Kolbecast

66 Bonhomie à la Kolbe

AMDG.  The people who serve as Kolbe Academy administration and faculty are a dedicated, highly-skilled group of Catholics committed to the pursuit of holiness, which for them includes serving Kolbe families as advisors, instructors, and sounding boards. They also serve each other in a spirit of collegiality as fellow pilgrims on the path to heaven.
In today’s episode Bonnie converses with Ashley Massey, an academic advisor and one of the deans of students, and Kim Crawford, a beloved instructor and department chair. They canvass the ways they approach building community and relationship across the miles to meet the needs we all have for connection. They also consider the concept and importance of families living as “domestic churches.”
Episodes that might be helpful:
Ep 54 Pro Omnibus Contendit with Deana Muth
Ep 61 Middle Ground concerning middle school
Ep 60 Mission: Possible about the ninth grade year
Kim Crawford can also be heard on Episode 50: Cast Party and Episode 52: Through a Catholic Lens. She appears on this Facebook Live about Kolbe’s AP courses. Ashley Massey leads this Facebook Friday session on grade reporting. 
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app.  
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    

65 Working Breakfast

AMDG. When we asked Kolbe students which of their teachers they’d most like to hear on the Kolbecast, Melissa Johnson was high on their list. Melissa joins us today to talk about what life looks like for her teaching middle and high school English while raising eight children. With equal parts humor and candor, she describes her background, her experience with the many personalities present in a large family, and her openness to embracing lively chaos of the day to day. 
Melissa references Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life, also available on FORMED.org. Jordan draws upon some advice related by three Kolbe students in Episode 22: Imagine Being Homeschooled given to them by another beloved Kolbe teacher.
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     

64 Stricken by Ideas

AMDG. Professor, teacher, and all-around wise person Dr. Carl Hasler is our featured guest today, along with our dear friend and Kolbe teacher Therese Prudlo. Together, they and Bonnie discuss the little moments that take us through life and the necessity of being open to God’s grace in them. Dr. Hasler shares his background from working in a record store and telling his parents he wanted to study philosophy to his experience with international adoption. He also describes how his conversion story involved encounters with Catholic thinkers and the young woman who would become Mrs. Dr. Hasler. The group brings things home with a discussion of Kolbe’s new philosophy course, the differences in definition between the word “liberal” as it is used in the current liberal/conservative political dichotomy compared to how it is used in the liberal arts, and the power of music. 
Among several other courses, Dr. Hasler teaches the live online version of Kolbe’s new philosophy course. He references Josef Pieper’s Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power, Great Dialogues of Plato, and Frederick Copleston’s nine-volume A History of Philosophy. 
Therese Prudlo first joined the Kolbecast in Episode 15: Asparagus Moments. She can also be heard on Episode 36: Embrace the Fifth Day and Episode 37: Take a Moment as well as on Episode 50: Backstage (Cast Party).  
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to usat podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     

63 The Saints Speak for Themselves

AMDG.  
Holy Heroes founders Ken and Kerri Davison—themselves the parents of a Kolbe homeschooling family —join Bonnie and Jordan on this special episode of the Kolbecast released on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, September 8. The Davisons share wisdom on homeschooling while running a family business as well as on fostering strong, devout commitment to the sacraments and the saints. They discuss how homeschooling parents have discretion to plan their weeks and lives based on what their families need rather than on what a school demands, and they encourage liturgical living through celebrations of baptismal days, confirmation days, and name days as well as birthdays. They also have insight into the passive and active listening involved in video and audio entertainment, how important early formation is for children, and the challenge and joy of doing hard things. Finally, the Davisons share how homeschooling makes it easier to incorporate children into the running of the home since children can gain a greater appreciation of what really needs to be done throughout the day and can live lives that have far more dimensions than just schoolwork. To see the array of Holy Heroes offerings, check out https://holyheroes.com/. 
 
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast player.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org. 

62 Due Diligence

AMDG.  Senior counsel with the Home School Legal Defense Association, Darren Jones, joins Bonnie today.  A litigation attorney and homeschool graduate himself, Mr. Jones helps HSLDA member families resolve legal difficulties related to homeschooling.  During the conversation, he describes four areas of HSLDA’s work: legal defense, consulting, legislative tracking, and charitable outreach. He also sheds light on how diverse state laws in the United States are regarding homeschooling, as well as how states’ written requirements and general temperature toward homeschooling may vary from each other.  Along the way, Mr. Jones shares insight into participating in local homeschool groups and dads’ involvement in the homeschooling process.  Ultimately, the conversation illustrates how HSLDA is there to help with the legal side of homeschooling so that parents can focus on the fun part: teaching the kids. For more information about HSLDA, visit http://hslda.org/. 
For guidance getting your group organized and off to a great start or to receive the handout of ways dads can be active participants in homeschooling, drop a line to Mr. Jones at groupservices@hslda.org. 
From the Kolbe Welcome Packet: Kolbe Academy recommends joining the Home School Legal Defense Association.  HSLDA’s primary goal is to bring together a large number of homeschooling families so that each can have a low-cost method of obtaining quality legal defense. 
Home School Legal Defense Association Application 
For U.S. membership, Kolbe’s discount number, which must be provided on the application, is #295160. 
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast player.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     
 

61 Middle Ground

AMDG. There’s a lot going on in a person’s middle school years, and it takes a special teacher (or several) to inspire and guide this formative period. Kolbe middle school teachers Amanda Hayes and Alexandra Pischke are two of those experts, and they join Bonnie today to share their insights. Together, they discuss the developmental stages of middle school, the combination of childhood silliness and maturing purpose they see in their students, and how they try to model good study and organizational habits for sixth through eighth graders to use at home and online.  
Episodes and other links that might be helpful  
Kolbecast Ep 33: Show Your Work with Math Department Chair Mrs. Kelly Powers
Ep 58: Mystery Machines (technology & tech support)
Kuta math software and worksheets 
Ep 21: To Live Fully Alive with Mrs. Elizabeth Hoxie
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast player.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     

60 Mission: Possible

AMDG. High school is an epic transition, especially for Kolbe ninth graders. Current student Xavier joins Bonnie and Jordan today to share his insight on the trials and triumphs of freshman year. The group discusses the biggest changes between eighth and ninth grades, some of the time management and workload strategies Xavier has found success in, and how to tell when a teacher thinks a topic is important. The conversation also encompasses overcoming shyness in giving class presentations, participating in class, and the hijinks of the Kolbe Latin club. 
Episodes that might be helpful: 
Ep 36 Embrace the Fifth Day and Ep 37 Take a Moment with Therese Prudlo 
Ep 59 Mystery Machines with Lauren Hoang (tech support) 
Ep 22 Imagine Being Homeschooled with three Kolbe tenth graders 
Ep 33 Show Your Work with Mrs. Kelly Powers 
Ep 54 Pro Omnibus Contendit with Mrs. Deana Muth 
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast player.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     

59 The Secret Whiteboard

AMDG. When the Kolbe years come to an end, students have big decisions to make. With that in mind, Kolbe’s academic services director, Everett Buyarski, and Erica Treat, who works as an academic advisor at Kolbe, return to the Kolbecast to consider the big picture, the discernment process of a student’s post-Kolbe options, the complexities that accompany that process, and the particulars for crafting noteworthy college applications. 
Resources: 
Links on Kolbe.org: 
transcript request
letter of recommendation request 
advising appointment scheduling
Additional Resources:
Ep 38 Substance Matters 
Ep 40 Windshield Time 
NCAA core course worksheet 
Newman Guide 
secular colleges with great Catholic presence
Newman Connection 
For effortless episode delivery, subscribe to the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast player.   
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.