The Well-Trained Mind podcast

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 Season 2! (plus a little Season 1 recap) (00:43) - The Nuts and Bolts of Classical Education (01:28) - What Classical Education looks like before the grammar stage (06:50) - The preschool years at a brain development level (09:15) - The preschool years at a physical development level (11:40) - Laying out some basic principles (11:50) - Don't push into formal education activities (12:44) - Create and environment for reading, math, and thinking (21:27) - If your child does want to do school (24:24) - How to create a learning environment (24:58) - Don't confuse entertainment with education (27:50) - Encourage drawing counter-clockwise circles (29:15) - Incorporate counting into everyday life (31:16) - Talk! (and listen!) (34:21) - Read read read! (38:23) - What your kid should know before 1st grade (42:31) - Outro

The podcast discusses the challenges of teaching virtue, explores the four cardinal virtues of classical education - temperance, prudence, courage, and justice, and emphasizes the importance of developing virtue in children. It also touches upon the role of parenting in character development and the impact of modeling behavior. The podcast concludes with a discussion on creating a safe environment for middle school students and the limits of teaching virtue.

Show notes: Rethinking School by Susan Wise Bauer How to Homeschool the Kids You Have – the book Courtney co-authored Courtney’s Podcast: Modern Classical Education Podcast (name recently changed to Kitchen Table Homeschool Podcast) The Well-Trained Mind Forums Study mentioned in the Episode: The Baseball Study (1988) Summary of The Baseball StudyFurther Reading: WWE and students with Dyslexia/DysgraphiaSentence diagramming with dysgraphiaTimestamps

Summary: In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett chat with Keith Nix, the Head of School for Veritas School in Richmond, VA. They discuss the differences between classical education in a home school setting versus a school setting as well as the challenges of making classical education accessible to all students. Show notes: Veritas School Website Potential Questions to Ask Before Enrolling in a Classical School: How do you adapt for students who come in at different levels or are on different developmental paths? What are your strategies? How do you ensure that students are known by their teachers and by your administrators? Can we talk to a family or two who were new here last year? How can I afford this school? What is your financial model? How often can kids go outside? Do teachers have power to create breaks? (particularly for younger children)What is the philosophy of discipline? What is the emphasis on athletics? How much attention are you giving to the arts? What are your aspirations for the future? What are your faculty attrition rates? What are your student attrition rates? How does the governance of the school function? How does the board of the school relate to the head of school? Who is on the board? How many are related to the founder? What is your philosophy around grading? Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro (02:38) - Pros and challenges of classical education at home vs in an institutional setting (21:50) - How to make classical education more accessible to more families (32:57) - How do non-traditional schools help with growing classical education (39:50) - Red flags to look out for when finding a classical school (48:29) - Questions to ask when you visit a classical education institution (53:38) - One last question (55:10) - Outro AND ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Show notes: Dr. Prather’s WebsiteDr. Anika's Suggested Authors to Include in Your Study of the Cannon: Octavia Butler Anna Julia Cooper James Baldwin Martin Luther King Corretta Scott King Ralph EllisonRichard Wright Alain Locke Langston Hughes Carter G. Woodson Other Harlem Renaissance Author Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro with Dr. Anika Prather (02:22) - Is there Eurocentrism in classical education? (09:01) - Finding a better word than "eurocentrism" (12:33) - Marxist philosophy in classical education (15:42) - How to get to synthesis (38:58) - Classical education is understanding the human condition (43:02) - Wrapping up (43:21) - Outro

Show Notes: More on Charlotte Mason: Susan's Article on Classical Education and Charlotte MasonMore on Unit Studies: Susan's Article on Unit StudiesMore on Unschooling: Unschoolers.org More on Montessori: American Montessori Society or Association Montessori Internationale \Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro (01:10) - Charlotte Mason compared to classical education (13:46) - Unit studies compared to classical education (23:09) - Montessori compared to classical education (33:35) - Unschooling compared to classical education (43:39) - Liberal arts compared to classical education (46:03) - Our *second* favorite approaches to education (47:41) - Outro

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 TranscriptAssigning High School Credit Hours by Susan Wise BauerTests We Discuss: SAT website ACT website CLT exam AP examsCLEP examsTimestamps:(00:00) - Intro (01:05) - Starting off with a piece of advice (04:13) - Preparing for college at the rhetoric stage (10:31) - Seven tips (and a bonus!) for making the transition to college (11:02) - Tip #1: Identify a range of potential colleges (12:23) - Tip #2: Get credits on a transcript (28:00) - Tip #3: Practice receiving instruction from multiple sources (32:35) - Tip #4: Decide whether to take standardized tests (39:30) - Tip #5: Look into achievement based testing (45:36) - Tip #6: Get used to using a checklist and planner (49:19) - Tip #7: Start collecting letters of recommendation (51:35) - BONUS!: How to align classical courses to a high school transcript (57:15) - Outro

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss one of the most important, albeit misunderstood, elements of a classical education: modeling and copying. Show Notes: "In Defense of Memorization" by Michael Knox BeranVia Forbes “Why Memorizing Stuff Can be Good for You” (00:00) - Intro (00:52) - Modeling, copying and how we learn (07:31) - Copying and modeling in the writing stage (25:07) - Copying and modeling in the rhetoric stage (30:52) - Quick sidenote! (32:37) - Memorization in the educational process (40:49) - Debunking misconceptions about memorization (41:08) - Misconception #1: Memorization is opposed to critical thinking (44:13) - Misconception #2: People forget what they memorize (45:38) - Misconception #3: Memorization is will kill a love for learning (48:54) - Putting Susanna on the spot (51:37) - Outro

Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss the politicization of classical education and its future. They explore the historical roots, challenges, and successes of classical education. The podcast also delves into the political influence of a Christian liberal arts college and the misconceptions surrounding classical education and charter schools.

Susan Wise Bauer, an expert in classical education, and Susanna Jarrett explore the historical foundations of classical education from ancient Greece and Rome, the impact of the printing press, engaging children with history, and the evolution of classical education in the United States. They discuss challenges in student learning environments and the resurgence of classical education influenced by Charlotte Mason, Maria Montessori, and Dorothy Sayers.