Today is the FINAL installment of this Learning How to Live Series -- which makes this the END of Season 4! What I tried to do, and hope I accomplished, was take the categories we’ve been discussing these past few weeks and show how they play out in my own life – not because the way I do it is the one right way, but simply because it’s always useful to have an example of how this might work. I hope you find it helpful as we look at different ways to learn in the midst of busy days! Thank you for...
Mar 07, 2019•18 min•Season 4Ep. 35
Today is NOT just a review. Yes, we walk through everything we’ve learned over this huge series and remind ourselves of the amazingly numerous possibilities. But the point isn’t the review – the point is to think of these as categories and then discover what similar options exist for us today. I think you’ll find some real gems to help keep you learning in the midst of your busy days. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Bra...
Feb 28, 2019•16 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Today we begin to end our Learning How to Live series. We’re heading toward application. Before we get too practical, we need to discuss the WHY. Why keep learning? There are some good reasons to learn and some bad or insufficient reasons to learn, and it takes wisdom to know the difference. Listen up for an exploration of the heart of self-education. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on In...
Feb 21, 2019•10 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Today we continue with our Learning How to Live series. Up until this point, we’ve mostly talked about things that can be done privately – reading books and magazines and such. This time, we take a look at communal activities like meetings and conferences. There’s some information here that you won’t want to miss! *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthin...
Feb 14, 2019•9 min•Season 4Ep. 32
Today we continue with our Learning How to Live series by discussing magazines and the part they played in the education of Charlotte Mason’s parents and teachers. Do you think magazines can play a part today? Is there anything else that might be similar? Listen up to find out! *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Feb 08, 2019•9 min•Season 4Ep. 31
Today, we take a look at something called Mother Culture. If you found the idea of a Mothers’ Education Course, which we talked about in Episodes 27 and 28, overwhelming, this is the solution for you. Make sure you listen to the end so you hear all about the freebie tracker I offer that makes Mother Culture even more fun. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To get your Mother Culture Habit Tracker, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Fa...
Jan 31, 2019•10 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Today, I’m interrupting our Charlotte Mason series to bring you this season’s special conversation. Brittney McGann is back with me today; I hope you recognize her from last season . Brittney has been studying Charlotte Mason for over seven years. Mason’s philosophy embodies all the things Brittney loved about her own upbringing and everything she would have wished for in her education, had she known it was possible. Brittney hosted the Grace to Build Retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina fo...
Jan 24, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Today’s episode is our second on Charlotte Mason’s Mothers’ Education Course. If you recall, last episode we talked about the HISTORY of the course. This time, we’re looking at the content of the course and also asking a few questions about what it’d look like to build a course for today’s mothers. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jan 17, 2019•10 min•Season 4Ep. 28
Are you ready to take a look at Charlotte Mason’s Mothers’ Education Course? Before we talk content, we need to know our history, and I think you’ll find this lesson particularly interesting. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jan 10, 2019•11 min•Season 4Ep. 27
Today’s episode is super short, but still worth hearing. We briefly speculate on what lectures at Miss mason’s college might have contained, and generally take one last look around at life at Ambleside. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jan 03, 2019•7 min•Season 4Ep. 26
In today’s installment of our Learning How To Live series, we take a close look at what it was like for the students who went to Ambleside and studied under Charlotte Mason. Have you ever wondered what it was like for a governess at the training school? Stay tuned to find out! *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Dec 28, 2018•12 min•Season 4Ep. 25
Today, we're taking a look at Charlotte Mason’s personal habits. She was quite the well-read lady, and it turns out this didn’t happen by accident. Let’s check out what Miss Mason did and think about how we can make better choices with our time. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Dec 20, 2018•10 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Welcome to Season 4 of AfterCast! I'm so glad you're here! Today, we're kicking off a new series of episodes. This whole season is going to have one focus: continuing our education as homeschool teachers. To think about that, we're going to discuss all the ways Charlotte Mason and her comrades continued their educations. But first, we need to start at the beginning: what does it mean to have the heart of Charlotte Mason teacher? How does a Charlotte Mason teacher flourish? Listen to find out! **...
Dec 13, 2018•9 min•Season 4Ep. 23
For this final episode of the season, we’re tackling some tough questions: why are names like classical education and great conversation so difficult to define? Is Charlotte Mason for everyone ? And what does it mean to duplicate a tradition in a living way? *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Sep 06, 2018•11 min•Season 3Ep. 22
In a Charlotte Mason education, there is no specialization. All students are to study all subjects. The question is WHY? Today, we’re going to take a look at some possible reasons using Socrates, Aristotle, MBTI, and some lesson Miss Mason teaches us in her book Formation of Character. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Aug 23, 2018•13 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Today’s episode is a crossover episode with the Charlotte Mason Poetry Podcast , and I’m chatting with CMP’s very own Brittney McGann! Brittney and I read the book Bandersnatch together – it was an excellent read (I highly recommend it) and a great place to start for a conversation about conflict in community. Join us today as we learn lessons from how the Inklings succeeded … and also failed ... and learn from them about building a healthy community. *** To access the posts and show notes for t...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 20
So, you figured out something is wrong with your homeschool. Good. The question is what to do next. A lot of us find it paralyzing to discover our imperfections. Today, we’re devising an action plan to get moving. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jul 26, 2018•9 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Charlotte Mason prescribe a “broad and generous education” for her students. For a variety of reasons, this can be a daunting task. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest obstacles to implementing this sort of education: OURSELVES. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jul 12, 2018•11 min•Season 3Ep. 18
If you’re thinking that because Charlotte Mason prescribed short lessons, this means your high schooler should only do 20 minutes of math, you’re thinking wrong! Today, we’re doing a deep dive into what we mean when we say “short lessons.” *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jun 29, 2018•11 min•Season 3Ep. 17
It’s easy to say that our children should read hard books, but what does that look like in practice? Do we just throw them into the deep end and hope for the best? No! There’s actually a lot we can do to help, which is our topic for today. *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Jun 14, 2018•17 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Are you feeling the pressure to change things in your homeschool because there are new, hip curricula on the market? Or maybe it's the opposite -- you're tempted to hang on to something that isn't really working? Either way, this episode is for you! *** To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
May 31, 2018•11 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Is YOUR child reading a hard book right now? Is he really struggling? Is your mommy heart going out to him, tempting you to let him drop the book? It’s completely normal to feel this way… BUT … before you let him drop the book, let’s think through the situation a bit. Sometimes, we need to drop a book. But lots of times, we don’t. It takes wisdom to know the difference. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Fi...
Dec 07, 2017•11 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Children are born persons. — Charlotte Mason’s First Principle of Education In today's episode, we're digging deeply into this principle. What does it mean? What are its limitations? How do we apply (or misapply) this principle? To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Nov 09, 2017•12 min•Season 2Ep. 13
I received a couple questions recently regarding AmblesideOnline , Charlotte Mason, the teaching of history, memorization of timelines, and more that made me think of conversations I've had in the past with Karen Glass. I decided to use them as an excuse to have a conversation with her and record it for AfterCast. That's what I'm presenting to you today. Karen Glass, if you aren't familiar with her, is the author of Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition , and also the brain ...
Oct 05, 2017•55 min
Today's episode discusses something I picked up in Charlotte Mason's book, Home Education ... that IDEAS are the food of the MIND. What are the implications of this? What about when children are limited in their ability to read and discover ideas for themselves? How does this change the way that we treat our children? To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthin...
Sep 21, 2017•11 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Today's episode isn't about homeschooling, unless you count the fact that it's part of my series, The Low-Energy Mom's Guide to Homeschooling. Life continues, even though we're homeschooling, and sometimes life gets ugly. Let's talk about why that is. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!...
Sep 14, 2017•11 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In today’s episode, I have a bit of debate with a chapter in Clark and Jain’s book, The Liberal Arts Tradition. I love what they said in terms of philosophy, but I don’t think they took the practical implementation of their philosophy nearly far enough. I tried to provide what I think is a helpful push in the right direction. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, click here . To support the show, click here . Find Brandy on Facebook. Find Brandy on Instagram. Thanks for being an A...
Aug 31, 2017•14 min•Season 2Ep. 10
If you feel like you’re messing up your Charlotte Mason homeschool, the first thing you need to know is that you’re not alone. Returning to our basic principles – and remembering that principles and practices are not always the same thing – can help us focus on what matters most. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast. To support the show, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/donate. To find Brandy on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog. Th...
Aug 24, 2017•13 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Homeschooling has a lot of side-benefits, as you probably know. These benefits aren’t reasons to homeschool, but they are good things nonetheless. We could talk about how children are able to get more sleep or have more free time. But are these the BEST kept secret? Nope. The best kept secret benefits US – the teachers – not the children. What is it? Keep listening and you’ll find out. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast. To support the show, ...
Aug 17, 2017•12 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Why we don't need to rearrange the entire curriculum just because Johnny hates something on the day's agenda ... with some help from Aristotle via C.S. Lewis. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast. To support the show, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/donate. To find Brandy on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!
Feb 16, 2017•11 min•Season 1Ep. 7
