Our guest today is JoAnn Hallum! JoAnn is a first-generation homeschooler from the Central Valley of California who has been teaching her four boys for about 10 years. She loves to read and to tell people at parties they should read Charles Dickens. With a fine art degree in Printmaking, she discovered she loved writing when she became a stay-at-home mom. She now writes on Substack and Instagram, and sometimes Commonplace Quarterly. Her extracurricular activities include serving on the board for her local Youth Orchestra, hosting a local Nature Club, and hunting for used books. You can find her as funnyostrich on Instagram or under her name, JoAnnHallum, on Substack.

In today’s conversation, Abby, JoAnn, and Brandy talk about the inconveniences of mothering teenagers and what a wonderful blessing it is. You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time! Our annual spring training is coming up in just a few weeks and you do NOT want to miss this! We are having Dr. Glenn Sunshine on to talk with us about the Resurrection of the Enchanted World. In session 1, Dr. Sunshine will talk about how the world was disenchanted –how we lost a supernatural worldview. In session 2, Dr. Sunshine will talk about how the world is being reenchanted (whether we like how that’s happening or not) and what the Bible has to say about it all.  Our annual Spring Training is always included in the Sophie level Sistership membership. Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Today’s episode is a discussion about conversation. Or maybe it’s a conversation about discussion?? No matter, the point is that Isaac Watts has some helpful advice for us if we want to have fruitful interactions with others. You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! Next week, we’re hosting a live workshop with Elsie Iudicello on a white board tool called Closing Board that is as scrappy as homeschool can get – it’s the tool you never knew you needed. To attend the workshop, and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Our guest today is Brandy's son, Everett Vencel. Everett recently graduated from New College Franklin and now works as an audiovisual engineer at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church and as a personal assistant to the owner of a water heater company. In his spare time, he reads anything he can get his hands on and is studying Information technology. He and his wife, Emily, are expecting their first baby in June.

Today’s conversation is all about DISCUSSION. What place (if any) should it have in a classical education? What are some common objections to using discussion in the classroom? You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Today’s conversation is a discussion about the vice of vainglory. The sisters have been reading a book by Rebecca DeYoung called Vainglory: The Forgotten Vice and it’s so good! You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Our guest today is Lauren Scott! Lauren and her husband Nathaniel, a second generation homeschool dad, have enjoyed home educating their two sons from babyhood to the teen years. Lauren holds a degree in history, is a leader in her local homeschool community, and often finds herself vacillating between “brown thumb” and “crazy plant lady” when caring for her large flower and vegetable garden. You can find her writing at keptandkeeping.com , where she encourages Christian women to Rest in Grace and Labor in Love.

Today, Lauren, Mystie and Brandy discuss the school choice issue, consequences of government involvement in private education, and principles YOU can use to judge programs like these. We chose this topic months and months ago and had no idea how timely it would be. You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! The live replay of the workshop Abby did with Jami Marstall on teaching literature co-op classes for teenagers was absolutely FANTASTIC. To get the replay and so much more, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Welcome to Season 26 of Scholé Sisters! At the risk of sound like grumpy old ladies, we are kicking off this season with a conversation about homeschool history and how you can tap in to some of homeschool culture’s strengths. You’re going to love this conversation!

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If you’ve considered upgrading your Sistership membership from FREE to Sophie level, now is the time to do that! Our 2025 book clubs are underway and they are fantastic! Modern Times, Norms and Nobility, Bleak House, and more! There is something for everyone. And in March, Abby, along with Jami Marstall, will be teaching a workshop on leading homeschool co-op classes that you do NOT want to miss. To join us, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Today’s episode is our annual Christmas episode! Mystie, Abby, and Brandy are discussing one of their favorite Christmas books, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston. You’re going to love this conversation!

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It’s time for the Sophie Christmas gift! Every year, we give a little something to our Sophie members to say thank you and offer them a bit of encouragement. This year, we’re having we’re having Heather Lloyd from Concordis Education give her excellent talk "Culturing Olive Trees: Families that Bear Fruit." Mystie and Abby predict that you are going to LOVE IT! This live event will take place TODAY, Friday December 13th, at 2:30pm Central time. If you would like to join us live, or catch the replays, all you have to do is make sure you are a Sophie level member of the Sistership! Just go to scholesisters.com slash join and sign up.

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Today’s episode is our annual retreat recording! We love recording when we are all together (even though the sound quality suffers). This episode is basically a follow-up in which we give Mystie a soap box and encourage her to talk more about de-institutionalizing classical education. You’re going to love this conversation!

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The Stable and Steadfast mentorship inside Sistership is taking next week off for American Thanksgiving. It’s 10 weeks long with break weeks for Christmas as well, which means it’s not too late to jump in and join the conversation! If you would like to read up on the subject of God-given rights, that you might be better able to think through the news you read, go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up.

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Our special guest today is Heather Olsson! Heather is wife to Dr. Phil Olsson, mother to seven, and Mimi to 14 grandchildren. She educated her children at home for 20 plus years. The Olsson family moved in 2020 from Green Bay, WI to Moscow, Idaho, where Heather has taught and been a Dean at The Jubilee School. She just began her second year as Head of School at Jubilee and also trains teachers through Concordis Education Partners.

In today’s episode, Heather teaches Mystie and Brandy about Prussian education and how many of our so-called classical forms are coming from the Prussians rather than the tradition we claim. You’re going to love this conversation!

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Our special guest today is Adelaide Garner. Adelaide is wife to Ben, and mother to four little treasures. They are Reformed Evangelical Christians. She was a pastor’s wife for many years, but their family has moved into Ben owning a small business. Adelaide and Ben are second generation homeschoolers and use Charlotte Mason’s principles. They live in a 120-year-old farmhouse on several acres outside of Houston, Texas. Six years ago, Adelaide, after many years of struggling with her own health. decided to become a certified health coach. When she learned to ask better questions, she found better answers for her health and the health of her family. She enjoys helping women find a grateful, sober-minded, and non-anxious approach to caring for the wellbeing of their families, to the Glory of God. 

We had a few audio issues during this recording, so you'll have to forgive us for the handful of snags you hear along the way.

With that said, today's conversation was fascinating because it combines a book we all read for last year's mentorship, A Failure of Nerve, by Edwin Friedman, with issues surrounding autism and other special needs.

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The live kickoff for our newest Scholé Sisters mentorship took place a couple weeks ago. Our mentorships are for Sophie-level Sistership members.  However, our kickoff was for everyone, even those of you on our free plan. If you are not yet in the Sistership but want to watch the replay of the live kickoff for the Mentorship (which we've named Stable and Steadfast: Standing on Your God-given Rights), go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up!

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