The Well-Trained Mind podcast

Join a heartfelt exploration of homeschooling through the eyes of its graduates. Listeners share cherished snowy day memories filled with cake doughnuts and creative projects. The conversation dives into hard family dynamics and the struggles of self-motivation in less-loved subjects. Discover the balance needed for a successful transition from homeschooling to traditional schooling. The hosts reflect on the significance of trusting your instincts amidst societal pressures and the evolving nature of education in a digital world.

In this episode, Susan, Susanna (and Susanna's teething one-year-old), interview Colleen Sharpe who went college for the first time after graduating two students from homeschool. Article by Colleen about her experience starting college at 55 years old. Research Susan Mentioned: A twenty-year study found that the amount of books available in a home had a bigger impact on a child's level of education than parent income, nationality, or parent level of education.  (00:00) - Intro with Colleen Sharpe (and another special guest!) (00:42) - How Colleen and Susan know each other (04:29) - Colleen's homeschooling journey (07:19) - Fears and worries (09:20) - A Susanna check-in (09:51) - Colleen's second act (16:45) - How is homeschooling in Canada? (19:14) - Break (19:15) - Evolutions that stand out (23:37) - "Staying steady by staying curious" (26:16) - The role of books (28:50) - Finding room for curiosities and hobbies (30:59) - Instilling wisdom (34:06) - Colleen brags (37:43) - Outro

Dr. Anika Prather, founder of The Living Water School, explores the intersections of classical education and the Black intellectual tradition. She challenges the notion of Eurocentrism, advocating for a more inclusive literary canon. Highlights include the relationship between classical education and diverse cultural narratives, and how various influences can enhance understanding of history. Prather dives into educational philosophy, pushing for empathy and recognizing the contributions of Black authors like Octavia Butler and James Baldwin.

CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions for a chance to be featured on the final episode of this season!In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Dr. Melanie Wilson who has her own podcast for homeschoolers, The Homeschool Sanity Show. She also sells curricula and homeschool tools at Fun to Learn Books. A book that inspired Melanie: A Field Guide to Homeschooling by Christine FieldThe Fly Lady website!  (00:00) - Intro with Dr. Melanie Wilson (00:35) - Melanie's history with homeschooling (03:16) - Melanie's call to homeschooling (13:09) - Setting expectations (15:18) - Habits, routines, and Fly Lady (28:11) - Break (28:12) - Back to the outline (28:24) - Changing styles (32:59) - Not losing yourself while homeschooling (40:22) - A pride point and sore point (45:43) - Outro

In this enlightening conversation, Rachel G., a homeschooling graduate and mother of three, shares her unique journey of raising children bilingually in Southeast Asia. She reflects on the joys and challenges of multilingual education and the importance of stability during relocations. Rachel discusses the impact of significant age gaps between siblings, emphasizing individual learning styles, and offers insights on evolving sibling dynamics. Her personal anecdotes highlight the rewarding yet chaotic reality of homeschooling, making it an inspiring listen for all educational journeys.

CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions!In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview three homeschool veteran moms who also happen to be members of our incredible customer service team here at The Well-Trained Mind Press!1. Kat discovered homeschooling through the writing of early homeschool thought leader John Holt. Check out his organization and books here.2. TedXTalk on renaming postpartum depression recommended by Susanna2. Articles on the loneliness of motherhood, recommended by Susan:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/21/it-felt-shameful-the-profound-loneliness-of-modern-motherhoodhttps://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/07/the-captivity-of-motherhood/398525/https://msmagazine.com/2023/05/11/motherhood-mom-lonely-mental-health/https://www.mother.ly/life/motherly-stories/motherhood-is-lonely/ (00:00) - Intro with the Customer Service team (03:29) - Discovery of Homeschooling (10:35) - Biggest homeschooling fears (15:17) - Keeping the fear at bay (22:19) - Break (22:20) - Homeschooling evolution (27:49) - Biggest challenge as a homeschool parent (39:21) - Homeschool pride (40:51) - Adapting curriculum (50:04) - One piece of advice (53:44) - Outro

On this episode, we have two guests, Nathan Otto and Shelby Otto. Nathan and Shelby are homeschool graduates who are both doing amazing work in the sciences. We talk about homeschooling and sibling relationships, community college, and pursuing passions that your parents (and educators) don't have expertise in.CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions for a chance to be featured on the final episode of this season!  (00:00) - Intro with Nathan and Shelby Otto! (03:16) - How the Ottos ended up in the Sciences (10:40) - The community college experience (13:40) - How homeschooling prepared for what came next (19:24) - Break (20:16) - Post-homeschool FOMO (28:35) - Haunted by misconceptions? (32:10) - Things that could've been done differently (35:17) - One thing they're thankful for from homeschooling

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Heather Quintero, an early homeschool graduate and homeschool veteran parent. Heather shares her inspiring, and sometimes hilarious, experiences and joins us for a discussion on the importance of allowing your children to fail. (00:00) - Intro with Heather Quintero (00:43) - Heather's homeschool history (14:45) - Journey from then to now (18:38) - Decision to homeschool her own kids (25:39) - Break (26:32) - Homeschool doesn't have to be to excel beyond in school education (37:37) - Regrets and things Heather would've done differently (46:04) - One piece of advice (48:37) - Outro

In this episode, we’re joined by Julie Bogart, author and creator of the Brave Writer curriculum. Julie shares laughter, insights, and hard-won wisdom from her years of homeschooling five children.Find Julie Bogart's curriculum at bravewriter.com and her author website at juliebogartwriter.com. Check out her latest book: Help! My Kid Hates Writing: How to Turn Struggling Students into Brave Writers! And if you enjoyed this conversation, check out The Brave Writer Podcast—we highly recommend it!  (00:00) - Intro with Julie Bogart (00:55) - Julie's history with homeschool (03:05) - Julie's first encounter with homeschooling (07:01) - Fears before starting (09:13) - Choosing an ideal method over time (15:43) - What "being flexible" looks like (28:43) - Break (29:52) - Being in the thick of it (41:58) - Looking back on the journey (48:21) - Julie's new book! (50:53) - Outro

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Susan’s son, Chris Bauer, for the inside scoop on what it was like to be homeschooled by the author of The Well-Trained Mind. As promised, here is the "Daniel fingers!" blog post Chris mentions. At 50:53 Susan mentions her history growing up in a fundamentalist cult, for more on her story check out Season 1, Episode 1: Our Education Journeys, or Season 4, Episode 1: Honest Reflections on My Homeschool Experience w. Susan Wise Bauer  (00:00) - Intro with Chris (Christopher) Bauer (01:25) - Chris was the test case (02:52) - Who is Chris? (09:45) - Chris' homeschool experience in 3 words | Consistent, flexible, and varied (10:30) - Earliest homeschool memories (16:23) - Typical homeschool days (23:51) - Susan invites negativity (27:07) - The rest of Chris' homeschool day (30:19) - Break (30:21) - Chris' biggest challenges (34:05) - How homeschooling shaped Chris' life (39:17) - Beta testing WTM (45:32) - What would Chris change? (47:00) - What Chris is passionate about (48:03) - Definite do and don't for Chris' hypothetical future children (52:04) - Outro