This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Whitney Ebert from Carlsbad, California. Whitney is a Third-Grade teacher with a master’s in Instructional Media, a mother of two, and founder of Blimey Box. When Whitney and her husband observed that critical thinking and problem-solving were not being taught in school as they had hoped, they decided to use her husband’s strengths as an attorney and Whitney’s strengths as an educator to create a series of puzzles, treasure hunts, and games, which eventually became Blimey Box, an educational business and resource used by many homeschool families. Although Whitney does not homeschool, she is constantly teaching her kids at home. In our conversation, she shared how she is breaking the traditional model in her classroom with her students by implementing CGI (cognitively guided instruction) unconventional methods to increase learning engagement and performance. Whitney wants her kids and her students to know that learning is about making mistakes, thinking critically, solving problems, and becoming independent.

Connect with Whitney
https://blimeybox.com/

Math Philosophy
Children's Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction
Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

This Golden Hour

This Golden Hour

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with John Muir Laws, well-known naturalist, artist, educator, and author of many works. John, called “Jack” by his friends, grew up struggling with the challenges of dyslexia. But the love of his kind parents, the caring of two incredible high school teachers, and a love of art and nature, led Jack to discover the gifts and advantages of his dyslexia to pursue his passion for observing and drawing nature. In our conversation, Jack teaches us how essential it is to be curious, humble, and to always ask questions. He also emphasizes that we should slow down and pay close attention to the beauty and wonder that surrounds us and especially in nature. We talked a lot about the brain, our ability to learn and get better at anything we practice, and why we should download our observations of the world and nature in a journal so that we remember.

Connect with John Muir Laws
https://johnmuirlaws.com
https://www.wildwonder.org

John's Works
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention
The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

Books
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids
Last Child in the Woods

Concepts
The Illusion of Explanatory Depth

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Ranae Broadhead from Arkansas and Alison Broadhead from Texas. Ranae and Alison are sisters-in-law who married brothers, and neither of them thought they would ever homeschool! Alison has been homeschooling several years longer than Ranae and has older children, so Ranae is thankful to have Alison as a mentor. In our conversation, we jumped from topic to topic with no particular flow, including world-schooling, game-schooling, homeschooling with babies, and trying to shed the conventional mindset around when kids should read and subjects they should know at certain ages. I especially enjoyed our discussion about when homeschool kids should go to bed and get up and what nights and mornings are like. Ranae and Alison both agreed that it is helpful to hear about other homeschoolers’ failures to learn how they work through them.

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Leslie and Matt Call from Texas. In this discussion, we talk about a range of topics including dyslexia, mental health for both our children and ourselves as homeschool parents, preparing for postsecondary studies and career, and building family culture around basketball, God, and playing in a family rock band. We grappled together about the tension between not becoming unduly concerned about our children finishing a project or studying a subject they’re not interested in, and helping them do and complete challenging things that stretch them beyond their comfort zones in preparation for future learning and potential career paths. Listeners will enjoy the friendly banter and reminiscing among old friends. 

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Suzanne Gose from central Texas. Spanish teacher turned homeschool Spanish tutor, and homeschool mother herself, Suzanne has been homeschooling for 21 years and teaching Spanish longer than that. She decided to homeschool her children as she observed differences between the homeschool kids she tutored and the kids she taught in school. Listeners will be dazzled by Suzanne’s wisdom and knowledge and insights into homeschooling, parenting, and life in general. She is concise and keeps things simple and clear. When asked about the essentials of homeschooling, she declared 5 principles without hesitation: have a plan, post the plan, stay home but leave, adjust, and 20 minutes is enough!

Connect with Suzanne
https://www.flipflopspanish.com/

Websites
https://www.mfwbooks.com/about/founders

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Audrey and Carl Gutke from Texas. In this conversation, we are reminded about how intimidating and overwhelming it can be to start homeschooling. Most people start homeschooling by trying to do things like they are done in the schools, but then they slowly become more comfortable with their own style and they adjust and evolve. The Gutke’s love the flexibility and the freedom that homeschooling fosters, and that their children are motivated to learn and pursue their personal interests. They also enjoy observing their children strengthening relationships with one another and the positive culture in their home. In this episode, we learn about the benefits of mentorship and apprenticing, empowering children to make their own decisions, and why it is crucial for us to be grateful and positive. When it comes to preparation for postsecondary studies, the Gutke’s emphasize the importance of children loving to learn and read.

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Tricia Ross from Salem, Ohio. Many listeners of this podcast might know Tricia best from her amazing online and brick and mortar shop, nature+nurture. Tricia shares how she was introduced to homeschooling, principally by her mother’s cousin whose family made quite the impression on Tricia during a visit to their home. Tricia loved homeschooling her children because she loved having so much time with them, reading to them, and exploring the wonders of nature. She explains the powerful influence and mentoring she gleaned from the writings and philosophies of Charlotte Mason, who has impacted countless homeschool families. Tricia describes very challenging home circumstances that compelled her to leave her husband, home, and homeschooling to start a new life that led her to combine all of her experiences and knowledge about homeschooling and nature and life, culminating in a beautiful business and shop, nature+nurture, full of the best books and myriads of educational resources and gifts.

Connect with Tricia
https://naturenurture.shop/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Christa and Albert Voravong from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Voravong’s started homeschooling about 9 years ago because they wanted more time with their children. In our conversation, we discuss many of the benefits of homeschooling, including unrushed mornings, time with family, time for music, and flexibility to be in several activities. But we also talk about several challenges and struggles that surface for homeschool families. For example, it can be difficult for homeschool moms to wear both the parent and the teacher hat. And there are times when children resist learning and have off days. The Voravong’s consider themselves to be structured homeschoolers, but they love the flexibility to choose how and what they will learn. When asked about what the ultimate goal was for their children, Albert said he wanted his kids to be happy, healthy, contributing humans, and Christa responded that she wanted their life to be limitless, that they could really do anything that they wanted.

This Golden Hour