Kolbecast

86 Magdalen College, the Rivendell of the Newman Guide

AMDG.  To flourish as a human being is to think well, love well, discern well, work well with others, and so much more.  Today, Magdalen College president Dr. Ryan Messmore joins Bonnie and Steven to discuss how Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in Warner, New Hampshire, provides an atmosphere where every day is designed to shape young people to do just that.  Dr. Messmore describes the blend of new and old, fresh and classic, that guides students as they wrestle with the biggest ideas in the world.  The group also discusses the role of trust in education, the idea that community life is the most powerful mode of transforming education, and the telos of the human being.  As a bonus, listen in to find out which Kolbe teacher recently built a homemade Zamboni.
Links mentioned and helpful:
Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Magdalen College’s podcast From the Summit
Dr. Messmore interviews Jordan about When the Earth Was Flat
Dr. Jordan Almanzar’s custom Zamboni can be seen on the Magdalen College Facebook page (scroll to the post of 13 Jan 2022).
Dr. Messmore’s introduction on the Magdalen College podcast From the Summit
Kolbecast Episode 28 A Pessimist with Hope featuring Dr. Anthony Esolen
Cardinal Newman Society feature on Magdalen College
Kolbe Academy’s College Partners
Other Life after Kolbe episodes:
Episodes 39 Reclaiming the Territory and 40 Windshield Time with Dr. Don Prudlo
Episode 59 The Secret Whiteboard with Everett Buyarski and Erica Treat
Episode 77 The Road Less Traveled with Celeste Cuellar
Episode 84 The Essence of Catholic Education with Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society
Episode 85 Vibrant Campus Ministries
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    
 

85 Vibrant Campus Ministries

AMDG. Our Life after Kolbe series continues as Steven and Bonnie hear from Mark Knox, campus minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, Texas; Monica Conrow, a Kolbe homeschooling mom and youth minister in Oregon; and Elise Athman, another Kolbe mom and former FOCUS missionary, about the vibrant Catholic student ministries on a growing number of state and secular campuses. In the spirit of Cardinal John Henry Newman, whom we encountered in last week’s episode, these campus ministries are reaching out to students, giving them places to call home away from home in more ways than one, and accompanying them on their walk into adulthood. The group also addresses concerns families may have about state or secular colleges and the potential detrimental effects on the faith life of the students attending; speaks to the fear factor that is a common experience of many families at this juncture; and offers suggestions for ways to identify dynamic Newman Centers as part of the college search.
 
Links mentioned and helpful:
50 Best College Newman Centers (Best College Reviews)
Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, Texas
The Newman Center at Oregon State University
John’s Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Arizona State University’s partnership with U Mary, a Newman Guide school
FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students
 
Other Life after Kolbe episodes:
Episode 59 The Secret Whiteboard with Everett Buyarski and Erica Treat
Episode 40 Windshield Time with Dr. Don Prudlo
Episode 77 The Road Less Traveled with Celeste Cuellar
Episode 84 The Essence of Catholic Education with Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society
 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    

84 The Essence of Catholic Education with Patrick Reilly

AMDG.  The fundamental question of defining education is one of our favorite and most frequent topics.  Today, president and founder of the Cardinal Newman Society, Patrick Reilly, joins Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan to discuss education beyond the K-12 years.  Patrick proposes the idea of education as a window into God’s mind and explains how this perspective—along with a healthy dose of frustration—led him to look deeply at the state of Catholic education at the college level.  He also elucidates some the difference between Newman Guide schools and schools with Newman Centers (stay tuned for an upcoming episode on the latter).
Links mentioned and helpful:
Cardinal Newman Society, publisher of The Newman Guide
Playlist of presentations at Kolbe’s Virtual College Fair Oct 2021, including Patrick Reilly’s Keynote Address
 
related Kolbecast episodes
Episode 59 The Secret Whiteboard with Everett Buyarski and Erica Treat
Episode 40 Windshield Time with Dr. Don Prudlo
Episode 77 The Road Less Traveled with Celeste Cuellar
 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    
 

83 This Is Only a Test

AMDG.  The words “standardized testing” may induce anxiety in parents and students alike, but today’s episode is all about a calm and competent approach. Jon & Chris Bates join Bonnie, Steven, and Steven’s wife Maggie to speak with experience as both homeschool parents and academic advisors. The group discusses why and what to test, paper and online options, and the information that testing can and cannot highlight. They also touch on environmental considerations for testing, how to navigate and mitigate student panic over tests, and how to approach test scores as a healthy assessment tool while keeping your unique students in mind.
Links mentioned and helpful:
Kolbe Academy’s testing services
Episode 62 Due Diligence with Darren Jones of the Home School Legal Defense Association
Episode 68 Grace for the Nitty Gritty with Celeste Cuellar and Ashley Massey
Episode 80 The Journey That Is with Margaret Walsh of Secret Garden Educational Pathways
Episode 31 Veteran Homeschoolers – the Kolbecast debut of Jon and Chris Bates
Episode 47 Among the Pots and Pans with Chris Bates and Kelly Powers
Episode 50 Cast Party
 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    

82 Move and Groove

AMDG. Last week’s elementary school tour continues today with meeting two of Kolbe’s lower elementary teachers, Eileen Duryea and Sarah Lee.  These ladies share their expertise and enthusiasm for teaching Kindergarten through second grade students in Kolbe’s unique hybrid platform. They explain how limited online time and plentiful movement keep students physically and mentally engaged, how they foster fine motor development and a love of reading, and how parent involvement is a crucial component for success.
Links mentioned and related:
Kolbecast Episode 81: The When and the How of Online Elementary with 3 teachers from Kolbe’s upper elementary online program
Classical Education in the Elementary Years, a presentation by Sarah Foulkes during Catholic Schools Week 2021
The Classical Approach at Kolbe Academy, a webinar hosted by Nicole O’Connor, director of the Online Elementary Program
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    

81 The When and the How of Online Elementary

AMDG.  Tour the metaphorical halls of Kolbe’s elementary program today with teachers Sarah Foulkes, Anna Havens, and Emily Thibodeaux.  These ladies discuss with Bonnie and Steven the practicalities of the parent-teacher partnership that helps young students thrive.  From the hybrid combination of homeschooling and online education to the highlights of what the Kolbe elementary program is and is not, the discussion is a microcosm of Kolbe’s ancient and cutting-edge approach.
Links mentioned and related:
Classical Education in the Elementary Years, a presentation by Mrs. Foulkes during Catholic Schools Week 2021
Ep 7 Et Tu, Iordane? in which the newly-launched online elementary program is discussed
Ep 61 Middle Ground
Ep 70 First Draft: A Parent In-Service discusses rubrics, which Mrs. Thibodeaux mentions among her suggestions
The Classical Approach at Kolbe Academy, a webinar hosted by Nicole O’Connor, director of the Online Elementary Program
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    

80 The Journey That Is

AMDG.  What causes a learning disability or difficulty and how can we help a student exercise that part of their mind?  Margaret Walsh of Secret Garden Educational Pathways joins Bonnie and Steven today to discuss the Ignatian idea of cura personalis, or care of the whole person, in the context of special education.  Margaret shares how she draws on both her liberal arts degree from Thomas Aquinas College and her advanced specialized training in special ed to provide accessible support through remediation and education therapy.   Topics touched on today include strengthening students’ capabilities, the 13 categories of learning needs, how to distinguish diagnosable struggles from emotional immaturity or stubbornness, and the hesitance and stigma surrounding diagnoses.
 
Links referenced:
Secret Garden Educational Pathways, Margaret’s company
Margaret’s Facebook Friday presentation
org, which Margaret says is “an amazing resource for easy reading and exploring different struggles, symptoms, testing questions, etc. for families to use. Their platform and website is far easier to follow than many other "special education" websites.” Articles on that Margaret selected to go with this episode:
How to Get a Free or Low-Cost Evaluation for Your Child
The Difference between Tutors and Educational Therapists
13 different IDEA disabilities
https://www.mindware.orientaltrading.com/, according to Margaret, “has some great games to use to build skills. Often the students don't even realize they are doing something challenging, because they are more focused on the game.”
Kolbecast Ep 68 Grace for the Nitty Gritty with Kolbe advisors Ashley Massey and Celeste Cuellar
Kolbecast Ep 74 Special Teams: Kolbe Dads, during which Greg Simia recommends Margaret’s services
Kolbe's Special Needs Support 
 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.    

79 Doors to Your Memories

AMDG.  A familiar voice rejoins Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan today: Bonnie’s sister Hope, originally one of the relaunched Kolbecast’s co-hosts and now a frequent behind-the-scenes collaborator.  As the quartet gathers in the space between the old year and the new, we hear about Jordan’s newly published book and Hope’s introduction to Kolbe, as well as the long slow road of conversion and the significance of routines.
Referenced in this episode:
Jordan’s book When the Earth Was Flat
The Screwtape Letters
Kolbecast Episode 7 Et Tu, Iordane?
 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
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.