Kolbecast

138 Stories to Treasure Together with Kathryn Swegart

AMDG.  Come along with author, storyteller, and Kolbe mother Kathryn Swegart today as she shares her experience of homeschooling with Kolbe from 1998 to 2008 and her life after homeschooling.  She describes standout memories, the freedom and efficiency she found in home education, and how she balanced expectations and incentives with her three children.  She also describes her transition away from the season of homeschooling and the path to her current role as an author of children’s stories drawn from the treasury of the Catholic faith.
Links relevant and mentioned:
Visit Kathryn online at kathrynswegart.com.
Kolbe Academy’s Recommended Reading List
Kathryn’s articles on CatholicMom.com
Kathryn also writes for Magnificat.
Support Kolbe Academy at no extra cost when you shop on Amazon by designating Kolbe as your intended beneficiary in the Amazon Smile program. Here’s a link to set that up.
Suggestions from Kathryn:
Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie
Jim Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

137 Remember Your Whys

AMDG.  As the doldrums of January and February set in, we turn to one of the most important topics for homeschooling families: encouragement.  Karen Allgood, Julie Meyers, Jamie Coelho-Kostolny, and Maggie Hayden join us to share their whys for homeschooling, the highs and lows they see in their own families and their Kolbe families, and some affirming moments they've experienced that brought peace and reassurance during days of struggle.  If you’re in a time where some disasters are obvious and some solutions aren’t quite visible, or if you’re just feeling the weight of some cold short winter days, this episode is for you.
Previous Kolbecast episodes featuring today’s contributors:
Karen on 124 In This Together and 125 Call the Advisor
Jamie on 94 A Boy, a Book, and a Library Mouse
Maggie on 83 This Is Only a Test and 113 At the Kolbe Table
Other relevant Kolbecast episodes:
9 with Kolbe alumna Monnica Prudlo
15 It’s Greek to Me
17 Secure to Explore
18 Homer and the Hunger Games
24 Rise and Shine
26 Truth in Person
27 An Appreciation of Wonder
105 Not Just for Special Occasions
Other resources mentioned in the episode:
How to connect with Kolbe families via the Schoology directory
Kolbe.org Help Center
Kolbe blog, including this article about mottoes
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

136 Cura Personalis - The Sequel

AMDG.  Today we continue a conversation we started with Elizabeth Hoxie in Episode 112 on the Ignatian tenet of care for the whole person.  Far from being a trendy #selfcare fad, cura personalis captures the truth that what we do with ourselves during each day—our intellect, emotions, and bodies—forms us into the saint God wants us to be.  Through intentionality in approaching each day and recognizing that God didn’t make us to be frantic, cura personalis can help us avoid the temptation to over-commit regarding some things while under-committing to others.  In this way, we can live out the reality that we are created to love and be loved, to flourish and not just to live symptom-free. With all this in mind, Elizabeth shares her concern for special needs students and gives us a glimpse of how she homeschools.
Kolbecast episodes mentioned in this conversation & relevant:
112 Cura Personalis: The Intro with Elizabeth plus Therese Prudlo and Everett Buyarski
110 Choosing the Greatest Good with Matt & Erin Ingold
21 To Live Fully Alive, Elizabeth’s Kolbecast debut
45 Grace Perfects Nature with Dr. Peter Malinoski and Jody Garneau
31 Veteran Homeschoolers with Kolbe staffers Jon and Chris Bates
Support Kolbe Academy at no extra cost when you shop on Amazon by designating Kolbe as your intended beneficiary in the Amazon Smile program. Here’s a link to set that up.
Resources from Elizabeth:
Family Examen: Daily Examen Storybook for Families - Catholic Sprouts
The Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives by Today by Timothy M. Gallagher, OMV
And two books on Ignatian discernment:
Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making by Timothy M. Gallagher, OMV
What Do You Really Want?: St. Ignatius Loyola and the Art of Discernment by Jim Manney
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

135 Hidden Holiness Made Known

AMDG.  In this special Christmas break episode of the Kolbecast, Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan gather for a catch-up over coffee.  Jordan describes where he found inspiration for a new line of essays published in Prime Matters and gives listeners a preview of some of his future works in store.  The group reflects on the question of what life and virtue were like before the incarnation compared to after, as well as how Kolbe invites students into the discussion of this central part of our history.  They also discuss being known by saints, encountering their former selves’ writings along with the perspective that brings, and the changing of times from the ancient world to the current apostolic age.
Kolbecast episodes mentioned and relevant:
116 Things I Would Tell My Students
123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James Shea
Jordan’s articles in Prime Matters:
The Hidden Origins of Victim Culture
The Enemy Next Door
Other relevant links:
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission by Msgr. James Shea and friends
Jordan’s book When the Earth was Flat
National Catholic Register’s review of the movie A Hidden Life
Franz Reinisch - A Martyr of Our Time
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

134 For Tinkerers of All Ages

AMDG. Most people listen to podcasts like ours on their cell phones or other portable electronics, but how many of us actually know and appreciate how the devices in our pockets work?  Today, Kolbe dad and ham radio operator Chris Ranck joins Bonnie and Steven to talk about the geography, cross-generational communication, math, science, abstract concepts, and practical applications involved in the ham radio medium.  He highlights St. Max Kolbe’s engagement with media developments of his time, shares his own experience of how hobbies provide a way to explore learning as a family, and touches on the importance of mastering communication media rather than being mastered by them.
To learn more about ham radio, Chris tells us the best place to start is the ARRL website. 
He also recommends checking out
Maximilian Kolbe Net
Young Amateurs Communication Ham Team
Youth on the Air
Long Island CW (morse code) Club
Relevant Kolbecast episodes:
100 In the Beginning with Mrs. Dianne Muth, one of Kolbe Academy’s founders, and a post-script about St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Ignatius of Loyola
42 Let Them Tinker with Kolbe mom Louise Deal
105 Not Just for Special Occasions with Kolbe mom Rebecca Czarnecki of Tea with Mrs. B
126 Digital Citizens
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

133 An Audience of One

AMDG.  Pope Saint John Paul II was simultaneously a visionary and a devoutly orthodox leader (among many other saintly attributes), and a university bearing his name has a lot to draw inspiration from in his example.  Today students at John Paul the Great Catholic University join us to share their experience of their education and formation.  Students Bailey and Alan (a Kolbe alum) discuss the uniqueness of JPCatholic’s three-year program, particularly its fidelity to the Magisterium lived out through hands-on creative arts, digital media, and business education with a Catholic liberal arts foundation.  Listen for a snapshot of their daily lives along with some things Kolbe students could expect from JPCatholic.
JPCatholic links:
John Paul the Great Catholic University
Student Showcase
Bailey’s radio show/podcast Letter to Artists is on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play.
Here’s where to find JPCatholic on Instagram and YouTube.
Relevant and referenced Kolbecast episodes:
85 Vibrant Campus Ministries
123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James Shea
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

132 Monday Morning Assembly

AMDG.  Kolbe students form connections and community through online interactions. While many of these interactions happen through online classes, extracurricular activities are rich in opportunity for friendship and formation as well.  Today, student leaders from two online groups—the Spiritual Life Club and the Kolbe News Show—and some of their instructors and mentors join the Kolbecast to describe how clubs, assemblies, and other extracurricular projects work in a digital forum.  They describe how the liturgical life of the Church becomes integrated into students’ days, share some of their favorite memories and club events, and highlight their favorite study strategies as finals season nears.  Plus tune in to hear a sample of the Kolbe News Show and the backstory of students’ favorite special silent co-host.
Kolbecast episodes mentioned and relevant:
22 Imagine Being Homeschooled
87 Home Base
76 Study Buddies
36 Embrace the Fifth Day
As mentioned in the episode, Here’s more information about how to sell textbooks back to the Kolbe bookstore.
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

131 It’s All about Relationship featuring Danielle Bean

AMDG.  Voice of experience and wisdom Danielle Bean joins the Kolbecast today to share insights from her path.  From being a self-described reluctant homeschool to describing homeschooling as the biggest, best, and hardest thing she’s ever done, Danielle describes the changing seasons of life that come with parenthood.  She, Bonnie, and Steven reflect on building a family culture, teaching by example, and embracing the season where you are.  Struggling to hang in there with your stage of family life?  Make sure to listen through the end for Danielle’s encouragement!
Danielle’s website and podcast Girlfriends
podcast episode with Kolbe’s own Dr. Jordan Almanzar: Learning and Growing with Your Kids
Encouragement from Danielle
Three Positive Reasons Why We Homeschool
My Annual Homeschool Freak Out
Is Homeschooling Right for You?
How to Cope with Hard Change
How to Make Schooling Choices for Your Kids
Catholic College Conversations episodes mentioned
ep 2 Dr. Jordan Almanzar (stay tuned for another episode coming soon!)
ep 4 with Dr. Anthony Esolen and The Acid Bath of Modern College Culture
Relevant Kolbecast episodes
110 Choosing the Greatest Good with Matt & Erin Ingold
28 A Pessimist with Hope featuring Dr. Anthony Esolen
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org