Kolbecast

15: Asparagus Moments

AMDG. Taking another deep dive into the Kolbe curriculum, we visit with Therese Prudlo, who teaches history and homeroom for Kolbe’s Online Academy. She describes how, by orienting our study of history from the Incarnation, we see evidence of God’s guidance of the universe in its “state of journeying (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it.” (CCC 302). And we discuss how Kolbe’s chosen treasury of primary sources and textbooks with a narrative but rigorously accurate treatment offers Kolbe students a rich and thorough grounding in history with practical applications to everyday life. Therese offers several suggestions for approaching all subjects through the lens of history, including virtual tours, travel, and living history ideas, to underscore the idea that “history is ultimately hope.” 
Virtual tours: 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY) 
The Vatican Museum 
National Gallery of Art 
The Louvre 
Google maps: catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome 
Chartres restoration; article on New Liturgical Movement 
Catechism of the Catholic Church #302 Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created "in a state of journeying" (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection: 
By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made, "reaching mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and ordering all things well". For "all are open and laid bare to his eyes", even those things which are yet to come into existence through the free action of creatures. 
 

14: We Don’t Think Those Words Mean What You Think They Mean

AMDG. In this episode we visit with Nicole O’Connor, veteran Kolbe Academy online instructor of classical subjects, about her experience teaching logic and rhetoric. While the term “rhetoric” can have an untrustworthy connotation in common parlance, Nicole deftly describes how it is a powerful and positive thing when rightly ordered. Similarly, logic is an integral area for both formation of the individual and participation in society—all the way from coherent discussion to computer coding. As two of the three parts of the Trivium (and courses in the Kolbe high school English curriculum), both logic and rhetoric are forces for good that help us relate to each other and convey truth. What could be more noble? 
Have a question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.   

13: The Next Generation

AMDG. In this episode, we kick off Homecoming season with Kolbe 2010 graduate Alex and his wife Alex, herself a Catholic homeschool graduate (and, no, we didn’t have a typo there—they're both named Alex). Mr. Alex discusses his experience as a chemistry major, law student, and Wisconsin Supreme Court judicial clerk, and Mrs. Alex discusses her experience as a pre-nursing student, massage therapist, and seamstress. Together, they’re raising a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and a babe on the way. Do these two homeschool graduates plan to homeschool their children? Listen in and find out! 
Mrs. Alex’s shop 
Have a question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.   
 

12: Phone a Friend

AMDG. Learning disadvantages and special needs are the topics of the day as Dean of Students Celeste Cuellar joins us.  Her background includes teaching every age between preschool and college as well as mental health and career counseling, and she serves Kolbe families by finding ways to meet students’ individual needs. Along the way, Jordan discusses the college professor side of working with students who have learning challenges, Bonnie references a few of the many resources Celeste has compiled, and Hope draws from both C.S. Lewis and Ferris Bueller about the undulations and nervous moments of life.  
Celeste on FB Live 
Understood.org 
Catholic Homeschooling with Dyslexia and Other LDs 
Screwtape Letter 8, read by John Cleese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcXMwlZi8hk  
Susan Barton’s Bright Solutions for Dyslexia 
Have a question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.   

11: Truth, Wisdom, Virtue

AMDG. Everett Buyarski, Kolbe’s Director of Academic Services, joins the crew this episode to discuss Kolbe’s history, mission, and philosophy. He discusses what “classical in content,” “Ignatian in method,” and “principle of subsidiarity” mean in the context of a Kolbe education; describes how the University of Paris in the 1500s and the University of Kansas in the 1970s both directly influence Kolbe’s rigorous curriculum; and turns the tables on Jordan, Bonnie, and Hope, putting each of them on the spot in Socratic form. 
Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages 
Everett’s recent Facebook Live detailing these topics 
What can you do with a degree in Philosophy? Everett’s January 2019 conversation with Jordan 
Have a question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.

10: In the Driver’s Seat

AMDG. Feeling the shine (or enormity) of a new school year wearing off and a sense of "why haven’t we figured this out yet?” setting in? You’re not alone. On Episode 10 of the Kolbecast, Jordan, Bonnie, and Hope talk about how getting into a routine can be elusive but how building the habit of finishing strong is always on the curriculum around here, the concept and execution of mastery as opposed to mechanistic schooling, students’ responsibility to actively participate in acquiring knowledge, what exercises are “essential” versus actually essential, and the importance of not taking things too seriously.  
“As you know, the task of a teacher is not simply to impart information or to provide training in skills intended to deliver some economic benefit to society; education is not and must never be considered as purely utilitarian. It is about forming the human person, equipping him or her to live life to the full – in short it is about imparting wisdom. And true wisdom is inseparable from knowledge of the Creator, for ‘both we and our words are in his hand, as are all understanding and skill in crafts.’ (Wis 7:16).” Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 Address to Teachers and Religious. 
 Jordan’s blog post on ship building - https://blog.kolbe.org/roles-and-models-in-education/ 
Jordan’s blog post on educating at home, especially in these times 
Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich on Goodreads and Bookshop.org 

9: Interview with Kolbe Grad Monnica Prudlo

AMDG.  In Episode 9, we visit with 2019 Kolbe alumna Monnica Prudlo. She regales us with her recollection of writing her student graduation address for the 2019 Kolbe graduation ceremony and reminisces about her Kolbe experience, including how she cultivated friendships by participating in the clubs and talent show, and how her Kolbe formation has helped prepare her for her university studies. Monnica is studying abroad this semester, so we hear about the preparations she’s made for that in light of the pandemic along with what she’s looking forward to while in Rome. She has some words of wisdom for current Kolbe students as well.  
(Hope would like it noted that she misspoke and meant Razumikhin, the noble best friend, instead of Raskolnikov, the nihilistic main character, when she referenced Crime and Punishment). 

8: Great Expectations with Colleen Carroll Campbell

AMDG. Homeschooling is often a magnifying glass for the intersection between our expectations and reality. On today’s episode, award-winning author, journalist, and former presidential speechwriter Colleen Carroll Campbell visits with Bonnie and Hope about spiritual perfectionism and white-knuckling it through what you think you need to do to be holy; the benefits of incorporating the Ignatian examen into your day; guiding children with perfectionist tendencies; and devotion to the Sacred Heart. 
Colleen’s website: https://colleen-campbell.com  
Colleen’s newest book, The Heart of Perfection, now available in paperback: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Heart-of-Perfection/Colleen-Carroll-Campbell/9781982106171  
Sarah Mackenzie’s book, Teaching from Rest: https://readaloudrevival.com/rest/  
Ignatian examen: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Examen-Prayer-Card.pdf