Shows
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPostmodernism Wants Your KidsIn 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 discus...2025-05-231h 15
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasReward 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 t...2025-05-091h 14
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDiscussion 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 cl...2025-03-281h 10
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasFreedom 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 governme...2025-02-281h 42
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling Mamas'Tis the Season of Joyful SacrificeToday’s episode is our annual Christmas episode! Mystie, Abby, and Brandy are discussing one of their favorite Christmas books, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston. You’re going to love this conversation! *** It’s time for the Sophie Christmas gift! Every year, we give a little something to our Sophie members to say thank you and offer them a bit of encouragement. This year, we’re having we’re having Heather Lloyd from Concordis Education give her excellent talk "Culturing Olive Trees: Families that Bear Fruit." Mystie and Abby predict that you a...2024-12-131h 17
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDe-Institutionalizing School (featuring Heather Olsson!!)Our special guest today is Heather Olsson! Heather is wife to Dr. Phil Olsson, mother to seven, and Mimi to 14 grandchildren. She educated her children at home for 20 plus years. The Olsson family moved in 2020 from Green Bay, WI to Moscow, Idaho, where Heather has taught and been a Dean at The Jubilee School. She just began her second year as Head of School at Jubilee and also trains teachers through Concordis Education Partners. In today’s episode, Heather teaches Mystie and Brandy about Prussian education and how many of our so-called classical forms are coming from th...2024-11-081h 19
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasEducation — Training Religious HabitsToday’s episode is the fourth and final in our series exploring Charlotte Mason‘s chapters on habits from her book School Education and so Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss one of the most off-limits topics: religion. You’re going to love this conversation! *** The live kickoff for our newest Scholé Sisters Mentorship will take place on Friday, October 18th at 1:30 PM Pacific. Our mentorships are for Sophie level Sistership members. However, our kickoff is for everyone, even those of you on our free plan! If you are not yet in the Sistership but want to part...2024-10-111h 23
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWhy Latin? (with Angela Reed!!)Today’s guest is Latin teacher extraordinaire, Angela Reed! Angela has been a student of lingua Latina and classical civilization for over twenty-five years. She started on this path in high school when she took her first Latin class and, for extra credit, joined the Latin club. Angela has been enthusiastically carrying a classical torch ever since. When she first encountered the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, it was not long before she began to study how Latin fit within it. This research led to some surprising insights, experimentation in the classroom, and a new direction for her teaching: Li...2024-09-271h 10
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDe-stress With Natural ConsequencesIn today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss the idea of natural consequences with a perspective shift that can really de-stress your motherhood. You’re going to love this conversation! *** Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is attention, because without attention, we cannot learn. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you all! Go to scholesisters.com/attention and register today! *** Click here to access today...2024-09-131h 22
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasIf You Build It, Moms Will ComeIn today's episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy dig into the history of the Scholé Sisters annual retreat, giving you a behind-the-scenes glance at our decision making that we've never shared before. *** Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is ATTENTION, because without attention, you cannot LEARN. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you! You can grab a hostess kit or individual registration by going to scholesisters.com/attention. ***...2024-08-0259 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasAttention is a Homeschool EssentialIn today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss ATTENTION, because it’s the topic of the 2024 Scholé Sisters retreat. They do this using a chapter on solitude from AG Sertillanges’ book The Intellectual Life. You’re going to love this conversation! *** Are you ready for our annual Homeschool Essentials retreat?? This year’s topic is ATTENTION, because without attention, you cannot learn. Join us LIVE on October 5, 2024 for a full day of refreshment as we look deeply into this topic. We cannot wait to spend time with you all! Early bird registration is open now and onl...2024-07-191h 07
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRaising Children Who Love to LearnIn today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss what it means when we say we want to raise kids who love to learn. What are the implication of this goal? Does it affect how we teach? You’re going to love this conversation! *** It’s not too late to catch the replays of our annual Spring Training Sessions! The second session was just on MONDAY! Our coach this year was Andrew Zwerneman from Cana Academy. Andrew taught two sessions on history. The first session gave us a classical view of history. The second session propos...2024-05-171h 02
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRewards and MotivationIn today’s episode Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss rewards and how to connect them to intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. *** Don’t forget to register for our annual Spring Training Sessions! This is happening SOON! Our coach this year is Andrew Zwerneman from Cana Academy. Andrew is going to teach two sessions on history. The first session will help us get away from Marxism and adopt a classical view of history. The second session will propose a method for teaching history. It’s going to be so great! To register just go to scholesisters.com/hi...2024-05-031h 24
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasA Classical College Education (with Andy Patton!!)Our guest today is Andy Patton. Andy Patton has held various roles in healthcare technology and venture capital. As an entrepreneur in the healthcare space, he built and successfully exited his first company. He has also started and currently owns a company in the construction industry. Before going into business, Mr. Patton spent his early career as a high school teacher of Latin, Greek, music, and math. He joined New College Franklin as President of the College in 2023. Prior to that, he served for nine years on the Board of Directors, including the last five years as Chairman of...2024-04-191h 10
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasA Little More Conversation, Please (with Andrew Zwerneman!!)Our guest today is Andrew Zwerneman. Andrew J. Zwerneman serves as President and Master Teacher at Cana Academy. For 40 years, he has taught and consulted in secondary schools that emphasize classic humanities. For 19 years he headed schools — 2 at the public charter school, Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona, 17 at Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, Virginia. Andrew has degrees from both Notre Dame AND St. John’s University, and he has authored two books: History Forgotten and Remembered and The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal. In today’s epis...2024-04-051h 10
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWhat is the 5x5 Reading Challenge?It has come to our attention that while we discuss and refer to the Scholé Sisters 5x5 Reading Challenge regularly, we've never actually done an episode on it. Today, we remedy that problem! We discuss the history of the challenge as well as how it works. Today's episode is hosted by Abby Wahl (because Brandy is in the middle of a cross-country move). Her ever-faithful cohost is, of course, Mystie Winckler. To join the 2024 5x5 Reading Challenge, go to scholesisters.com/5x5 and sign up! *** Click here to access today's show n...2024-01-1221 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMom is the Magic of ChristmasToday’s episode is our annual Christmas episode. We begin by revisiting the theme of our very first Christmas episode, Don’t Be the White Witch. We continue with a discussion of generosity and tradition-making that you will love. *** Every year, we give our Sophie members a special Christmas gift. This year, our Sophie members are receiving a workshop on book selection that Mystie and Brandy filmed with Dr. Christopher Schlect from New Saint Andrews College. In a world of woke, how do we go about choosing books? If you want access to this Christmas gift...2023-12-1555 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasIntellectual Training with Charlotte MasonToday’s episode is the second in our four part series on habits and training. Last time, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy talked about physical training. Today they’re discussing intellectual training, including that most controversial assertion of Charlotte Mason, that attention can be trained. You’re going to love this conversation! *** Have you heard about the ongoing Sophie Mentorship inside the Scholé Sistership? It started on October 23rd and it’s not too late to join! The mentorship is called Grow Up: Courage to Be the Adult in the Room. We’re reading from four different b...2023-11-241h 10
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasOutsourcing for High School (with Jami Marstall!!)Our very special guest today is Jami Marstall. Jami has been homeschooling with Charlotte Mason’s principles, primarily following AmblesideOnline, for the past 17 years. She has graduated three of her four children from the family homeschool and has one high schooler left. Jami loves to read about and discuss educational history and philosophy. She always dreamed of being a professional student and homeschooling continues to be the perfect career to fulfill that ambition. Today’s episode is a conversation Abby and Brandy absolutely loved having with Jami. It is so common to put homeschoolers into public school for...2023-11-031h 12
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDivision or Dialogue (with Pastor Chad Vegas!!)Our guest today is Chad Vegas. Chad is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, CA, where he has served since 2006. Chad received his M.A. from Talbot School of Theology. He also spent nearly two decades in public school education as both a teacher and Board Member. He has been married to Teresa since 1994 and they have 2 children. Chad is the co-author of Missions by the Book: How Theology and Missions Walk Together, available at all major booksellers. Our conversation in this episode kicks off with Pastor Chad’s interpretation of Matthew 18 – what does it r...2023-09-151h 01
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHosting a Desert Retreat (with Kara Hughes!!)Our guest today is Kara Hughes. Kara is a Christian homeschooling mama to 5 children – a toddler, and then a 4th grader, 5th grader, 7th grader and 9th grader, all of whom use AmblesideOnline. She loves reading and hiking, and especially the two together when she can get them. Kara is also the librarian at a homeschool curriculum library, and is trying to reteach herself piano, convince her piece of desert to grow something, and actually finish a knitting project someday. Today is the second of our two summer episodes. In this one, Abby and Brandy get into th...2023-08-0427 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasNumbering the Days of Your HomeschoolToday is the first of our two summer episodes. In this one, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy wax philosophical about this year’s retreat topic: time. *** Are you ready for the annual Scholé Sisters Online Local Retreat? Our annual Homeschool Essentials retreats always take a deep dive into one aspect of homeschooling. This year’s topic is TIME, the most essential part of homeschooling of all! We cannot wait to spend time with you all on Saturday, October 7th so mark your calendars! Early bird registration is now live. Just go to scholesisters.com/time to sign...2023-07-2146 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPut the Masterly Back in Masterly InactivityToday, Mystie, Brandy, and Abby attempt to straighten out one of the biggest misunderstandings in the Charlotte Mason world: masterly inactivity. The term is constantly misused, so they start off with definitions. But keep listening because they'll go into detail on how exactly this concept can be applied to real life. You’re going to love this conversation! *** Are you ready for this year’s spring training? It’s going to be amazing!! We’re calling it Dead White Guys. A common attack on classical education is the claim that classical education should be discarded because...2023-04-141h 05
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasBarefoot in the Kitchen with the Ideal Type (featuring David Hicks!!!)Today's very special guest is David Hicks. Does the famed author of one of the bestest books EVER, Norms and Nobility, really need any further introduction? Well, what you may not know about him is that he spent thirty years of his life in private education, serving as head of school for a number of schools across the country, and culminating as Chief Academic Officer for Meritas LLC, which owned and operated private college prep schools around the globe. David and his brother Scot did an excellent translation of Marcus Aurelius called The Emperor’s Handbook and are currently wor...2023-03-311h 04
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRewards Revisited (with Jason Barney!!)Our guest today is Jason Barney from the Educational Renaissance Podcast! Jason serves as the Principal of Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN. In 2012 he was awarded the Henry Salvatori Prize for Excellence in Teaching from Hillsdale College. He completed his MA in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton College, where he received The Tenney Award in New Testament Studies. In addition to his administrative responsibilities in vision, philosophy and faculty training, Jason has taught courses in Latin, Humanities, and Senior Thesis from 3rd-12th grades. He has published several books, including A Classical Guide to Narration with the CiRCE Institute a...2023-03-031h 01
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWell-Educated Daughters (with Rebekah Merkle!!)Our guest today is the one and only Rebekah Merkle. Rebekah has dabbled in a number of occupations ranging from running her own clothing label to designing fabrics to becoming a full-time high school humanities teacher (which is fitting, because she was a student in one of the founding classical Christian schools in the USA). Most importantly for today’s discussion, Rebekah is the author of the book Eve in Exile, which Mystie and Brandy both read and recommend. Today's chat with Rebekah Merkle is all about educating daughters ... and launching daughters. Do you want to value ho...2022-11-1154 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasAristotle vs. The Behaviorists (The Habits Episode!)In today’s episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss the new retreat format and why we love it, what’s different compared to last year, and also take a deep dive into this year’s theme, habits, by discussing what Aristotle had to say about habit in Nichomachean Ethics. We hope you’re ready to geek out about habits with us because that’s what today is all about! *** Are you interested in hosting one of our annual online local retreats?? We are SO EXCITED about this year’s plan! Mystie has gone above and beyond to ma...2022-08-1246 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHostess with the Mostess: It's Retreat Time (with Danielle Cyrus!)Our special guest today is Danielle Cyrus. Danielle was a pre-law student when God disrupted her plans and led her to education. She has 4 children and has been married to Grant for 20 years. She began homeschooling as her oldest reached school age and has been neck deep in books ever since. Danielle is a tutor in the Classical Conversations Essentials program and has led various home-education support groups and retreats on Classical and Charlotte Mason philosophies. She is passionate about fostering supportive community for home-educating parents. Danielle has been hosting a local Scholé Sisters retreat for years s...2022-07-2932 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasBuilding a Community (with Melissa Cummings!!)Our special guest this week is Melissa Cummings. Melissa and her husband Steven are second generation Christian homeschooling parents of five. She directs a Classical Christian homeschool co-op in her rural community, and also manages to pull off the annual Paideia Northwest conference for mamas raising kids for Christ. You can find her at JoyfulDomesticity.com. In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy talk with Melissa about creating and nurturing community. Trust us, Melissa knows how it’s done! She built a thriving homeschool community in her own backyard! Building a homeschool community takes time and energy, whic...2022-05-201h 08
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasStop Looking for Hacks (You Need a Philosophy)So many people are turning to homeschooling these days, and the first question they usually ask is about curriculum – what should they use and how should they use it. In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy discuss why it’s useful to back up and talk about why everyone needs a philosophy and how to go about building one. *** Earlier this week on Tuesday, Scholé Sisters hosted our annual Spring Training. Our coach this year was Dr. Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies from Grove City College. He gave us an amazing history lesson...2022-05-061h 04
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasYou're Not the Boss of Me, Now (A Discussion About Authority)To prepare for today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy read the first two chapters of Charlotte Mason’s third volume, School Education, which is all about authority. Our conversation centers on trying to grasp exactly what is unhealthy authority, what is healthy authority, and then how do we fight the anti-authority culture we live in? It was s a great discussion! *** Are you ready for this year’s Spring Training? In seeking to understand the times we are in, we have hired as this year’s coach Dr. Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and religiou...2022-04-221h 03
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPolitical Rehab (with Brett Stroud!!)Our guest today is Brett Stroud. Brett is the President of Providence Classical Academy in Bakersfield, California. He is a graduate of the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program at Biola University, and of the Pepperdine University School of Law. The mission of Providence Classical Academy is “To provide the children entrusted to its care with a liberal education grounded in the Christian scriptures and the Western tradition, with the goal of forming godly, virtuous, self-governing men and women.” Today’s episode is something of an intervention. It looked like Abby was going to abandon politics altoge...2022-04-081h 04
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasBecoming More Human (How Could You Say Such Things?)In today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby discuss the idea that classical education “makes you more human.” Depending on what you think this means, the phrase can come off as offensive, in conflict with Charlotte Mason’s assertion that children are born persons, and more. Because of this, they’re taking a deep dive into what this really means and why they think it matters. *** Do you want to enhance your reading? We’ve still got some copies of our 5x5 challenge reading journal in the shop! The Scholé Sisters 5x5 Journal helps you read, rev...2022-03-251h 08
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMusic to My Ears (with Greg Wilbur!!)Our special guest today is the one and only Gregory Wilbur! Greg is founder and president of New College Franklin—a Christian college that concentrates on the classics and the seven liberal arts with a discussion-based approach and spiritual formation. In addition to teaching and developing curriculum, his current academic focus is advancing the disciplines of the Quadrivium by bringing together leading voices in its renewal. An award-winning musician, Greg has released seven albums of his compositions of congregational psalms, hymns and service music as well as theatrical musicals and film scores, and his hymns can be found in mo...2022-03-111h 02
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasTell Me What I Wanna Hear (Josef Pieper on Flattery and Lies)In today’s episode, Abby, Mystie, and Brandy dig into Josef Pieper’s lesser-known work Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power. They end up spending a lot of time on the idea of flattery which is … super uplifting. The good news is that they decide in the end that what we are already doing in classical education works for this issue, too! *** It’s not too late to join the Excellent Marxmanship seminar going on now in the Sistership. We are already learning lots and having a great time. Excellent Marxmanship is all about Marx with an...2022-02-251h 05
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe 100th Episode Book BashWelcome back to Scholé Sisters. Today kicks off our 17th season of the show. This episode has been SIX YEARS in the making! It’s our one hundredth episode! In honor of 100 episodes and also over a MILLION downloads, Mystie went through and figured out our top five most-referenced books. Today we’re sharing a little bit of the personal history of the podcast, and then we jump into these top five books and tell you why you should own them, too. *** On Monday, February 7th our Excellent Marxmanship seminar started up in the Sistership. It’s...2022-02-111h 04
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMen Without ChestsToday’s episode is the first of two that we (Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby) are doing that covers ideas from CS Lewis’ book The Abolition of Man – more specifically from his first essay in that book, entitled Men Without Chests. This book contains a lot of terminology that gets thrown around in classical circles and we’re going to tackle those definitions together! *** Announcement: We are doing reading journals again this year! (The real, physical copies that we sold out of so quickly last year.) They are going to have the same great layout you have...2021-10-291h 09
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasCan Virtue Be Taught?Today, Mystie, Pam, Abby and Brandy toss around the question of whether or not virtue can be taught. This can be a controversial subject, but we think you’ll find it is worth talking about rather than avoiding. *** Last Saturday was our annual retreat and it went SO WELL. It was so refreshing to spend a whole day thinking about memory and remembering, why it’s essential for education, and how we can incorporate it into our educational process. If you missed you, replays are STILL available! In fact, you can even still host a grou...2021-10-1554 min
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWhat Is a Liberal Art? (with Dr. Christopher Schlect)Our guest today is Dr. Christopher Schlect. Dr. Schlect has been a fellow of history at New Saint Andrews College for many years where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, the history of American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. Dr. Schlect is the Director of New Saint Andrews College’s graduate program in Classical and Christian Studies and also serves classical and Christian Schools around the country through his consulting and teacher training activities. Mystie and Brandy cornered Dr. Schlect and demanded an answer to that strangely confounding question: Wh...2021-10-011h 02
Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRevived by Reading (with Karen Harris!)Our guest today is Karen Harris. Karen Harris is married to Wes and is the homeschooling mother to 10 children. She and her family love to read, travel, and have adventures together. The author of "A Happy Mother of Children: Disciplines of Happiness," Karen continues to write and learn from her home in Maryland. Karen and a friend have been on a mission to give themselves the classical education they never received using Susan Wise Bauer’s plan from her book The Well-Educated Mind. Abby and Brandy were SO inspired by Karen’s story of burnout and revival that...2021-09-031h 06Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMother Knows Best: Censorship in the HomeToday, Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby are tackling the big issue of censorship. They attempt to juxtapose some thoughts from Plato and John Milton and pursue questions like what is censorship, why would we do it, and when we should avoid it. *** If you want to dig into this topic with more depth and practical advice, you'll love our Spring Training event taught by Rosaria Butterfield: Intellectual Hospitality. We only have so much time with our kids at home. Whether or not we censor particular books, we still have to choose where our time and...2021-08-201h 16Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasIn Loving MemoryThis special summer season is one episode long and all about our annual retreat. We are in the process of making some major changes to it, all of which we think you’re going to love. The purpose of the retreat has always been to foster, first and foremost, real life community. We’ve taken steps to make that time of homeschool fellowship even better than before. Want to know more about it? Listen up! Pam, Mystie, Abby and Brandy are discussing all the many changes they’ve come up with so far and explaining the how and wh...2021-07-1634 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasBackground Knowledge: The Door to UnderstandingIn today’s episode, Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss portions of Saint Augustine’s book On Christian Doctrine that deal with the need for background knowledge in order to read with understanding, especially understanding metaphors. This was a very fun reading assignment! *** Don’t forget to become a Sophie level member of the Sistership! You will get our Spring Training sessions with Rosaria Butterfield this month, along with access to all the other wonderful things going on, AND our annual summer gear! Click here to sign up. *** Click here to access...2021-05-211h 04Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDorothy Sayers' Latin Lament (with Renee Shepard)Renee Shepherd is back with us again today. Renee and her husband, who were both homeschooled, are now homeschooling their six children. She is currently finishing her graduate degree in Classical Christian Studies at New Saint Andrews College, where her favorite things to study are theology, Latin, and literature. Renee brought a lesser known article by Dorothy Sayers to our attention, and that’s what Mystie and Brandy are discussing with her today. We think you will be interested in how it rounds out what Sayers said in her well known Lost Tools of Learning. ***...2021-05-071h 15Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasTransitioning to Independent WorkIn today’s episode, Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy break down the transition to independent work from preschool all the way to high school and beyond. This conversation gives us a lot to think about! *** Spring Training is coming up next month! Registration is now open for our annual Spring Training Our coach this year is the one and only Rosaria Butterfield, author of a number of wonderful books, including The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. We have asked Rosaria to coach us on wh...2021-04-231h 10Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHow to ContemplateIn today’s episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss their way through the entire Thinking Person’s Checklist at the back of Alan Jacob’s book, How to Think. This was a fun and interesting conversation to have and they think you’re really going to enjoy it! *** Spring Training is coming up next month! Next month — the month of MAY — is our annual Spring Training, as you well know. We are pleased to announce that our coach this year is the one and only Rosaria Butterfield, author of a number of wonderful books, inclu...2021-04-091h 02Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Uncommon CommonplaceDo you keep a commonplace book (or wish you did)? Today’s episode is serves as a first half for our upcoming Commonplace Workshop. Pam, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy discuss what a commonplace book even is and why anyone would want to keep one. It’s a great discussion you don't want to miss and will get you ready for the Workshop, which is happening this month! *** Ready for the Commonplace Workshop? Are you intimidated by commonplacing? Not sure if you're doing it right? Uncertain how to get started? You're not the...2021-02-0557 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasYou Can't Cancel ChristmasThe death of culture and festivity is not a less important death than bodily. No matter what government officials say, Christmas is coming and must be honored with festive celebration – piety requires it. In this episode, Brandy Vencel, Pam Barnhill, Mystie Winckler, and Abby Wahl discuss how festivity and scholé fits into the curricular framework found in Kevin Clark & Ravi Jain’s PGMAPT formulation in The Liberal Arts Tradition. With occasional timely musings about how festivity is different and difficult this season, they return to our responsibility to keep up the cheer – because we do have a hope th...2020-12-0452 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasLet's Get Physical (Gymnastic in a Classical Education)Today’s discussion about physical training in classical education was one Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby got to record when they were all together in Phoenix for the Loving Well retreat. They do get philosophical and discuss why these things are important, but they also get practical and talk about a bunch of ideas that they hope will help us all get started if we’re ready to get physical in our homeschools. *** Join the Sistership Sophie Level to get Christmas gift access! Have you joined the Scholé Sistership yet? If not, you reall...2020-11-061h 08Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasEast Meets West: Classical Education in ChinaOur guest today is Ravi Jain, who is now tied with Cindy Rollins for the Scholé Sisters title for Most Appearances as this is his third time on the show. Ravi Jain has a BA from Davidson College, an M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Graduate Certificate in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. He coauthored The Liberal Arts Tradition with Kevin Clark, now translated into Chinese. Ravi currently teaches Calculus, AP Calculus, and Physics at the Geneva School in Orlando, Florida. He has given over 150 talks and workshops throughout America, Africa, and China o...2020-10-2355 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasLet's Get Together, Yeah Yeah Yeah (Communitites vs. Networks)Today’s discussion between Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby centers on the differences between communities and networks as spelled out by John Taylor Gatto in his wonderful little book Dumbing Us Down. To which do you belong? Is there an ideal? There's a lot of food for thought in this episode. *** Registration for Loving Well is now open! Registration is now open for this year’s online local retreats which will take place live on Saturday October 10th. The theme of this year’s retreat is Loving Well and our guest speaker is Karen...2020-09-181h 07Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Wonder Years (Quintilian and the Classical Preschool)Is there really such a thing as classical education for preschoolers? You may be surprised to learn that yes the ancients actually had opinions on what to do with the little ones entrusted to us. In today’s episode, Mystie, Brandy, and Abby discuss a bit about what Plato, Aristotle, and Quintilian had to say on this subject. *** Registration for Loving Well is now open! Registration is now open for this year’s online local retreats which will take place live on Saturday October 10th. The theme of this year’s retreat is Loving...2020-09-0457 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRetreats Go Viral (Summer Bonus Season)Today’s episode is all about the fall retreat. In the first half, Brandy, Mystie, and Abby talk about Covid and lockdown … and how to manage a retreat if we’re still on lockdown (including what Scholé Sisters plans to do to help support unique situations). In the second half we talk about how we overhauled part of our program to make room for something super special from Abby. *** Get your Beginner’s Guide to Scholé! We have a special treat for you today! You can download for free our new Beginner’s Guide to Sch...2020-07-1027 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasA Scholé for All SeasonsToday’s episode is extra long! Our topic is scholé and how it changes with the seasons of motherhood. Brandy, Pam, Mystie, and Abby discussed having all preschoolers, starting to homeschool, the teen years, and then guessed what the particular challenges might be in launching children. It was a long episode because it’s a big topic! *** Join us in the Sistership! Many fun things are going on in the Sistership these days. Abby is prepping a follow-up contemplation session for Spring Training. If you wish Spring Training wasn’t over, you’ll be thrill...2020-05-291h 34Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Grammar of Grammar (with Kevin Clark!)Our guest on the show this time is Dr. Kevin Clark. Kevin is the founder of The Ecclesial Schools Initiative, an organization that’s partnering with local churches to plant a network of affordable and accessible Christian classical schools. Kevin is an Alcuin fellow with The Society for Classical Learning and a member of the teaching faculty in the Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program at The Templeton Honors College. Most importantly, he is Taryn’s husband and father to Aubrey, Caedmon, Naomi, and Eleanor. In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy have a rousing conversation with K...2020-05-151h 06Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasSocratic Trialogue (with Renee Shepard!)Our special guest today is Renee Shepard. Renee has been married for 14 years. She and her husband, who were both homeschooled, are now homeschooling their six children. She is currently finishing her graduate degree in Classical Christian Studies at New Saint Andrews College, where her favorite things to study are theology, Latin, and literature. This episode is a follow up to an episode we did last year called Someone Stole My Socrates. Brandy, Mystie, and Renee discuss a work by Plato called Gorgias. (Brandy likes to call it Gorgeous.) Whatever you call it, it’s a Socratic di...2020-04-031h 09Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMake Classical Education Scholé AgainIn today's episode, Mystie, Abby, and Brandy take on the trials and tribulations of classical homeschooling. The three of them talk solutions to rescue a ho-hum classical education. It’s so easy to get away from scholé and become rabid box-checkers. How do we revive ourselves when that happens? That’s what today’s discussion is all about! *** Join the Sistership! In these trying times, practically our ONLY community is our online community. Ironic, hm? We've got some great book clubs going, a Plutarch class, and more! Just click here and sign up for the Premier...2020-03-2058 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDeath by Sticker Chart (with Karen Glass!)Our special guest today is one of our favorite people, Karen Glass! Karen Glass has been homeschooling her children for 25 years, and she’s not quite finished yet. She is one of the founders of the AmblesideOnline curriculum project and has delved deeply into Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education. She has lived in Poland, where her husband ministers, for over twenty years. In the last few years, she has begun writing books to share some of the things she has learned along the way. Today, Abby and Brandy chat with Karen about motivation. Are there right and...2020-03-061h 08Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasA Faculty of FriendsIn today's episode, Brandy, Mystie, Pam, and Abby discuss the "faculty of friends" concept presented by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark in the new revised edition of The Liberal Arts Tradition, an idea that also appears in Norms and Nobility, Poetic Knowledge, and more! We think you’ll find this episode inspiring and encouraging. *** Jump into our Shakespeare mentorship! The Sistership Premier Shakespeare mentorship led by Kelly Cumbee – she’s guiding us through As You Like It – just began, and it’s not too late to join in! If you ever wanted someone to hold your hand...2020-02-2153 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasFalling in Love with Shakespeare (with Kelly Cumbee!)Our guest on the show today is Kelly Cumbee. Brandy and Mystie have known Kelly for over a decade because she was a participant in the old online book clubs led by Cindy Rollins. Brandy is very excited to introduce you to her. For over twenty-five years Kelly Cumbee has been educating her seven children at home, where she mostly sits in her rocking chair and reads aloud to them what she herself wants to learn. She has always loved music, nature, and stories, and passionately believes that they are all connected. She is prone to info-dumping...2020-02-0752 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWho's Your Daddy?In today's episode, Mystie and Brandy dig deeply into the four types of reading explained by AG Sertillanges in his wonderful book The Intellectual Life. Before Brandy read this, she didn't even know there were four types of reading! It's a very interesting distinction to make, and we think you'll love today's discussion. *** Have you joined Sistership Premier yet? We hope so! The Sistership Premier Christmas gift is coming soon! We want you to have something extra special just for you and that's why we asked Ravi Jain (co-author of The Liberal Arts Tradition) to...2019-11-221h 02Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHave Your Humble Pie ... and Eat It, Too!Today’s episode was recorded live at the beach house while Brandy, Mystie, and Pam were at the fall retreat! The sound quality is a little less than usual, but it was very fun to record face-to-face. Our topic today is humility and teachableness. You’ll enjoy this interesting conversation. Join our November challenge! We are hosting our first ever month-long CHALLENGE! As you know, principles aren’t for having or knowing – they are for LIVING. What if you took a principle and determined to live it out in some small way every weekday for a whole month? T...2019-10-2559 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHistory as a Center Cannot Hold (with Angelina Stanford!)Our guest today is the lovely and delightfully controversial Angelina Stanford. Angelina has an Honors Baccalaureate Degree and a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Louisiana. For over twenty-five years, she has shared her passion and enthusiasm for literature with students in a variety of settings — everywhere from university classrooms to homeschool co-ops to homeschooling her own three children. You can find Angelina at angelinastanford.com where she teaches online literature classes for middle school through adult, as well as webinars and short term classes. She had a big summer, launching The Literary Life Podcast with...2019-10-111h 12Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasScholé Sisters Group TherapyIn today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, and Mystie get real about Scholé Sisters groups. First, they talk about Pam’s Scholé Salon, specifically what they’ve done and how it’s going. From there, they transition to what to do when groups experience change or difficulty. Groups, even GOOD groups, will experience trials and setbacks, and it’s important for all of us to think about how to respond. Don’t forget to download Your Scholé Sheet to think through and apply the ideas from this episode, then bring your thoughts into the Sistership and join the conversation ha...2019-09-271h 05Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasScholé is Diffuse (with Ashley Woleben)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 human...2019-09-131h 05Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasHeroes First! (with Wendi Capehart)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 Chri...2019-08-301h 07Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMake Your Retreat a Treat!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 bo...2019-07-1233 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasGainsaying SayersIn 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 Schol...2019-05-241h 15Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasYou've Got a Friend in MeIn 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 t...2019-05-101h 12Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPhilosophy for MommiesEric 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 Cl...2019-04-2655 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasA Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action (with Abby Wahl!)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! ***2019-03-291h 01Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Sisters on Sayers — Not the Podcast You ExpectedThis 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...2019-03-151h 12Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasSomeone Stole My Socrates!This episode, Brandy and Mystie discuss the Socratic Method. Is it really classical? Is it progressive? Does it have anything to do with Socrates? Has Socrates been kidnapped and, if so, it is right to hunt him down and steal him back?? *** This episode is sponsored by the Scholé Sisters newsletter! I know what you’re thinking: why in the world is our newsletter sponsoring our own podcast episode? Well, it’s because we want you on our newsletter email list! We’ve got some pretty exciting things coming up, and the newsletter is the surest...2019-03-011h 11Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasRightly Dividing (with Karen Glass!!)Mystie and Brandy are glad to have Karen Glass back on the show to help us kick off Season 8. Karen is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition and Know and Tell: The Art of Narration and a member of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, mostly grown and married, who were homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end. Karen has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years For this episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Karen discussed division -- what it is, ho...2019-02-151h 11Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWhat the Dickens?Today’s episode features a discussion of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol, which is Brandy's FAVORITE Christmas story. Naturally, Mystie and Pam tried to ruin it for her, but she was undaunted, and thinks you will be, too. *** This episode is sponsored by Mystie’s Brain Dump Guide. Do you have a lot to do and too much to keep track of? Of course you do! Mystie’s all new Brain Dump Guide will help you take the cluttered jumble inside your head and straighten it out so you can step out of your sca...2018-12-071h 04Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasNeed Scholé? Just Add Joy!If you have ever smelled smoke at your house and wondered if you were starting to burn out at this homeschooling thing, this episode is for you. Brandy was tempted to burnout early this year and so she and Mystie chatted about homeschooling, minimalism, and why sometimes adding something is a better approach that cutting back even more. *** This episode is sponsored by Start Here, the definitive starting place for studying Charlotte Mason. When Charlotte Mason was trying to distill her educational philosophy into its simplest form, she ended up with 20 core principles. These are t...2018-11-161h 04Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPrioritizing Words (with Angelina Stanford!)Our guest today is Angelina Stanford! Angelina Stanford has a Master's degree in English literature and has been teaching, writing, speaking, and training teachers for over 20 years. She is the co-star of the popular Close Reads podcast, as well as the new Shakespeare podcast, The Play's the Thing. You can find Angelina at her website where she teaches class for middle school, high school, and adults. And look for her upcoming book, How to Understand Every Story: From Greek Gods to Superheroes, coming out next year. Have you ever wondered why books are such a big deal i...2018-11-0258 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasForgotten Classics (with Martin Cothran!)In this episode, Mystie and Brandy talk with Martin Cothran from Memoria Press. Martin is known for (among other things) his knowledge of forgotten classics – really good books almost no one remembers. It was our pleasure to discuss with Martin the nature of these books and how to find them. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!) Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram! And did you know we have a mo...2018-10-191h 00Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasCarpe Librum (Seize the Booklist)If you were bummed that you were unable to attend the Scholé Sisters session at GHC in Cincinatti, and then extra disappointed we were unable to offer you a recording … this is for YOU! Brandy, Mystie, and Pam have redone the whole thing, and you can even get a download of the document handout with all the important details! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. (This is where you get the booklist download!) Don't forget to find us on Facebook! Click here to follow us on Instagram!...2018-09-211h 08Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasLiving Books Are Books for LifeIn this episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Pam kick off Season 7 of Scholé Sisters with a discussion about living books. What are they, what is their significance, and how can you identify them? This is a totally fun discussion about reading -- and how picky should we be anyway? -- that you don't want to miss! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. Click here to register for the Learning Well Online Local Retreat (with Cindy Rollins) Click here for more information on planning your local retreat. ***...2018-09-0759 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasAn Education by Any Other Name...In today’s episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy discuss the power of educational metaphors – are we using the right images to picture our homeschools? Metaphors aren't absolute -- it's what we mean by them and how we apply them that matters. Join the Scholé Sisters as they hash out metaphors and discuss what makes a good one worth using. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** This episode is sponsored by In Memoriam. After Charlotte Mason died in 1923, the PNEU held a memorial service in her honor, though (quite...2018-05-2559 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasIs Scholé for Everyone?In today’s episode, Brandy, Pam, and Mystie raise the question of whether scholé is for everyone. Or is it just for the bookish and more academic? They had to begin by defining scholé, of course. This episode is about scholé in real life with our kids and FOR our kids. How do we help them "do scholé"? There are some big questions discussed this time! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** This episode is sponsored by Teaching Reading with Bob Books. Teaching Reading with Bob Books is a line...2018-04-271h 20Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasTwaddlicious!On today's episode, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy have a rousing discussion on the subject of twaddle. What is it? What isn’t it? Is it ever acceptable? Some of us have unconventional opinions on this subject. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** This episode is sponsored by Plan Your Year. Plan Your Year is the homeschool planner that shows you how. It walks you step-by-step through creating a homeschool plan unique to your home, your kids, your family. There are over 40 printable planning pages plus an 80-page pla...2018-04-131h 15Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPaideia Is All Greek to MeIn today’s episode, Mystie Winckler and Brandy Vencel discuss Werner Jaeger’s introduction to his three-volume series, what Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, Jaeger's definition of education, what culture is, why Christians are resistant to honoring the Greeks, and much more. Download to listen, subscribe and be a Sister! *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** This episode is sponsored by The Afterthinker’s Guide to Charlotte Mason’s Home Education. That's right! Brandy has a NEW Charlotte Mason study g...2018-02-231h 02Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasBeing Impervious: Now it's [Not] PersonalWelcome to SEASON FIVE of Scholé Sisters! Mystie and Brandy are kicking this season off right with the one and only Cindy Rollins. Today's discussion centers on the idea of being impervious. We discuss not allowing "things" to get to us, absorbing emotion, self-control, menopause (gulp), and more! This is a conversation you don't want to miss. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. *** This episode is sponsored by Personality Pages. Want to figure out and understand your personality better? Mystie has a free one-page cheat sheet to he...2018-02-0952 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasPutting the Merry Back in ChristmasToday, the Scholé Sisters get real about Christmas. Mystie says we can be classical not just in our approach to education, but also in our approach to happiness. Does the classical tradition have something to offer us at Christmas as well? We talk about depression and grief, yes, but also bad attitudes and dangerous expectations, all in an attempt to encourage all of us toward a better Christmas. Christmas is important, because the incarnation is important. Let's never forget what it's all about. *** Click here to get the show notes for today's episode. ***...2017-12-081h 07Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasEducating for Virtue: I'm Not the Holy Spirit (with Eric Hall!)Have you ever tried to sort out the tension between God's grace and our pursuit of virtue? Is virtue ultimately a free gift of grace? And, if so, how can we say it is the goal of Christian education? If virtue IS our goal, how do we impart it? How do we test it? And is there a danger in homeschooling when it comes to virtue tests? And what if we fail? What if everything we've done isn't enough? Today on the show, Mystie and I are please to welcome Eric Hall. Eric i...2017-11-0352 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasLeveraging Summer for SuccessToday, Mystie, Pam, and Brandy are chatting about summer. Instead of letting summer slowly slip through our fingers, we can leverage summer and set ourselves up for greater success in our upcoming homeschool years. And you don’t have to do it alone! You'll want to listen all the way to the end because Scholé Sisters is announcing something super special for summer ... we're hoping it'll encourage you to find (and bond with) your sisters! Want the show notes? Find them here: scholesisters.com/sp-1 Our summer book club studying Anne White's book Minds More Awa...2017-06-0748 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Nitty-Gritty Guide to Homeschooling High School Boys (with Cindy Rollins!)In her book Mere Motherhood, Cindy Rollins made the passing comment that she was not as big of a fan of homeschooling high school boys as she had been in the past. This turned into a rumor: Cindy Rollins doesn't think boys should be homeschooled in high school. Um. NOT TRUE. Today, Mystie and Brandy chat with Cindy about homeschooling high school boys (as well as using AmblesideOnline for high school), the pros, the cons, and how to know if it's time to let it go. Want the show notes? Find them here: scholesisters.com/ss23 If...2017-05-1959 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasDon't Lose That Lovin' Feelin'For today's episode, Pam, Mystie, and Brandy had quite the discussion surrounding the idea of interest and being interested – what does it mean, are we born interested, how do we lose interest over time, how do we gain it, what do we do when our children aren’t interested? We talked about a lot! Want the show notes? Find them here: scholesisters.com/ss21 If you haven't heard, there will be a summer book club studying Anne White's Book Minds More Awake on the Scholé Sisters Forum. If you aren't a member already, go to http...2017-04-281h 08Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasAmusing Ourselves to LeisureIn today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy discuss amusement and entertainment. Does our commitment to scholé mean that there’s no room in life for things that are completely frivolous and entertaining? Believe it or not, Aristotle had something to say on this subject! Want the show notes? Find them here: scholesisters.com/ss21 Come find us on Facebook! We'd love to have you join the conversation there.2017-03-3158 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMothers, Don't Let Your Methods Grow up to Be Systems (with Karen Glass!)We are thrilled to have our friend Karen Glass on the show today. Karen is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition, and also the brain behind Mind to Mind, an abridgment of Charlotte Mason’s sixth volume. Karen Glass is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, ages 12 to 26, who have been homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end. She has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years. In today’s episode, Karen, Mystie, and Brandy discuss the difference between...2017-03-171h 11Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Intersection of Effortlessness and Hard Work (with Dr. Christopher Perrin!)Our guest on today’s show is none other than Dr. Christopher Perrin from Classical Academic Press! Dr. Perrin is an author, consultant and speaker, who specializes in classical education. He is committed to the national renewal of the liberal arts tradition. Dr. Perrin serves as a consultant to charter, public, private, and Christian schools across the country and he has published numerous articles and lectures that are widely used throughout the United States and the English-speaking world. In today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy ask Dr. Perrin to help us balance a tension that we all feel...2017-03-031h 08Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThe Low-Down on NarrationIn today’s episode, Brandy, Mystie, and Pam have a conversation that gives you the low-down on narration. It’s not so much about the how as it is about the why. With that said, we ask for your patience with the sound. We had some trouble with Mystie’s microphone, and we couldn’t get rid of all the static in the editing process. We hope the fun and good ideas in this episode will help you forgive us for the momentary decline in quality! Want the show notes? Find them here: scholesisters.com/ss18...2017-02-171h 09Scholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasThankfully ClassicalToday’s show is all about thankfulness and Brandy is extremely thankful for Mystie. You see, we had recorded a different episode, but the recording had technical difficulties, and we weren’t able to use it. Mystie was willing to do a special recording, and we are all THANKFUL for her and that she was willing to do this so last minute! In this episode, Mystie and Brandy first discuss the philosophy of thankfulness and the connections between gratitude and scholé. After that, they talk about all the long list of people and curricula and organizations that make...2016-11-1854 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWill the REAL Multum Non Multa Please Stand Up?On today’s show, Mystie and Brandy discuss the ancient Latin motto multum non multa – meaning, much not many. Applied to education, and somehow misapplied to education, we chat about who used the motto in reference to education, what they meant, and what this has to do with Charlotte Mason and The Latin-Centered Curriculum. We also bring up one of the great unmentionables: the dangers of taking a minimalistic approach to life and homeschooling. Don't forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter at scholesisters.com!2016-09-2351 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasFind the Right Scholé for Your TypeWelcome back! We are so excited to have you with us today for our first episode of Season 2! In this episode, Mystie and Brandy explore the relationship between personality types and scholé. Mystie draws a distinction Brandy had never thought about before -- that some types of scholé are restorative, while others bring about more of a stretching and growing -- and different types serve these purposes for different personality types. The bottom line is that if you are in need of some restoration, knowing your personality type and what restores it can be super helpful. Don...2016-08-2654 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasMaking the Most of Summer with Habits and VirtueIn today’s episode, Mystie and Brandy use Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics to discuss the connection between habits and virtue, and then proceed to convince ourselves to work on shoring up good habits over the summer to pave the way for a better school year. We also discuss a question on assessment sent to us by Amanda Venema – and a big shout out to Amanda for being the first to leave us a recorded message! So…habits, virtue, summer, assessment – what’s not to like? This is a fun way to wrap up Season 1 of the podcast. Don't forget...2016-05-1356 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWe Dare You to Read the ClassicsToday, Mystie and Brandy are daring you to be brave and read a classic, even if you don’t feel like you’re qualified. We tackle questions like why we feel intimidated by reading classic books, strategies for helping ourselves read them, and a whole lot more. In addition, our nitty gritty homeschool question is all about starting Latin, so you won’t want to miss it. As a reminder, all the show notes for this episode can be found at scholesisters.com/ss4 . Did you know? Scholé Sisters is on Facebook, so look us up!2016-03-1146 minScholé Sisters: Camaraderie for Classical Homeschooling MamasWelcome to Scholé Sisters!An introductory episode, naturally, needs to cover all the basics. In this episode, we start by introducing ourselves. Then, we discuss the word scholé – how is it pronounced? What does it mean? After that, we discuss Scholé Sisters groups. Pam and Brandy have more formal groups, while Mystie has mastered the fine art of informal scholé with friends. We finish up by explaining the podcast itself – what it’s for, the format of the show, how it’s going to work, that sort of thing.2016-01-2432 min