Just let boys be boys! In this episode, Robert talks with Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA. Trail Life is a Christ-centered, outdoor adventure program that teaches young men biblical values and outdoor skills through character and leadership development. Here, Mark describes how Trail Life stands out among other outdoor adventure programs by being Christ-focused, the three things boys need to give them a sense of fulfillment in life, and how dads’ relationships with their sons have been strengthened through participating in Trail Life troops. After his conversation with Mark, Robert takes a sobering look at the increase in suicidal thoughts among teen girls and, in the “Classical Crypto” segment, provides an overview of the token ATOM by Cosmos.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/mark-hancock

How can we improve our ability to anticipate and resolve relational conflicts? In episode 37, Robert speaks with Ken Sande, the founder of Peacemaker Ministries and Relational Wisdom 360 (RW360). Over the course of his career as a lawyer and professional mediator, Ken has mediated hundreds of conflicts in familial, business, church, and legal settings. Classical Conversations® Challenge B families should be especially excited to hear this episode because Ken is also the author of the bestselling book The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Conflict, a recommended resource for parents of students enrolled in our Challenge B program. Here, Ken discusses ways to improve our relational wisdom and peacemaking skills so that we can better love one another. After the interview, Robert uses the fifteen classical tools to analyze students’ low math and reading proficiencies and then introduces two proposed bills that could ban the U.S. government from creating its own central bank digital currency (CBDC).

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/ken-sande

Dr. Jennifer Murff’s career is one defined by leadership. In this episode, Robert talks with Jenn about her work as President and CEO of the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) Leadership Center, an organization that equips Christian leaders throughout the MENA region with the skills to share the gospel successfully. Jenn also relates the cultural and religious challenges she and her organization face in the MENA region, how she was drawn to a career in leadership, balancing a full-time career while homeschooling, and the ways she encourages her own children to develop leadership skills. Finally, she shares a story of God’s love and faithfulness as her church and local community supported her through a recent and serious surgery. After the interview, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to analyze the Chinese spy balloon incident, and Will takes a quick look into the SEC’s attack on crypto stablecoins.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/jennifer-murff

Readers and writers—this is a must-listen episode! Robert sits down with Jennifer Courtney, the Global Curriculum Director for Classical Conversations Multi-Media (CCMM), the publishing company of all Classical Conversations® curriculum. In various roles at CCMM, Jennifer has written a variety of books and resources, including Classical Christian Education Made Approachable, the Essentials Curriculum, Fifth Edition, and many books in the Copper Lodge Library series. Among other points of conversation, Jennifer discusses the challenges of preserving the truth and beauty of work when translating it into another language, what’s involved in the process of writing a new curriculum, writing about classical, Christian homeschooling from a Los Angeles hotel, what makes a book a “classic,” how she discovers new books, and what books she is reading currently. Plus, in the “Current Events Discussion,” Robert discusses ESG investing, and in “Classical Crypto,” Will talks about the emerging cryptocurrency HBAR.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/jennifer-courtney

What challenges do black homeschool families face in America? In this episode, Joyce Burges, CEO and co-founder of the National Black Home Educators (NBHE), joins Robert to discuss how her organization helps to make homeschooling more accessible for black families. Aside from leading NBHE, Joyce is also an experienced homeschool mom of over thirty years, a national speaker and advocate for topics like education and family, and the author of several books including Teach Me How to Teach My Child. In addition to discussing NBHE, Joyce talks about what it was like starting to homeschool over thirty years ago, the upward trend in the number of black homeschool families, her hopes for the future of American education, and how she, as a grandmother, stays involved (but not too involved!) in the education of her grandchildren.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/joyce-burges

How do STEM subjects fit into the classical model of education? In this episode, Robert sits down with Heather Shirley to explore how to study math and science classically, how parents can become experts in the classical approach to education, and what resources Heather has found helpful in her own classical education journey. If you’re a Classical Conversations® member, you might know Heather Shirley as our Chief Academic Advisor, although Heather has plenty of firsthand Classical Conversations experience, leading local communities for the Foundations, Essentials, Challenge III, and Challenge IV programs. Although she is passionate about the humanities, Heather originally pursued a career in STEM, receiving a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in computer engineering. If anyone can speak to the topic of studying STEM subjects classically, it’s Heather!

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/heather-shirley

What does an entrepreneur have in common with a polymath? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, Robert talks to Dr. Matthew Smith, the founding president of Hildegard College. Hildegard is an all-new Christian college located in southern California that takes a unique approach to the liberal arts, merging the classical, Great Text tradition with entrepreneurship. In this conversation, Matthew speaks to why American higher education needs a reset, why Hildegard’s undergraduate program emphasizes the study of entrepreneurship classically and the unique challenges students today face as opposed to students a decade ago.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/matthew-smith

Should homeschoolers accept government funds to help finance their children’s education? As tempting as it might be to accept one of these stipends, homeschool families need to understand the dangers that lie beneath the surface of these government funds. In this conversation of Refining Rhetoric, Robert Bortins is joined by Israel Wayne, a homeschool dad of eleven children, the director of Family Renewal Ministries, and the author of multiple books, including Education: Does God Have an Opinion? and Answers for Homeschooling: Top 25 Questions Critics Ask. Robert and Israel discuss the origins of the public school system in America, the foundational principles on which this system is built, and ultimately, why we should be concerned about the government funding of private and home schools. If you are a homeschool parent, this episode is a must-listen!

To learn more about government-funded private education, classicalconversations.com/educationalfreedom.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/israel-wayne

Listen to Robert’s favorite episode from the first season of Refining Rhetoric—a conversation with the one and only Leigh Bortins, Robert’s mom and the founder of Classical Conversations®. Leigh has written several books, including The Core, The Question, and The Conversation, and is well-known for her ability to demystify the fundamental tools of learning. Since 1984, her efforts have helped launch the “home-centered” education movement. In this rerun of the podcast’s second episode, Robert and Leigh discuss classical education, homeschooling, the origins of Classical Conversations, and the upcoming The Math Map, a brand-new math program for Classical Conversations members.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/top-2022-leigh-bortins

To kick off 2023, we are re-releasing two of our favorite episodes from last year, starting with this conversation with Andrew Pudewa. Andrew is the founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) and is a longtime partner and friend of Classical Conversations®. Speaking around the world, Andrew is known for presenting the skills of writing, teaching, and thinking with clarity and wit. Through IEW seminars and curriculum, he has helped students of all ages become better communicators and critical thinkers. Andrew graduated from the Talent Education Research Institute (known for the Suzuki method) in Matsumoto, Japan, and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, Robert interviews Andrew about his work at IEW, literacy in the United States, how to write with excellence, and Andrew’s secrets for losing weight and staying healthy.

Show notes: refiningrhetoric.com/top-2-2022-andrew-pudewa