Kolbecast

143 Partners in a Liberal Arts Renewal with CLT’s Soren Schwab

AMDG.  The harmony between education’s tangible and intangible features is our focus today as Soren Schwab of the Classic Learning Test joins us.  Soren shares some comparisons and contrasts between German and American education, discusses the hyper-specialization seen in some modern education, touches on the concept of school choice, and describes how the infrastructure to support and provide classical education has grown in the past decade.  He also highlights the proper relationship with standards or metrics as part of education.
Links mentioned:
Kolbe’s Dr. Jordan Almanzar on CLT’s Anchored podcast
Return to the Classics and The K-12 Education Renaissance by CLT founder Jeremy Tate
Information about the new CLT exams for grades 3-6
Relevant Kolbecast episodes:
120 Substance Matters with CLT founder Jeremy Tate
127 Forging a Path with Kimberly Farley, CLT’s Director of Homeschool Partnerships
83 This Is Only a Test with Kolbe testing specialists Jon and Chris Bates and curriculum director Maggie Hayden
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

142 Kolbe Kiwis

AMDG.  Visit the Southern Hemisphere with us today as we get to know Mieke Byerley, a Kolbe alumna and homeschooling mother with a Dutch background and 30 years of residence in New Zealand. Mieke shares her experience transitioning to homeschooling as a high school student, including the conflict she had with her parents at first and the way her perspective has changed in the time since.  She describes how homeschooling fosters the ability to make sense of things that aren’t at all apparent at first sight, builds a systems thinking perspective, and offers opportunities for failure and experimentation.  She also discusses her husband’s initial reluctance to homeschool, the mutual symbiosis of learning and growth, and the logistics of homeschooling in a different country with a different calendar from a curriculum provider like Kolbe.
Relevant Kolbecast episodes
35 An Atmosphere of Opportunity with Kolbe mom Carola in Spain
104 World Tour of Homeschooling with Kolbe moms Amy in Nigeria and Ria in the Philippines
107 Wander & Wonder with Nikki in Germany and Vanessa in her RV
103 Above and Beyond with Kolbe bookstore manager Nancy Nelson
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

141 From Homeschooling to The Night Train with Peter Atkinson of The Merry Beggars

AMDG. Who am I, what is excellence, and what am I called to do here? These are three foundational questions here at Kolbe. Today homeschool graduate and entertainment professional Peter Atkinson of Relevant Radio’s The Merry Beggars visits with Bonnie and Steven about his experience, his calling, and his direction. Peter shares how growing up homeschooled nurtured him an atmosphere of creativity, discovery, and wonder; what his college transition was like; and how he lives out his wonder and love of education today as a young husband, father, and professional. Turning to his current projects with The Merry Beggars, Peter reflects on the danger of measuring success by external accomplishments, the unexpected road of divine providence, and his focus on inspiring lives of virtue and showing families that virtue is lively. 
 
Links mentioned and relevant:
https://www.onthenighttrain.com/
Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death
Kolbecast ep 49 Revealed through Story with Joseph Pearce
Aardman Studios, creators of Wallace & Gromit
 
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

140 Burnout Happens

AMDG.  After making the choice to homeschool, it can be difficult to admit when hard days arrive.  After all, we signed up for this, right?  It’s easy to forget that every road comes with bumps and leads to blisters sometimes.  As the school year stretches on and the excitement of the holidays dissipates, Therese Prudlo, Amanda Hayes, and Krysten Pizzurro share their experiences with burnout: what it is, what it feels like, what it tells us we need, and what can make it better.  The group discusses ways to address and mitigate burnout, the reassurance of community and vulnerability, the importance of asking for help when you need it, and the power of silence and rest.
Related Kolbecast episodes:
61 Middle Ground with Amanda Hayes and Alex Pischke
124 In This Together and 125 Call the Advisor with Krysten Pizzurro, Karen Allgood, and Erica Treat
36 Embrace the Fifth Day and 37 Take a Moment with Therese Prudlo
29 The February Staredown
Other resources:
This blog post about mottoes might be helpful right about now.
Schedule a call with your Kolbe advisor.
How to connect with Kolbe families via the Schoology directory
org Help Center
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

139 Glorifying God through Film with Daniel Bielinski

AMDG.  Storytelling is foundational to the human experience, and the more new media develop, the more options are available for families to select from.  Today filmmaker, homeschooling dad, MFA graduate of Columbia University, and chair of the dramatic arts department at the University of Mary Daniel Bielinski joins the Kolbecast to talk about making films that celebrate faith, perseverance, courage, grit, and redemption.  He describes his focus on telling good stories from the get-go and creating projects which are intrinsically Catholic but not preachy or stereotypical.  He also shares his perspective on approaching big questions and difficult matters of being human.  Together, the group discusses the daily unglamorous work that goes into grand productions—from movies to parenting.
Mentioned in this episode:
Canticle Productions
Kolbecast ep 123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James Shea
How to watch Sanctified as part of Kolbe’s Catholic Schools Week financial aid fundraiser
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

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