We will be back next week with a new episode! In the meantime, enjoy this re-release of our episode featuring Dr. Anika Prather. Show notes: Dr. Prather’s Website Dr. Anika's Suggested Authors to Include in Your Study of the Cannon: Octavia Butler Anna Julia Cooper James Baldwin Martin Luther King Corretta Scott King Ralph Ellison Richard Wright Alain Locke Langston Hughes Carter G. Woodson Other Harlem Renaissance Author (00:00) - Intro with Dr. Anika Prather (02:22) - Is there Eurocentrism in ...
Aug 13, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 9
CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions for a chance to be featured on the final episode of this season! In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Dr. Melanie Wilson who has her own podcast for homeschoolers, The Homeschool Sanity Show . She also sells curricula and homeschool tools at Fun to Learn Books . A book that inspired Melanie: A Field Guide to Homeschooling by Christine Field The Fly Lady website! (00:00) - Intro with Dr. Melanie Wilson (...
Jul 30, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 8
CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions for a chance to be featured on the final episode of this season! In this episode, Susan and Susanna chat with Rachel from Seven In All on YouTube! Check out Rachel's YouTube Channel here. She also has her own curriculum and resources available here . (00:00) - Intro with Rachel (02:19) - Rachel's history and experience with homeschooling (08:29) - One thing to be thankful for (11:07) - What works and what doesn't (15:49) - Break ...
Jul 23, 2025•35 min•Season 4Ep. 7
CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions! In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview three homeschool veteran moms who also happen to be members of our incredible customer service team here at The Well-Trained Mind Press! 1. Kat discovered homeschooling through the writing of early homeschool thought leader John Holt. Check out his organization and books here . 2. TedXTalk on renaming postpartum depression recommended by Susanna 2. Articles on the l...
Jul 16, 2025•56 min•Season 4Ep. 6
On this episode, we have two guests, Nathan Otto and Shelby Otto. Nathan and Shelby are homeschool graduates who are both doing amazing work in the sciences. We talk about homeschooling and sibling relationships, community college, and pursuing passions that your parents (and educators) don't have expertise in. CONTRIBUTE your own response to this episode's interview questions for a chance to be featured on the final episode of this season! (00:00) - Intro with Nathan and Shelby Otto! (03:16) - ...
Jul 09, 2025•39 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Heather Quintero, an early homeschool graduate and homeschool veteran parent. Heather shares her inspiring, and sometimes hilarious, experiences and joins us for a discussion on the importance of allowing your children to fail. (00:00) - Intro with Heather Quintero (00:43) - Heather's homeschool history (14:45) - Journey from then to now (18:38) - Decision to homeschool her own kids (25:39) - Break (26:32) - Homeschool doesn't have ...
Jul 02, 2025•50 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode, we’re joined by Julie Bogart, author and creator of the Brave Writer curriculum. Julie shares laughter, insights, and hard-won wisdom from her years of homeschooling five children. Find Julie Bogart's curriculum at bravewriter.com and her author website at juliebogartwriter.com . Check out her latest book: Help! My Kid Hates Writing: How to Turn Struggling Students into Brave Writers ! And if you enjoyed this conversation, check out The Brave Writer Podcast —we highly recommend ...
Jun 25, 2025•52 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett interview Susan’s son, Chris Bauer, for the inside scoop on what it was like to be homeschooled by the author of The Well-Trained Mind . As promised, here is the "Daniel fingers!" blog post Chris mentions. At 50:53 Susan mentions her history growing up in a fundamentalist cult, for more on her story check out Season 1, Episode 1: Our Education Journeys, or Season 4, Episode 1: Honest Reflections on My Homeschool Experience w. Susan Wise Bauer...
Jun 18, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer shares an honest reflection on her journey—from being homeschooled herself to becoming a homeschool parent and a leading voice in the homeschooling community. As promised in the episode, here is the link to Susan's blog posts about daily life homeschooling four young children! (00:00) - Welcome to season 4! (01:53) - Susan's homeschooling story (13:28) - Susan's decision to homeschool (20:50) - Break (23:03) - The use of "Classical Education" (25:09) - Managing ...
Jun 11, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett finish their discussion about college admissions for homeschoolers with two homeschool college admissions experts, Holly Ramsey and Michele Evard. Holly Ramsey’s Website Michele Evard’s Website Holly and Michele’s Book (Use promo code: HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% off the book and everything else College UnMazed sells) Show Notes: 2:06 Holly recommends Georgia Tech’s college admissions blog for ALL families in the college admissions process, regardle...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss what NOT to do when navigating the college admissions process as a homeschool family. They are joined by two educational consultants and college admissions experts, Holly Ramsey and Michele Evard. Show Notes: Holly Ramsey’s Website Michele Evard’s Website Holly and Michele’s Book (Use promo code: HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% off the book and everything else College UnMazed sells) Links mentioned: 3:42: Independent Educational Consultants Asso...
Nov 06, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this short bonus episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett talk to one of our amazing listeners, Kim! Kim shares an important personal story and a correction to our previous statement about IQ testing. Where to find Kim: Blog: www.kimrankin.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoldMyWords Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holdmywords/...
Nov 01, 2024•15 min
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett are joined by Dr. Julia Collier and Sandra Amoroso from the Well-Trained Mind Academy to talk all things standardized testing. Show Notes: Resources for end-of-year testing: Seton Testing Susan’s book: Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education Yearly Testing: How to Do It by Susan Wise Bauer Resources for SAT and ACT Testing (college admissions tests): CollegeBoard Yes, standardized testing is coming back to college admi...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett are joined by Well-Trained Mind Press editor Justin Moore to talk through the quirkier questions we receive at Well-Trained Mind Press. Justin’s movie recommendation: The Magnificent Seven (the 1960 version!) Resources for Planning your own Homeschool Plan: Well-Trained Mind Recommendations Portal Well-Trained Mind Learning Services FAQ answer to this question FAQ Section on our Website (00:00) - Intro with Justin Moore (05:55) - Questions no...
Oct 23, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Julie Bogart’s Books: The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning and Life Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age Becoming a Critical Thinker: A Workbook to Help Students Think Well in the Age of Disinformation Julie’s Secular Devotionals: A Gracious Space Julie’s Other Reading Recommendations: How to Really Love Your Child by Ross Campbell The Well-Trained Mind: Essential Edition by Susan Wise Bauer Drawing on the Right Side of ...
Oct 16, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Be encouraged! Nobody gets it right all the time. In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett share hilarious homeschool "fails" from our wonderful listeners. Click here for a link to our Facebook Post with more homeschool fails (some have pictures)! On this episode of the podcast we briefly discuss Hurricane Helene. If you are able and willing to support ongoing disaster relief efforts, consider donating to World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/ (00:00) - Intro (00:56) - Consider don...
Oct 09, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Technology Reading List: Marshall McLuhan The Medium is the Message The Global Village The Gutenberg Galaxy Understanding Media Neil Postman Amusing Ourselves to Death Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology Ray Kurzwell The Age of Spirtual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence Kirkpatrick Sale Rebels Against The Future: The Luddites And Their War On The Industrial Revolution: Lessons For The Computer Age Paperback Articles Mentioned in the Episode: Mayo Clinic Article on...
Oct 02, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Jean Lee’s website and Instagram Midwest Homeshool Expo Tell us about your funniest homeschool fail: https://www.speakpipe.com/MoreHomeschoolFails . We may feature it in an upcoming episode! Or email your homeschool fail to us at podcast@welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Intro with Jean Lee (01:52) - Faith-based vs. secular homeschool education (12:02) - Other secular curricula (19:33) - Break (20:42) - Misunderstandings about secular/faith-based homeschoolers (30:05) - Positive and negative reacti...
Sep 25, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Interview with WaPo Journalist Peter Jamison: NPR Fresh Air: Homeschooling is surging, but lax regulation can leave kids vulnerable to abuse, January 18th, 2024 The Report Susanna Mentioned: Report on Mathew Tirado Learn about becoming a Guardian Ad Litem or Child Appointed Special Advocate in Your State Tell us about your funniest homeschool fail! We may feature it in an upcoming episode! https://www.speakpipe.com/HomeschoolFails (00:00) - Homeschool fails (00:42) - Intro with Terrence Massey (...
Sep 18, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett debunk some of the most popular myths about how the brain works. If you take a sip of coffee every time Susanna says “pigeon-hole” throughout this episode, you will end up well caffeinated for the day! We encourage you to look up these neuromyths on your own! Below are just a few articles (and a video) to start your research: Show Notes: Research: Persistence of Neuromyths in Educational Settings Myth 1: News Article: Right brain/left brain, ...
Sep 11, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Guiding Principles: Gretchen Ronnevik Quote We LOVE: “When I taught classical writing to teens, there's an element to formal rhetoric called "refutation" where you address the arguments opposed to your thesis. In refutation, it's important to present the arguments of your opponents in a way that they would feel well represented, so that you can talk about where they are wrong in their argument, point by point, instead of resorting to ad hominem attacks, or misrepresentation. In classical rhetori...
Sep 04, 2024•54 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Here is a link to the standarized test that Susan recommended for students coming into classical education or homeschooling “late”: California Achievement Test (CAT) (00:00) - Intro (00:55) - Reaction to WTM not being "classical enough"? (06:21) - How to teach several ages at once? (14:48) - Logistics of simultaneous at-home and in-school education (21:02) - How to keep the energy up after graduating kids? (28:16) - Confronting the decline of vocabulary (32:40) - How to transition from Kindergar...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Here are all the curricula we talk about in the episode, so you can check them out for yourself: Elemental Science Real Science Odyssey Nancy Larson Science Blossom and Root Scientific Connections Through Inquiry Online Courses/ Well-Trained Mind Academy Elemental Science (CK12) Build Your Library CK12 Foundation Centripetal Science (00:00) - Intro with Courtney Ostaff (01:17) - The goals of a science curriculum (24:17) - Searching for the perfect homeschool science curriculum (28:11) - Elementa...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 11
What About Socialization? Via Well-Trained Mind VIDEO: Should I Join a Homeschool Co-Op? Recommended Book: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Susan's Book: Rethinking School (00:00) - Intro (01:44) - How to prepare for the Outside Gaze (03:27) - Peer pressure when homeschooling (13:06) - What is your "Why"? (22:57) - Homeschooling groups and co-ops (33:10) - What about socialization? (48:09) - Stay true to yourself (49:35) - Outro...
Jun 05, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Check out Kate Snow's Website: https://kateshomeschoolmath.com/ ! You can purchase Kate's curricula, Math with Confidence and Facts that Stick on our website, welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Check out 4th Grade Math with Confidence! (00:25) - Intro with Kate Snow (02:28) - Kate's background (06:30) - The problems with math curriculum (12:23) - Ripping apart Saxon (15:34) - Conceptual math vs procedural (20:06) - Break (20:55) - Math You See & manipulatives (30:44) - Math with Confidence (34:3...
May 29, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Summary: In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss how a classical education prepares students for university education and what adjustments may need to be made to ensure your student is a competitive applicant. Show Notes: Recommendations for transcript creators A Sample High School Transcript Assigning High School Credit Hours by Susan Wise Bauer Tests We Discuss: SAT website ACT website CLT exam AP exams CLEP exams Timestamps: (00:00) - Intro (01:31) - Starting off with a ...
May 22, 2024•59 min
ANNOUNCEMENT: We will record a Q&A episode at the end of this season. If you have questions for Susan or Susanna, send them to podcast@welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Intro (01:25) - Defining "burnout" (06:02) - Burnout is normal (15:19) - When to ask for help (18:43) - Susan's story of burnout (21:34) - Break (22:19) - Dealing with burnout (31:50) - What to do next (48:34) - Outro...
May 15, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Clarification on online class types: Live = Students attend video call classes at a set time. During class they can interact with their instructor and peers. They may complete additional coursework on their own, but must submit it by a particular deadline. Asynch = Students watch video instruction on their own. There are no set meeting times. They may or may not have deadlines for coursework. Delayed (unique to WTM Academy) = Students can watch lectures on their own time (within 24hrs of the liv...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 7
German: Goethe Institute Spanish: Instituto Cervantes French: Alliance Francaise Well-Trained Mind Academy Beth Gibbons – singing Penderecki/Gorecki Symphony #3 ANNOUNCEMENT: We will record a Q&A episode at the end of this season. If you have questions for Susan or Susanna, send them to podcast@welltrainedmind.com. (00:00) - Intro with Elizabeth Weber-Edwards (01:59) - A brief introduction to learned languages (08:15) - How do you learn languages? (14:06) - Some principles for choosing a way...
May 01, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Show notes: What is History? How andWhy Should I Teach It by Susan Wise Bauer Why Learn History When it’s Already on Your Phone? By Sam Wineburg Sam Wineburg for CBS Research on middle schoolers ability to interpret information on the internet A helpful introduction to teaching historical thinking skills Resources for Teaching History: The Big History Project (skills taught: contextualization, sourcing, causation, comparison, continuity & change over time, close reading) Digital Inquiry Grou...
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 5
