Welcome

This will be an unpopular post. I understand that. To be clear, I don’t really dislike the fun and cute side of little ones dressing up in adorable outfits to parade around to friends’ and family’s houses. I find that to be harmless fun. But perhaps, if you’ll read this entire post, you’ll think just a little differently about the uglier parts of Halloween by the time you reach the end.

Angela Weiss, experienced Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom, pastor's wife, life long learner, and burgeoning scholar, joins us on this episode of our special series on education to talk about how wisdom, virtue, and knowledge intersect and work upon us. She and Katie specifically discuss Charlotte Mason's essay on The Great Recognition, as depicted by the 14th century fresco titled The Triumph of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Allegory of Christian Learning.  It covers the left wall of the Spanish Chapel connected to the Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy and was referred to as the Vaulted Book by John Ruskin. Angela and Katie discuss at great length the immense comfort that comes from remembering that the Lord is the source of all wisdom, so that our children's education depends not upon how much we ourselves know, but on the Holy Spirit guiding and working upon our children as they touch great minds through living books. We hope you'll join us for a fun and wonderfully comforting conversation about the source and nature of true education!

It is easy to expect gifts from neighbors and loved ones as if they are our due. And taking these gifts for granted makes us forget that community must grow naturally from tiny seeds first before it can bear fruit, and just like the time and immense nutrition that tomatoes require to not just grow but turn deep red, community requires a great deal of tending, too, before it bears that fruit.

On this episode of our special series on education, Emily and Katie explore more deeply true education and what Charlotte Mason did for us by working so diligently to preserve the Western tradition of thinking and learning. They discuss the difference between the "why" and the "how" of educating, the importance of synthesis over analysis, and how the child must receive and digest knowledge herself instead of being force fed pieces of information. They dive into a lot more in this episode so don't miss it!

On this episode, Katie and Emily dive into a new series on education. Katie tells the story of her journey through the various worlds of education (Hillsdale, Liberal Arts, Classical Education, etc) and finally begins a brief description of the answers she has just started to find in Charlotte Mason, David Hicks, Karen Glass, Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and others. This is just the introduction...

Here is the truth perceived by Canute and manifested by Jesus on the Sea of Galilee: there is a King and His laws still stand. There is order in this world. Tides come in and go out as usual. Storms rage and storms cease. And none of this is accidental. It’s all carried out by the decrees of the Lord.

While there are no “quick” fixes for our modern educational woes, there is a relatively easy-to-implement pedagogical method that can be used in any number of circumstances. This method is the art of narration. If you have dabbled in the world of Charlotte Mason at all (or perhaps you’ve dived in head first), narration is not a new idea. In fact, it is one of the primary tenets of the Englishwoman’s philosophy of education. Reading about it from her own works or learning about it from Karen Glass in her excellent book Know and Tell will quickly convince you that narration is some kind of magical antidote for our modern educational woes.

In this episode, Katie is joined by Pastor David Kind from University Lutheran Chapel in Minneapolis, MN. They discuss the history of the liturgy from ancient times to today. They cover topics like how certain familiar ceremonial practices developed, why different churches practice the liturgy differently (or not at all), best practices for introducing a congregation to a new (to them) liturgical practice, and - one of Katie's favorite topics - the lectionary. Pastor Kind explains why the new three year lectionary was adopted by many churches and whether that was a good thing or not for the church as a whole. Listen and enjoy!

Emily and Katie discuss the transformational nature of motherhood. It is a new identity given to each woman. It is not easy, but neither is it a burden. The discussion comes to focus on the increasingly negative view of motherhood in America as a tremendous burden and miserable "career"; as a "gauntlet", a torture, and a daunting task. Emily remembers her own similar feelings when early on in motherhood and Katie describes the transformation she experienced when she became a mother and the true nature of motherhood that modernity has all but squashed in women. Enjoy!

A different piece of artwork for each day of the week depicting the Nativity of our Lord and excerpts from the daily readings according to the historic lectionary.

A different piece of artwork for each day of the week depicting the Nativity of our Lord and excerpts from the daily readings according to the historic lectionary.

With the start of Advent, Emily and Katie discuss all sorts of fun and meaningful aspects of the Advent, Christmas, and even Epiphany seasons. They also talk about listening to Handel's Messiah during these seasons and give some details and information about that work as well as a few guides to increase your enjoyment when listening to it. Enjoy!