42 Let Them Tinker

AMDG. Today, voice of experience and mother of four Kolbe graduates Louise Deal visits with Bonnie and Hope about homeschooling with space for life to happen. She shares how she and her husband, who both have engineering backgrounds, chose Kolbe for their children and where those children are now, including one who is a Ph.D. student in robotics and another who is a Ph.D. student in philosophy. Mrs. Deal describes how her family organized their homeschooling days, how the days differed when her children were different ages, and how she found Kolbe both rigorous and adaptable. The group also discusses why classical education is particularly important for students planning to go into STEM fields, the importance of focus on basic concepts and abstract thought, and the anchors of both family traditions and seeking support from others. 

During the conversation, Mrs. Deal discusses the merits of AP coursework. She sent along this note of clarification after recording: “Learning the content of an honors or AP Chemistry, Physics and/or Calculus course is great preparation for college STEM, but taking an AP exam and trying to get college credit for it is not. If [parents] want to get a jump on college credits with a high-achieving student, it would be better to just take an online or in-person local course from an actual, accredited college that would transfer to the college [the student] plan[s] to attend.  That would need to be verified ahead of time, so if [parents] don't know where [their] child will be going to college there would be some risk of the course not being accepted.” 

Have a question or suggestion for the Kolbecast team? Drop us a line at podcast@kolbe.org. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app for effortless episode delivery or find the Kolbecast on YouTube.