still time to sign up! Eric Hall is leading us in three amazing sessions total that will help YOU get started with classical Christian education by thinking deeply about philosophy. You can easily catch up by simply signing in and watching the replay. These sessions take place the first three Monday evenings of May 2019 (and, yes, replays will be available). The first session answers the question Why Education? – Why do our children need to be educated in the first place? The second answers the question Why Classical? What makes classical education distinct from modern education? And the third session answers the question Why Christian? This last session will help you think deeply about the integration of faith and learning. Click here to register … unless of course you are a Sistership Premier member. If that is the case, your registration is included in Premier and you should have already received an email that explains how to attend the session. For the rest of you, I repeat: go register for these fabulous Spring Training Sessions before we close the doors! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

Eric Hall is back on the show with us today. We had rave reviews when he appeared in Episode 29 called I’m Not the Holy Spirit. So many of you wanted to hear more from him, but let us introduce again in case you haven't yet heard that episode. Eric Hall is an adjunct professor of English at Bakersfield College where he teaches writing and literature. Eric has a B.A. in English from the Master's College followed by graduate studies in theology at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and studies in rhetoric and philosophy at Clemson University. In keeping with his diverse interests in literature, theology, and philosophy, Eric aspires to integrate learning within the humanities to develop a deeper appreciation of how God may be encountered diversely in everything that is. In his spare time, Eric likes to rock climb and read St. Thomas Aquinas. Today’s conversation with Eric is perfect if you plan to attend his Spring Training Sessions, yes, but also perfect if you ever plan to read a book on educational philosophy. Brandy and Mystie talk with him about what philosophy really is and what are some best practices when it comes to studying it. You’ll love this discussion! *** This episode is sponsored by our very own Spring Training Sessions! Eric Hall will be leading us in these amazing three sessions that will help YOU get started with classical Christian education by thinking deeply about philosophy. These sessions take place the first three Monday evenings of May (yes replays will be available). The first session answers the question Why Education? Why do our children need to be educated in the first place? The second answers the question Why Classical? What really make classical education distinct from modern education? The third sessions answers the question Why Christian? This last session will help you think deeply about the integration of faith and learning. Registration is now open so click here to sign up unless of course you are a Sistership Premier member. In that case, your registration is included in Premier and you will receive an email that explains how to attend the sessions. For the rest of you, we repeat: click here to register for these amazing Spring Training Sessions. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to join the Sistership. Click here to follow us on Instagram!

Our guest on the show is Amanda Gauthier-Parker. Amanda is as a Christian, a wife, a mother, and a homeschooler. Her journey from John Holt unschooling to Charlotte Mason and classical education has taken its twists and turns, while always chasing truth, goodness and beauty, and the path God has set before her. This spring she will graduate her first of five children, and will have 15 more years of homeschooling ahead in which to keep learning and growing. She posts on Instagram as @truthgoodnessandbeauty. Today’s conversation is a little different from what we normally do, but we think you’ll enjoy hearing about classical education as a philosophical and life journey. How did our guest Amanda Gauthier-Parker move from unschooling to classical and Charlotte Mason? Listen in to find out! *** This episode is sponsored by The Literary Life Conference. Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford are veteran homeschool moms and experienced teachers who share a passion for books and a life shaped by books. They also have a heart for homeschool moms! In response to hearing moms express disappointment that they can never travel to hear them speak, Cindy and Angelina decided to bring the conference to the moms! Join Angelina Stanford and Cindy Rollins for an Online Conference exploring the Literary Life. Watch the conference from the convenience of your own home! And sessions are recorded and available to everyone who registers, so you can watch anytime -- even during naptime!  At only $29, you will be encouraged and inspired to cultivate a literary life for yourself and your family. The conference includes a talk from Cindy and a talk from Angelina and caps off with a discussion, where both speakers will respond to each other's talks and develop ideas further. Essentially, you will get to listen in on the conversations that Cindy and Angelina have at conferences behind the scenes.  Angelina says, "I always thought that the best part of a conference was when we would build on each other's talks and make new connections, but no one ever got to hear those moments. We decided in this conference to share that conversation with you." Click here for more information and to register. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

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/rancher, a loving wife and mom of five who homeschools … and reads whenever she can! *** This episode is sponsored by the Sistership. The Sistership is now a hopping place - with an app! - for conversation and camaraderie and even book clubs, both online and local. Our goal with the new-and-improved Sistership is to foster community not only with likeminded women online but also with your local ladies who might not always be so likeminded. We're all better for iron-sharpening-iron, and classical homeschool moms need to seek out dialectic that builds virtue by pushing us toward clarity and commitment. Click here to learn more -- we have membership options from free to premier and we'd love to have you. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!

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 platform we not only have meaty and humorous conversation, we also provide a safe and private spot for local groups to coordinate and converse about their meetings. Mystie and Brandy tell you more about the Sistership at the end of this episode. For now, click here to find out more! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to follow us on Instagram!