Homeschooling, Parenting, and the Read-Aloud Revival w/ Sarah Mackenzie

Sarah Mackenzie joins the show to talk about Homeschooling, audiobooks, education, and parenting.
Show Sponsors:
Strive21: strive21.com/matt
Ascension: ascensionpress.com/fradd
readaloudrevival.com/
Chapters:
0:00: Intro and Homeschooling discussion
11:29: The importance of reading aloud
22:40: Balancing expectations and effort in homeschooling
34:24: Benefits of friendship with your childrem
45:02: The importance of reading aloud Cont.
57:21: Just Read Books You Like
1:08:37: Timeless Themes in Stories
1:20:20: How to ask your kids about what they're reading
1:31:41: Pints with Cameron
1:43:02: It's okay to get help homeschooling
1:53:59: 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy.
2:05:45: Don't put pressure on yourself
2:16:48: Benefits of Homeschooling

[@Georgie0829]

As a homeschool graduate I want to give a shout out to my mom who read aloud to us every morning before starting bookwork and after simple morning prayers (a decade of the rosary then finished in the evening or in the car). Everything from Farmer Boy, to Beowulf, to With God in Russia. All her kids are practicing Catholics, philosophy/liberal arts majors and thinkers, and successful in a myriad of ways (from aircraft mechanic to homeschooling moms). Thanks mom (and dad!)!

[@CDgyioyfuiiuhh]

This is the “crossover” I didn’t know I needed! Sarah Mackenzie and Read Aloud Revival have been invaluable to helping me plan out our homeschool. So excited!

[@melinda123ism]

Ditto!!!

[@Prohortico]

First I’ve heard of her… wife and I will have to check this out!

[@psbb4him]

Sarah is a breath of fresh air. I didn’t want the interview to stop. I’m a retired librarian (parochial school). Sarah’s book lists were my “go to” for read aloud books to my classes and purchase of new books to add to my library. She never steered me wrong.

[@TheHomeWoodShop]

🙂

[@joseph_bishop]

“Bring me what you have, and I’ll make it enough.”

[@thatcatholicsaintsguy609]

I love how she is constantly smiling and laughing. Very endearing.

[@victoriadiaz6710]

I cried. This was much needed for my anxious mother soul. I just started homeschooling and I spent a year looking for the perfect curriculum just to find out there is no “perfect” curriculum and I don’t even need one bought. And preschool is supposed to be easy but my public schooled mind needs the checklists and lesson plans made out for me. That salt dough maps one got me though cause I’ve been forever been making Pinterest early childhood education boards of what I was gonna teach my son. Definitely the days where I most read and play with him are the best days

[@MrsScott-bx8sb]

I'm a veteran homeschooler and currently a mixed schooler. I have 1 homeschooled, 1 public schooled, and 2 in Catholic school. I can say that every option has its positives and negatives. Looking back in hindsight I did put way too much pressure on myself and went way too ambitious and too fast with the curricula. Come 2024-2025 school year I will be homeschooling my two youngest again and I have a completely different perspective. And, let me tell you, you're doing a good job. I don't know you, but just the fact that you care and are aware and look for resources like this interview means you are doing a great job homeschooling your littles.

[@victoriadiaz6710]

@@MrsScott-bx8sb wow thank you. Everyone who knows I’m homeschooling belittles me so much and questions it. But there’s just something there telling me if it’s hard it’s the best choice for us. God bless you my friend thank you for the support please say a prayer for us

[@cordasuenaviolin604]

This curriculum might not be perfect, but you should check out Mother of Divine Grace School. They, an online school, have a great homeschooling curriculum which you can buy either just the books for or register and have actual school accreditation for everything. Do check it out!

[@barbaracozens3999]

Everything I know about read alouds I’ve learned from Sarah. She gave me the courage and confidence to homeschool.

[@meganhoffman6168]

My children attended a one room schoolhouse with 5-12 students. When it closed due to lack of a teacher, we homeschooled. Due to circumstances, we are now attending a small public school an hour away. My older children’s teachers are always commenting on my kids ability to hold a conversation and their maturity. I mourn the loss of our homeschooling life but try to incorporate things we learned during our days. Blessings to all of you!

[@katiuszaYT]

My word, she is beautiful. Her face, her attitude, the life and love shining from her.

[@amyevers6309]

This episode is such a treasure! Gem after gem after gem. I had heard of Sarah but foolish me never took the advice to listen to her. Oh, what I've been missing! Year 3 of homeschooling and still always struggling to get it right... Absolutely superb episode. I feel so blessed to have been able to listen to it.

[@KristiBee]

She's truly a gifted teacher and inspiration! Check out Read Aloud Revival and the premium membership. It could really be a boon to your homeschooling and to your mama heart ❤

[@Dreblueskies]

Her book is fantastic as well!

[@anneshank6442]

It feels like my birthday! Two of my favorite people on the very same podcast! Sarah Mackenzie is the last person I would expect to be on Matt Fred‘s podcast, but what a delight! Thank you, Sarah, for years ago, being the catalyst for my family to begin homeschooling. And thank you, Matt, for keeping all things real. God bless you both!

[@Dreblueskies]

Sarah is a delight and I have benefited greatly from her book, blog, and podcast. She is a sweet soul.

[@laurenmcdonald7086]

“Bring me what you have, I’ll do the rest.” Love that. Needed that. Thank you.

[@mlms4702]

I don’t think I ever stopped and started a conversations so much to jot down notes. We started our homeschooling journey this year with my oldest of 3. It has been really exciting but also eye opening to what I can sustain and how our days are structured (or not anymore). So happy to have more tools at my disposal as we keep moving forward.

[@stephanieabrady]

This literally made me scream when I saw it! Sarah has been someone who has inspired me time and time again in our homeschool journey. I read her book “Teaching From Rest” before we converted to Catholicism, and it has easily been to this day one of the most impactful books for homeschooling I’ve read. When we converted and I learned she was Catholic, I was even more excited 😂 If you’re on the fence about homeschooling, she will help give you the resources you’ll need to gain the confidence to do it! And you absolutely CAN do it. Thanks for this wonderful interview! It’s just the content I needed on a gray February day when school days can feel rough.

[@alexandreahutson3316]

This episode is everything I needed to hear 😭 I'm only on year 2 of homeschooling my boys (10 & 11 one has autism & the other is dyslexic & have a 3 year old ) I'm pregnant with my 4th and have been very sick. I've been feeling like I'm failing a lot because of my son not being a strong reader or speller. My mom is a 5th grade teacher and she gets me anxious about the levels where they are "supposed to be." The episode was soooooo helpful. Thank you!!

[@generic_account2138]

Same here which is why we had to stop homeschooling and get them the services they needed and were available to us from the public school. Not all cases are the same. We do what we can.

[@Emmannie]

You may never see this but I just wanted to offer some encouragement, say you’re doing enough (God asks only for what’s enough), and suggest you tell your mom to kindly put a sock in it b/c these are your children, not hers. Wising you an uneventful rest of your pregnancy 😊! (There’s a short video on the Simply Charlotte Mason channel that may help: both guests’ parents were principals 😳 and she’s so gracious toward any critiques.)

[@rebecca14798]

I also have dyslexic kids and an autistic kid. All adults now. I homeschooled them. I recommend All About Reading and All About Spelling for the Dyslexic child and recommend you read all of Temple Grandin's books for your autistic child.

[@valamewa]

The way Matt and Cameron treat eachother is so sweet❤

[@lisaculbertson9909]

Thank you so much Pints for this! I homeschooled for 4 years, and after an impulsive decision I put my three school aged kids into public school.It's been two weeks--two weeks--and my husband and I are already planning their return home. It's been incredibly stressful and its just not a fit for our family. I particularly needed the question about keeping house and littles as we have 7 children with 5 being under 5 and that was one of the drivers behind my sending them to ps in the first place. I feel so much more encouraged.🎉❤ Thank you again Pints. Bless you!

[@emilywest1116]

I highly recommend Sarah’s book “The Read Aloud Family” to any parent, homeschooling or not. Sarah is incredible!

[@curtemilytenbusch2714]

I just started watching and hearing her talk about one room school houses. Where we live we still have 5 one room school houses that are functioning and thriving. Our kids attend one of them. Fun fact that one room school houses still exist!

[@betsywright06]

MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not wait to do laundry and listen to this in 10 minutes! My favorite podcaster with my favorite author. Sarah's work has changed my family's lives!

[@TN-bi9qf]

Such a great talk! We’ve loved Catholic Heritage Curricula. It’s all paper based (not online) and so sweet and simple! This was so helpful! Thank you! (Also, reading out loud is one of the only ways I felt I could connect with my kids - so I’ve read and read and read- I’m sooo glad it’s so beneficial! )God is so good and always leading us!

[@deenaorrsnest9272]

I love Sarah's chuckle. I homeschooled 4 kiddos and was told I "unschooled" although I used the public school system as an umbrella. Thank you for validating that comment. Now one of my daughters is homeschooling. Both of my son-in-laws were homeschooled too. Now I have spent the last 10 years in our local public school as a reading specialist. I wish I had heard someone like Sarah talk in 1996 when I started. Reading Aloud has been my "superpower" L)

[@patkorta4560]

There is a wonderful book called 'How Your Child is Smart' by Anne Powell and Dawna Markova. Great book that explores the various ways we learn, audio, visual, physical (those children who learn while they are active, ie squeezing a stress ball or rocking in a chair during instruction). The book describes these learning styles and helps parents understand why some methods are not effective for some learners and gives examples for how to help them. For example when a parent asks a child what they did in school that day they often get a pat answer like "the usual" or "nothing" and it may be difficult to get specifics. However if you ask an audible learner "what did your teacher talk about in school today?" they will share what they heard. This worked so well for my sister and her daughter who was an audible learner. My sister said when she tried this with my niece it was like the floodgates opened.

[@lindaharper2870]

Love this! My kids are now 30, 28, 25 and 22. Homeschooling was not ‘cool’ back in the day but if I had my time over I would for sure give it a go. Thanks for this great chat…. Very upbeat and fun 🤩

[@aipc4373]

I lived in a smal town in Venezuela since from prek to six grade, we attended a school with one teacher from 5-8 years old and another one for 9-11 years old we were in total like 15 students! then I moved to the US to an enormous public school I entered seventh grade without knowing basically any English, in the second trimester I was student of the month and got straight As. My sister who was in sixth grade she won the county Spelling bee contest only moths after we arrived . It still amazes me. And I have to say Reading was an important part of my English learning .

[@taramccreary8997]

I'm a huge fan of Sarah! I'm a RAR premium member! 🙌 I reread your book Teaching From Rest every year.

[@KashTheStampede]

I am a math teacher at a home school cooperative. The environment is so much better than any of the traditional schools in which I have taught. I have a 7 year old who is out-performing some 18 year olds. I am free here to teach the _students_, not the curriculum.

[@mycozycharmlife]

Love Sarah and Pints with Aquinas. So glad you guys teamed up! Have followed Sarah since the beginning. We read aloud everyday several times. Also I have 3 girls. All are dyslexic, my oldest and youngest are profoundly dyslexic. They all hate reading, so reading aloud is very crucial to our homeschool and bonding.

[@stefanielynn84]

Oh, I'm so excited! Sarah has been a blessing to me through her books, emails, and other resources. We're om our third year homeschooling and I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing, but she has been a help.

[@EpoRose1]

I’m in my first and feel the same way… not sure if hearing that someone in their third year feels that way makes it me thinks it’s better or worse.. 😂

[@stefanielynn84]

@EpoRose1 haha. I still feel so new, but also because every year something changes. I have a baby, another kid starts school, a kid starts Jr High..and in a couple years I'll have a high schooler. So once I get a routine down, we have to change things up 🤪

[@brigidramirez5758]

The very best pod cast to listen to for those who want so desperately to do a "good job" homeschooling God's children. Thank you so much!

[@Bythegraceofgod1646]

1:35:23 😂😂😂 100 Lessons to Read did NOT work for us here either… thank you for saying that out loud. It really is a 400 lesson long book that sometimes doesn’t even lead to a kid that reads.. 🙃 This is one of my favorite episodes! Sarah Mackenzie & both Fradds! Such an encouragement to this homeschool Mom.❤ And wow, I needed so hear so so much that was said here. Including, we are not homeschooling because the world is a mess- we homeschool b/c it is God’s glorious and wonderful plan for us, His natural order, His good design. Thankful to Lord Jesus for each of you!

[@RosieJ7223]

Same! I think it’s a great book that works…IF your kid likes it. It never occurred to me that my kid wouldn’t like it 😩 I even gave her a snack and told her it was “special time with mommy” … she was like “can we do special Lego time cause this stinks.” 🤪

[@christink.5264]

I’m pregnant with my 5th and my two oldest are homeschooled by me. I’m a little nervous about continuing homeschooling with another new baby, but this episode was so encouraging! Thank you 😊

[@stephencotter538]

Thank you Sarah, I picked three books from your website and asked my daughters to choose one for me to read aloud with them. They chose the Hobbit! I read one chapter to them last night and let them doodle pictures while I was reading. It was great, thanks again!.

[@smartismarti4049]

I needed this encouragement as I prep for my first kindergartener.

[@abaker4692]

Good luck! You're a good parent.

[@PhilipBlair-by7ic]

I miss the days where I homeschooled I was until 7th grade where I went to a Catholic school and now am at a public high school🤮 I miss the old days when we used to go to mass all the time and could go outside and play anytime we wanted.

[@crazycades]

Wow. Thank you. Learning the gift of humility as I listen for my own homeschooling adventure. Even having taught my kids for 5 years, you always question how you’re doing it and if they are getting what they need! Love to know there are resources out there to have in your corner! TY for this podcast!!!

[@Esmee861]

This is so timely. Our mums’ Bible study had a talk about home schooling yesterday and today this show up on my feed…coincidence? I think not.

[@user-nw9ls7tn9j]

Thomas Edison was "unteachable" according to his primary school educators and expelled for being mentally deficient. Modern scholars believe he was dyslexic and probably had ADHD as well. His mother refused to believe the narrative and chose to homeschool him! Her endless encouragement led to him becoming one of the greatest inventors of all time. I think historically children with what we know called learning disabilities or neurodiversity were either home educated or if that was not a financially viable option they were just left uneducated and perhaps ended up doing unskilled labor.

[@margaretsiemerling7279]

Thank you so much for this podcast! Homeschooling is so different for each of us and it's so worth it for all of us. It's all His ❤

[@stephencotter538]

Thank you Sarah and Matt, this interview inspired me to sit down with my 9 and 8-year-old last night and do a very brief family reading session with a couple prayers. It was short and sweet and it was beautiful. And I plan on returning to reading aloud to them every night, something I used to do when they were younger. May God bless you and keep you!

[@catholicmama1572]

I have SO many good things to say about this episode. I’m a homeschool kid myself, in my first year of homeschooling my kindergartener. I have 3 younger toddlers/babies that complicate things so much. I found this episode so encouraging, thank you! Picked up Sarah’s book at the library yesterday and I can’t wait to read it! 1) I LOVE that Sarah is so gracious, making it clear that each family is going to be different. 2) I can totally relate to Matt’s story about going to a TLM and looking at his crazy kids vs the perfectly behaved TLM kids haha we are the crazy kids family! 3) There’s just so much good advice and the questions that people are asking in the Q&A are fantastic!

[@abaker4692]

This was such a tremendous guest. I learned so much about listening to books and how the brain works in regards to reading. I appreciate this entire conversation. Thank you for having it.

[@janeldryan7466]

I read Sarah’s book on homeschooling from rest two years ago and it was life changing. I’m so happy you had her on. Great discussion!

[@kellyburgmeier7690]

This is an amazing cross over between my first love faith and reading, specially dyslexia abs the science of reading. Dyslexia by definition, is high a intelligence, vocabulary, and comprehension with an unexpected inability to decode words.

[@spyroluver0951]

Homeschooling is great, but even better with a good community around them.

[@allisonjay8631]

Timeless story=hero figure overcoming evil in pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty.

[@caraschepers8007]

What an amazing interview. Thank you so much for sharing and thank you both for your ministries! As a lover of math I would like to add that mathematics isn't just a skill to be taught, but also contains a story to be told. Mathematics tells the story of our universe designed by our loving God. I view mathematics like I do art and music, it's BEAUTIFUL. I don't mean for this to sound critical, as if I'm saying you guys should've discussed mathematics more. That's not the case. I just got so inspired by your discussion I wanted to share. Also, if anyone is looking for an easy resource to teach young kids the basics of math, the Numberblocks series is amazing!! I was a math major, a math teacher for 11 years, and now a mother of young children and love this resource!!! Thank you again Sarah and Matt!

[@caseypern]

Favorite episode yet! Homeschooling sounds wonderful as a concept, but understanding how it can practically be done is vague and daunting. Love that y’all break down all the possibilities of how it can be lived out and how you share your own personal experiences! Thank you!!

[@dianajohnston8776]

This was an absolutely wonderful podcast. Sarah really gets the challenges of being a large-family homeschool mama, and she deals with those challenges with such good humor and grace. Thank you so much - I hope she will be a repeat guest!!

[@kristenwatson3443]

This is sooo helpful making a person have confidence. Loved listening to this thanks!

[@em8622]

I found this interview so comforting and what I needed, as a homeschooling mom of 6, including one who has dyslexia. Thank you!

[@HarperJay_]

Sarah is such a gift. She has given me the confidence to trust the process of homeschooling. Her gentle encouragement is exactly what I needed when I was constantly doubting myself when it came to homeschooling.

[@StephanieK-qt4mx]

So grateful for the work that you do Sarah! Reading Teaching From Rest had a huge influence on my homeschooling! Also, Read Aloud Revival has been so helpful-to learn the value of read aloud and audiobooks for my struggling readers.

[@user-jb6wt9pw4o]

This is the perfect mix of my two favorite podcasters!

[@ceewng5042]

So many beautiful quotes and nuggets of wisdom. Thank you for this lovely discussion!

[@elizabetho7654]

Ahhh yay!! What a classy and inspiring, joyful mother teacher!

[@amandarada3242]

What makes a story timeless.... one word - HUMANITY. Man is essentially always the same; same fallen nature and same desires for Love - but "flavors" and experiences can seem endless. A story then takes humanity with it's similarities and it's "flavors" and pairs it with circumstances and then.... "magic" We experience man and life in whatever fashion the author chooses... but it's timeless, because it's human... human nature.

[@capucinetosi3759]

As a convert who does not know many young Catholic families to take as an example, this podcast and guests have been such a formative time for me... You are at once great models to strive for and very vulnerable so as to take it easy! thank you!

[@jessicamunnia5969]

Love Sarah! She is a great resource

[@LaudateDeumMusic]

Yes!!! I am so so excited for this. I love read aloud revival. She and Bonnie Landry changed my homeschooling life! So excited to listen to this

[@carlac33]

Oh my goodness. Saving to listen to tonight w/ hubby. So excited that she's a guest!

[@SarahRDoll]

A timeless story is a story that reflects THE story of salvation history in some way, it reflects the truth that is written in our souls and we connect to it because of that whether we know why or not

[@yarazethrodriguez8638]

I’ve been doing homeschooling for a couple of months and feeling guilty for it thinking I wasn’t doing right but i pray about it and then we started I kept telling myself God wanted me to do this for a reason and now that I ran into this video I know for sure I was meant to do from the beginning but now with no guilt I’ll be able to do homeschooling with a more peaceful state of mind !

[@susanpetrie1149]

Same with adults when it comes to learning a new language. I met a nun who taught others French. She was first moved to the French convent and didn't talk for a year before she started speaking the language.

[@mreigt]

This was one of the best things I’ve listened to in a long time and just what I needed!!!

[@katrinanna6511]

Amazing podcast!! thanks for having Sarah on, I learned so much

[@frozenjonesfam]

Sarah is just as delightful as ever! This is great!

[@baileyannross]

I love this episode. I love all these people and how real they are and they speak truths that are like a balm on the heart. Thank you all for providing this content.❤

[@Theklay1354]

Yesssss!!!! I love Sarah Mackenzie!

[@jacelynjones2363]

i have always loved sarah’s book!!!

[@mariposita11211986]

Thanks for this podcast! I needed to hear everything you all said ! And LAUGH !😅😂 So relatable !🎉❤

[@briannabroadwater8467]

You guys should talk about reading in Braille (tactile reading). As someone who does all three: Visual, auditory, and tactile reading, the experience of all three is quite different.

[@larac.7188]

Kate Hudson, anyone? This was very helpful to a mom, 2 years into homeschooling!

[@emilymg1]

I love this episode. This is so encouraging ❤❤❤❤

[@betsywright06]

My high schoolers and I have really enjoyed Walking to Wisdom Literature Guides! We've consumed many C.S. Lewis books ('Till We Have Faces' broke me) and are devouring Lord of the Rings now. The discussion questions and journaling questions in the guides have been so helpful in connecting ideas, delving into deeper looks, and connecting with each other!

[@etheretherether]

I think the timelessness of a story is a measure of thematic realism. So a non-timeless story is one where the the revolutionaries rebelling against an authority are fully good and the revolution ends with utopia. A timeless version of that would be one where the revolution ends well, but eventually falls into a dystopia, or where the authority isn't as bad as originally thought, or where the revolutionaries have their own faults they have to overcome to beat the authority. Timelessness is basically how much we can believe a story actually playing out the way it's presented to us, based on what we know about human nature.

[@JezuUfamTobieMama]

30 mins in and loving this! Another excellent interview on PWA!

[@grace2911]

How I needed this :) Thank you Thank you Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

[@erinnandrews8428]

I wish I could homeschool my kids. We did the RAR Christmas school this year as something extra and it was a lot of fun even tho we only had time for parts. The Christmas book recommendations were amazing. We will definitely do it again next year. Great interview!

[@mattwatkins2499]

One of our favorites to read out loud is “The Mitchell’s” series

[@MrsScott-bx8sb]

I live across the street from a one room school house. It is on private property, now, but my neighbor down the road attended there into the 1950s. Some time in the 1950s the school was closed and the students started attending these larger city schools with individual grade classrooms. There's another one room schoolhouse about 3 miles from my house that is a museum, now. Only the Amish are able to maintain one room schoolhouses around here.

[@ordinarymotherhood]

Re: "entertainment," I'd say more for leisure....in the same way that leisure's main purpose is to build and perpetuate community and culture. Good stories and storytelling - "timeless" stories - will help us to feel connected to something beyond ourselves, and therefore perpetuate community and culture.

[@SarahMackenzie-youtube]

Oh, I love this distinction

[@MariahDolenc]

Hey, I’m going to offer an alternative perspective: My six siblings and I were homeschooled all the way through High School. Most of us at one point wanted to go to a public school. Whenever I meet moms who are choosing to homeschool their children and I tell them I was homeschooled, they NEVER ask me how it was or my experience. Not that I’m valuable in any specific way, but no one thinks that maybe there are flaws in homeschooling or they just assume I felt it was the most amazing experience ever (it wasn’t). It’s just that homeschooling is better and public schooling is worse. I have friends who were homeschooled and we have a lot of the same gripes and no one cares to hear it. I’ve yet to have someone say, “I’m homeschooling my kids, I’d love to know some of the things you felt were missing.” And there was a lot.

[@carlac33]

Tbh, I feel the same about my private school education. 😅 Was it better than public school? Yes, but still far from ideal. They all have their tradeoffs, but I think it is easier for ppl to lump public school experiences together bc there is less variety from all the standardization vs there being all kinds of private schools and homeschools.)

[@milliemaneely5551]

My 26yo regrets sports🙃

[@TN-bi9qf]

Tell us your regrets about homeschool! I want to learn;)

[@generic_account2138]

It's not so much the regrets as about the limitations. Sometimes you're not able to give them what they need. Depends on the kid. If they were born with disabilities and mental impairments , all the homeschooling in the world isn't going to turn them into the next Edison. They just may be able to bag groceries by the time they're 20. With some help from public assistance and services you may be able to get the aid and training you need.

[@RosieJ7223]

I think it’s hard because you’re probably talking to people who went to conventional school, and we have our own experience, which is often good stuff mixed with really messed up terrible stuff. So any feelings of a homeschooler “missing out” are quickly quelled by “well I couldn’t go to the bathroom in school because people were having sex in it.” 🥴 Or my teacher hit on me and cornered me one day. Or I was made to feel stupid. Or I had an eating disorder and no one noticed. There’s bad things that can happen everywhere, but since way more kids go to conventional school, when a homeschooler talks about abuse it’s like “yeah ok I’m sorry that happened to you, but since I’m not a psycho like your folks, my kids are going to have a helluva better time at home than at public school.” (Not really defending the position of not asking, but just thinking through the hang ups and reasons why people don’t ask to give perspective. I’ve met several adults who were homeschooled and I always ask them their experiences. But in each case there are now ways to mitigate the probs they seem to have dealt with, i.e. some states allow homeschool kids to do extracurriculars at public school, or have their own sports teams, people have more access to tutors and online content etc.) All that said, I am genuinely interested about your experience and curious about the gaps and things that were missed.

[@AntonioSanchez-lv6zi]

At 16:14 Matt's face is just... "You're kidding me now, that's exactly why we homeschool!"

[@IRISHBee4]

My wife and I have some differences of opinion on schooling for our kids as our oldest approaches that age, but we have always been on the same page with reading to our kids. Picture books, short stories, fairy tales, chapter books, children’s classics, all of it!

[@katherineallen2577]

My husband put on the real Brothers Grimm fairytales on audiobook during a 14 hour road trip with our 2 and 4 year old... It was awful and hilarious. He assumed actually fairytales were like the Disney versions. He turned it off after the bridegroom story 😂

[@jeme7339]

What a pleasant guest!

[@baconnationalist9072]

So much wisdom from this woman. Cant wait for my son to be born this summer 😁😁

[@J.Finnegan-bv6ps]

This was an interesting conversation but I believe it is a huge overstatement to say that homeschooling is the natural order and what people should be doing. I do not thinnk it is the ideal situation. This is coming from someone who was home schooled and remains a supporter of the movement. I think at present people who home school overstate the advantages of homeschooling and marshal all possible evidence in their favor - ie. parents are the primary educators of their children (That remains true for parents who send their kids to Catholic school and, btw, they are not outsourcing the children's education) or St. Theresa was home schooled (she was not, really). They also underrate the real dangers and disadvantages of homeschooling (for many people it is a bad decision). The Church has always supported and developed a more communal education, and they have sacrificed a great deal to provide it. This wasn't simply in response to bad conditions but an effective means of spreading the faith and a producing learned citizenry, as well as developing strong bonds of friendship and community. I also believe that there is often a lack of authority in the homeschooling system - people do want they want, they concern themselves very little with the community around them unless it is a "good" community, etc.

[@user-vy3zx7ly8b]

I agree, I am a homeschooling mom and his smugness about homeschooling rubbed me the wrong way. Not everyone should homeschool and public schools are needed for those families. I think Sarah tried her best to make her stance known. If it weren't for her, I would have stopped watching.

[@09bamasky]

I think it’s VERY important to point out that not all homeschooling is equal. When you say you think homeschooling is the best way to educate, you’re assuming all parents are going to approach it the same way. I’ve worked with a young woman in her twenties (I’m a psychotherapist) who was severely deprived of social skills by her homeschooling parents and resents her parents for keeping her from “normal” socialization. I have a family of relatives who homeschooled and several kids - because the parents were so protective of them seeing some of the realities of secular culture, I believe - went “full boar” into drinking/drugs and sex after they became adults. I think many parents aren’t well-equipped for the task, sadly. That said, I am a strong advocate for homeschooling.

[@nmixa09]

Really appreciate you having Sarah Mackenzie on. From families I know, what would be your advice when you have another child every year or two for almost a 15 to 20 year time span and still trying to homeschool the entire time. When being in the thick of it doesn't die down for a long time. See older kids helping out a lot and similar examples. Not sure if you have any advice.

[@RosieJ7223]

My personal opinion is that a family needs another adult in the home, preferably without their own children, but perhaps with children. So that could be a grandparent or relative, or a hired tutor, nanny, housekeeper etc. Even if the helper isn’t in the home at all times, even a few hours a week will lighten the load so much. Two parents was God’s design, but two parents in isolated single family homes is man’s design 🥴

[@haydongonzalez-dyer2727]

great episode

[@katiuszaYT]

101 Dalmatians. The original. By Dodie Smith. Not based on the movie (just the opposite). If I could get just one other person to read this book, and understand why I love it....

[@tcpandolfo]

I read this a few years ago with my oldest, and now we're reading it aloud with the rest of my kids. It's just so delightful!

[@benjaminshirley]

Sarah said this would be beautiful! Listen to me!! hahaha 😅😂I have five kids. All under 10, so none of them are whittlings or crocheting while we read to them!

[@TheCathyWAFFLE]

When Cameron takes over 😂😍😍😍

[@TheOldWay192]

The answer to both "story" and "timeless story" you actually touched on. The key is Theme. A story is a narrative of events which has a particular Theme. A timeless story is a story with a timeless theme, a theme which is applicable to the constant (non-evolutionary) elements of the human condition. Theme is the worst taught and most important part primary literature education, usually poorly taught because it's over-complicated. As Stephen King said, Theme is "what the story is /about/," aside from its character, setting, and plot. Examples: about courage, about redemption, about love, about revenge, about hate, about cycles, about nature, about death... Just ask your child to consider what the story is about, and you will be properly discussing Theme.

[@ela1126]

We weren’t homeschooled. We went to Catholic K-8 and then a public high school (a pretty good one for public school standards). But our mom read aloud to us every night 🥰. Except when we had events that kept us out late lol

[@powil4ss]

truth - makes a timeless story

[@jessicaflaherty1952]

I love this! I just so wish Sarah could get a thought out before being asked another question and getting side tracked. I’ll be hanging on waiting to hear what she thinks and then she gets interrupted again 😭