The Rational Educator

Sara Burns is a homeschooling mother of 5 kids, and she's been doing it for awhile, starting with her oldest child and taking him out of kindergarten, to now finishing up with high school as he's getting ready for college.

Sara has some great insights about setting goals, not trying to do everything by yourself, and above all, having fun with the whole process.
Check out her Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/burnsfamilybooks/

If you're a homeschool parent and you'd like to share your story, or you just want to reach out and say hi, send us an email: [email protected].

If you'd like to try a free trial of our Literature Plus curriculum, go to https://pisanacademy.com/free

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In this episode, Homeschool mother Sara shares her experiences and challenges in educating three kids, going from public school to private school, then finally discovering the world of homeschooling.

She talks about the difficulties of the traditional classroom, and how the sheer number of hours in a class tends to teach obedience rather than independent thought.

Homeschooling, she discovered, was not only more flexible, but helped her children blossom.

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On this episode, we have a chat with Luc Travers, who's been teaching elementary, middle, and high schoolers since 2006. 

Luc runs Literature at Our House, where he teaches classic literature to his students. He has a lot of great things to say about how students can make a personal connection with the stories they read.

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On today's episode, we talk with Dr. Andrew Bernstein, author of Heroes, Legends, Champions, Why Heroism Matters. The conversation delves into the importance of heroes and how they can inspire people of any age.

You can find his work at his website: andrewbernstein.net

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Help us our mission to bring classic literature to a new generation of readers: https://www.patreon.com/pisanacademy 

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Show Notes:

• 6:15 - Discussions of heroism by thinkers from the 19th Century from Thomas Carlyle to William James.
• 9:00 - Dr. Bernstein's method of coming to understand what heroes are
• 13:14 - How heroes can captivate students
• 17:30 - Gratitude for heroes and how it's an act of justice
• 21:10 - How heroes inspire
• 25:20 - What can heroes from literature offer to a young mind that biographies can't
• 28:20 - How an author can stylize a character to emphasize a heroic nature
• 36:30 - How literature can create an entire universe and moral world view
• 40:09 - How heroes in literature can change a person for the better
• 41:50 - DC vs Marvel characters
• 45:46 - The Red Badge of Courage as an example of a hero who doesn't start off heroic, but grows to become heroic
• 50:50 - Dr. Bernstein expresses admiration for Frederick Douglass as a towering hero
• 52:40 - Where to look for examples of heroism in literature to introduce to your kids
• 59:13 - Plutarch's Lives as a source for discovering heroes

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Support the show