A Jane Austen Book Chat
A True Good Beautiful Life
Happy New Year to you all! Welcome to "A True Good Beautiful Life" podcast where we talk about life-long flourishing through the lens of Charlotte Mason and Classical educational philosophies. Perhaps my favorite thing to talk about is Literature and History and today I hope you will be as excited as I am about our topic of discussion. When I thought about doing an episode on Jane Austen, I was both giddy and terrified. There is so much that could be said, from her biography to her novels, from the Regency era to her juvenilia. And so I decided to take my favorite of her novels, which...
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Human Flourishing: The Goal of Education
A True Good Beautiful Life
Merry Christmas! Hello and welcome to A True Good Beautiful Life. I am your host, Jennifer Milligan and this podcast explores the ideas and practices of a Charlotte Mason and Classical Education. Today I am treated to a fascinating conversation with the Dean of , Dr. Brian Williams. We will discuss the telos or purpose of education and how to incorporate seven different areas of formation in the lives of our students (as well as ourselves) to promote long-term human flourishing. The areas of formation include the Intellectual, Moral, Aesthetic, Spiritual, Physical, Practical, and Social. Dr....
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Spotting Dyslexia
A True Good Beautiful Life
Welcome! On last month’s episode, I had the honor of talking with of Templeton Honors College and Eastern University on her book, . She shared about the "why" of education and the "how" of implementing telic attention and a doxological classroom for everyone. So if you missed that one, please go back and check it out after you listen to this as you will certainly benefit from it. And so to piggyback on her talk, on today’s episode, I will be continuing our discussion on disabilities and learning differences, by taking a dive into one particular learning issue - Dyslexia, with Barton...
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Disability & Classical Education
A True Good Beautiful Life
Welcome to A True Good Beautiful Life podcast! Today my guest and I will take some of you down an unknown path of life, for others maybe an all too worn path, and perchance even for others one that some have ventured a little ways in but yet do not know their way through or what is beyond the bend. We are going to talk about disabilities and how understanding disabilities is essential to human flourishing, Classical Education, and Charlotte Mason’s First Principle - “children are born persons.” In the past, I briefly described what Charlotte Mason meant when she said that “children are...
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The Knowledge of God: How to Study the Bible & Ancient Art
A True Good Beautiful Life
Welcome back to a new episode! The new school year has begun and I am sure you are filled with wonderful dreams and maybe a few nervous jitters! Fall is a wonderful time to begin educational endeavors fresh with new books, supplies, friends, and lesson plans. And while reading one’s Bible tends to always start in January, in our first segments on the TRUE and the GOOD, I am going to propose to you something a little more in depth that can be started anytime, including right now as autumn’s leaves start to color and fall. It’s a step-by-step Bible Study plan that you can use at home, in...
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Tolkien & Fantasy
A True Good Beautiful Life
New this week is a conversation about J. R. R. Tolkien and the genre of Fantasy literature. I have back with me special guest Dr. Fred Putnam, recently retired professor from and Eastern University in eastern Pennsylvania. We provide a brief biography of this famous writer and teacher, share some fun ideas on how to teach Tolkien in your classes, explain the benefits of reading Fantasy literature, and discuss the wonderful program offered to high school students in . There are a few little spoilers so if you haven't read the Lord of the Rings or watched the movies, beware! Maybe take...
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Common Arts Education with Chris Hall
A True Good Beautiful Life
Are you familiar with the Common Arts? Could you describe them if someone asked you the difference between the Liberal Arts, the Fine Arts, and the Common Arts? This month's podcast is going to delve into the definition of the Common Arts and practical activities you can incorporate into your schools and homes that nurture these vital arts. Today’s episode is going to be a little different. For the first time in this podcast, I am going to share with you a lecture I recorded this past month during one of Templeton’s special evening lectures that was open to students, faculty, and the...
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Reading C. S. Lewis
A True Good Beautiful Life
Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast! Here we discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and...
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Citizenship with AHG & Valley Forge NP
A True Good Beautiful Life
Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast! A few episodes ago I introduced us to the topic of citizenship, something Charlotte Mason was very keen on instilling in her students. I highlighted one of the avenues of teaching this subject to students with Rachel Lebowitz of which is the study of Plutarch's Lives, an ancient piece of writing highlighting lives of the Greeks and Romans. Today, I will continue that topic by focusing on a modern way of learning about citizenship and cultivating the wonderful virtues that this subject inspires. I will be digging into a fantastic girls...
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Books, Chess & Legos, Oh My!
A True Good Beautiful Life
Charlotte Mason’s motto is “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” In today’s podcast, for our TRUTH and GOODNESS segments, we are going to focus in on the “life” part by talking about what Miss Mason claimed in her 8th Principle: “In saying that ‘education is a life,’ the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied. The mind feeds on ideas.” And we will do this by talking to Elementary and Middle School teacher at Brittany Mountz. We discuss take-aways from Tony Reinke’s book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books, as...
info_outlineWelcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!
ON THIS EPISODE
Today, for our segment on the True, I have the privilege of talking with Erin LaMont of Classical Conversations about her love and the importance of studying Latin. She discusses the joys and difficulties of the subject and encourages us to keep on keeping on. Her Master Thesis sounds intriguing so I hope you get a chance to read through her labor of love. Later in the Good segment of the show, I share about the practice of keeping a Commonplace Book and how you can do the same. And lastly, in our segment on the Beautiful, I describe how I introduce the wonderful art and stories of Beatrix Potter to my 1st and 2nd graders, along with baking and special art pieces. So please, join us! It's going to be fun!
Favorite resources Erin mentioned:
- ScorpioMartianus YouTube Channel
- "Utilizing the Classical Christian Study of Latin to Promote Intentionality" by Erin LaMont
COMMONPLACE QUOTES
We should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching and the spirited and noble-minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application -- not far far-fetched or archaic expressions or extravagant metaphors and figures of speech -- and learn them so well that words become works. - Seneca
It is the duty of the nation to maintain relations of brotherly kindness with other nations; therefore it is the duty of every family, as an integral part of the nation, to be able to hold brotherly speech with the families of other nations as opportunities arise; therefore to acquire the speech of neighboring nations is not only to secure an inlet of knowledge and a means of culture, but is a duty of the higher morality (the morality of the family) which aims at universal brotherhood. . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 2: Parents and Children, p. 7
. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174
APPLICATION
- Download Duo Lingo and try learning some new vocabulary from a foreign language that you have previously learned or want to learn. Or find a good curriculum and try teaching yourself or your child a new language.
- Pick out a special journal where you can start writing down your favorite quotes from the books you are reading, or songs you're listening to or singing, or parts of speeches or sermons that really inspire or convict you.
- Put the kettle on and brew yourself up a pot of tea and enjoy reliving your childhood by reading some of Beatrix Potter's little tales of bunnies, hedgehogs and puddle ducks. Share these lovely stories and artwork with your children and students and practice a little watercolor yourselves.