Does homeschooling have you ready to quit? You're not alone — and you're not failing. In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Lisa Bailey and 7-year Classical Conversations mom DeDe Adetutu get real about the winter doldrums, talk about why finishing strong actually matters, and share the practical strategies — and a little Yoruba wisdom — that have helped their families push through to the finish line. This one is equal parts encouragement and action plan. Lisa Bailey opens by naming what so many homeschool moms feel but rarely say out loud: February is hard. The holidays are over, the calendar looks long, and even families who genuinely love what they do can hit a wall. Her friend's confession — "I just want to quit" — wasn't a crisis. It was completely normal.
DeDe Adetutu jumps in with a key insight: the winter doldrums aren't random. They're the predictable aftermath of over-investing in holiday intentionality and under-investing in what comes next. We create the problem by making Christmas extraordinary and leaving January with nothing to look forward to. But she also offers a counter-perspective — maybe that emptiness isn't a problem to fix. Maybe it's rest. Winter isn't dead; it's dormant. And the ram, as DeDe's husband says, takes two steps back before charging forward.
The conversation gets practical fast. DeDe shares what her family has developed over seven years of CC: annual photo reviews with the family after Christmas that double as goal-setting sessions, cross-country training that teaches kids what finishing strong feels like in their bodies, inside jokes that double as one-word pep talks, and short interval study sprints that make the final weeks manageable. Lisa adds her own toolkit — 30-minute focused work blocks, purposeful rest days that involve serving others, and the occasional backwards day to break the monotony for younger kids.
What You'll Learn
•    Why the winter doldrums are actually something we create for ourselves — and what to do about it
•    Why finishing strong matters so much more than just getting to the end
•    How a senior cross-country runner's wisdom about the hardest part of the race applies to your homeschool right now
•    The Yoruba proverb DeDe's Nigerian husband shares with their family that reframes what rest is actually for
•    Practical strategies for beating mid-year burnout: interval study sessions, backwards day, British accent memory work, and more
•    Why it's okay to grieve unrealistic goals — and how to adjust them without quitting
•    What a German exchange student's dance move taught DeDe's family about finishing strong
•    Why seniors struggle to finish and what parents can do to help them stay present
•    How a plate of Belgian chocolate and a foundations geography lesson became one of the year's best memories
•    How Candyland might have been designed to teach kids how to handle disappointment

This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:
Summit Ministries

Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure,
and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with
the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not
just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world. 
Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc

Classical Conversations’ new 2026 Product Line

This April, Classical Conversations is launching an exciting portfolio of new products
designed to strengthen math fluency, develop critical reasoning skills, and equip families
with practical tools for classical, Christian homeschooling. From flashcard resources and
reasoning curriculum to hands-on manipulatives and a foundational parent resource, these
releases deepen the classical learning journey for families at every level.
Visit ClassicalConversations.com/WhatsNew/ to explore the entire April 2026 product
collection and start strengthening your family's classical, Christian education today. Don't
miss the special CC Bookstore sale from April 7 - 28!

You may already recognize his voice. For thousands of Classical Conversations families, Charles Hall — known simply as "Internet Grandpa" — has become one of the most beloved figures in the homeschool community, reading rich living books aloud on YouTube and blessing families he has never met. In this episode of the Everyday Educator, host Kelli Wiltsits down with Mr. Hall to talk about how it all started, what it means to hear a human voice read a story, and what happens when faithful work runs into unexpected obstacles.

Charles Hall never set out to become Internet Grandpa. It started simply — reading picture books on YouTube so his grandchildren, scattered from Florida to Pittsburgh, could hear his voice. He made the videos unlisted at first, then figured there was no harm in making them public. What followed was something he never anticipated.

CC families discovered his recordings, and comments began pouring in — parents of struggling readers, moms multitasking through housework, kids making the transition from Foundations into Challenge who needed a warm, steady voice to carry them through books like The Secret Garden and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. His subscriber count passed the number of friends and family, and Internet Grandpa was born.

Kelli opens the episode by sharing her own family's story — her daughter found Mr. Hall's recordings at exactly the right moment, helping her step into independence as a learner while her mom worked nearby. It's the kind of testimony that appears again and again in his comment section.

The conversation turns to why the human voice matters so much. Mr. Hall connects it all the way back to the womb — children hear their parents' voices before they are born, and that bond between voice and love is something no machine can replicate. Jesus, he notes, did most of his ministry through storytelling. People haven't changed much in 2,000 years.

He closes with a story about his son Christopher — a boy who hated reading, until his dad started leaving him at cliffhangers. One night his wife found Christopher in bed with a flashlight, finishing the chapter himself. That's what Internet Grandpa hopes for every child who hears his voice.

What You'll Learn:

- How a grandfather reading Narnia to his kids 40 years ago eventually became a YouTube ministry for thousands

- Why stories told by a human voice still matter in an age of AI — and what children hear even before they are born

- How Internet Grandpa's recordings have helped struggling readers, busy moms, and kids transitioning into CC Challenge

- The cliffhanger trick he used to turn his reluctant reader son into a flashlight-under-the-covers reader

- How to support, pray for, and stay connected with Internet Grandpa right now

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/@InternetGrandpa

This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:

Summit Ministries

Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure,

and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with

the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not

just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world.

Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome and Introduction

01:06 — How Did Internet Grandpa Begin? The Origin Story

01:53 — Reading Narnia to His Kids — 40 Years Before YouTube

02:22 — Recording for Grandkids Far Away and Going Public

03:05 — How CC Families Discovered Him

03:29 — Kelly's Personal Story: How Her Daughter Was Blessed by His Recordings

04:20 — What Drew Him to CC Challenge Books

06:03 — Early Books: The Secret Garden, Carry On Mr. Bowditch, Number the Stars

06:43 — When He Realized He Had Become Internet Famous

07:12 — The Comments That Have Encouraged Him Most

08:01 — Why Reading Aloud Still Matters: Stories, Hearts, and the Art of Attending

08:20 — Why Jesus Told Stories — and Why People Haven't Changed

09:52 — Why a Human Voice Is Different from AI

10:32 — What Children Hear Before They Are Born

11:41 — How He Hopes These Recordings Support Parents at Home

12:24 — Adventures in Odyssey, Car Trips, and Multitasking Moms

12:46 — What He Hopes Children Remember Years from Now

13:57 — The Demonetization Challenge: What Happened and What It Means

15:01 — The Difficult Decisions Demonetization Has Created

16:50 — Rumble and Patreon: Exploring New Platforms

19:09 — What the Ideal Platform Would Look Like

22:04 — How to Support Internet Grandpa Right Now

24:52 — What He Has Learned Through This Season of Difficulty

25:36 — Trusting God When the Path Is Unclear

27:48 — An Encouragement to All CC Families: Cultivate a Love of Books

28:15 — The Story of His Son Christopher and the Flashlight Under the Covers

30:06 — Prayer Requests and How to Stay Connected

31:15 — Where to Find Internet Grandpa: YouTube, Facebook, and CC Connected

31:50 — Closing Words from Kelly and a Final TTFN from Mr. Hall

What if the most important thing you teach your child has nothing to do with curriculum? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Emma Bortins sits down with her mother-in-law and Classical Conversations founder Leigh Bortins to discuss the ideas behind her new book, The Habits: Practicing the Art of Grammar. Together they explore how naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling build the foundational habits that help children — and homeschool families — truly flourish. If you're a homeschool mom looking for a classical Christian approach to raising lifelong learners, this conversation is for you.

Leigh opens by sharing how it took her twelve years of homeschooling to truly understand what her husband had been telling her all along — that what children need most is consistency. It wasn't until she had a second set of young boys while her older sons were teenagers that the power of habits became undeniable. The routines she had built into Robert and John made it possible to keep the family functioning; without them, the whole thing would have fallen apart.

From that personal foundation, the conversation moves into the heart of the book: a framework of five habits — naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling — that Leigh calls the building blocks of a grammar education. These aren't abstract academic concepts. They're what every good mother already does instinctively: naming the dog, teaching a toddler not to touch the stove, helping a child memorize where mom will be in Walmart. The point is to recognize these habits, name them, and practice them with intention.

The episode takes a fascinating turn when Emma asks about AI and technology. Leigh's position is clear: children under 12 don't need screens at all. Not because technology is inherently evil, but because children who never learn to entertain themselves, sit still, or be alone with their thoughts will struggle with self-control for the rest of their lives — with or without technology. The habits of self-governance have to come first.

The episode closes with Leigh's single most important piece of advice for new homeschoolers: find a mentor. Not a curriculum. Not a method. A person who seems to be doing it well and is willing to let you watch.

 What You'll Learn

- What the art of grammar actually means — and why it's about far more than memorization

- The five core habits of the grammar stage: naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling

- Why Leigh says attending is the one habit she'd tell every family to start practicing today

- How habits shape not just academic ability but character, self-control, and spiritual formation

- Why parents need to self-assess their own habits before they can effectively pass them on

- What Leigh thinks about AI and technology — and her recommendation for families with children under 12

- Why feeling inadequate to homeschool is universal — and why it's not actually the obstacle you think it is

- How the habits formed in the grammar years show up years later in college anatomy and chemistry courses

- Where to find Leigh online and which books to read alongside The Habits

This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:

Summit Ministries

Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure, and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world. Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome and Introduction

02:22 — Leigh's Reaction to Being Interviewed by Her Daughter-in-Law

03:10 — What Took So Long to Understand: The Role of Habits in Homeschooling

04:13 — How a Second Set of Young Boys Changed Everything

05:14 — What Her Husband Was Saying All Along — and When She Finally Heard It

06:40 — What Is the Art of Grammar? Beyond Memorization

07:33 — The Five Habits: Naming, Attending, Memorizing, Expressing, Storytelling

09:33 — Expressing and Storytelling in Everyday Family Life

10:19 — What Happens in Families Without Habits

12:04 — Emma's Daughter and the "Tell Stories, Dance" Moment

13:49 — It's Not Just What Students Know — It's How They Learn

15:45 — The One Habit That Distinguishes Flourishing Students: Self-Control

17:08 — Parents Must Self-Assess First: More Is Caught Than Taught

18:47 — Sitting on Daddy's Lap: Three Very Different Experiences

19:50 — Slowing Down in a World That Moves Too Fast

20:15 — AI, Technology, and Homeschooling with Humans

21:19 — Leigh's Recommendation: No Screens for Children Under 12

23:14 — Having the Conversation with Your Kids About Why

24:15 — How Habits Shape Character, Not Just the Mind

25:23 — You're Not Being Raised for Yourself — You're Being Raised to Serve

26:06 — The Story of Jonah's Timeout and What It Revealed About Siblings

27:15 — The Connection Between Intellectual Habits and Spiritual Formation

29:09 — How to Cultivate Spiritual Habits at Home: Find a Mentor

31:27 — There's No Single Answer — Fit the Liturgy to Your Family's Schedule

31:58 — Encouragement for Parents Who Feel Inadequate to Homeschool

33:55 — What Second-Generation Homeschoolers Bring to the Table

37:03 — If You Could Only Start One Habit: Attending

38:09 — Situational Awareness and Why It Matters for Everything

40:35 — How Early Habits Prepare Students for Logic, Rhetoric, and College

41:47 — What CC Students Say When They Call Home from College

42:32 — Thank You, Closing Thoughts, and Where to Find Leigh

Is pushing for Memory Master worth it — and what happens if your child doesn't make it? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Amy Jones sits down with veteran CC moms Courtney Bradshaw and Tunrade Schumann to talk about how to challenge your kids with Classical Conversations memory work without overwhelming them or pushing too hard. Whether you're aiming for Memory Master, Subject Master, or just want your child to engage more deeply with the Foundations curriculum, this conversation is full of warm, practical wisdom for every homeschool family.

Tunrade shares how her family dove headfirst into Memory Master from day one, with all four kids eventually earning the title — and each one also having that one hard year where it didn't quite come together. Those years, she says, turned out to be among the most valuable. Her daughter once went back as a Challenge A student to earn the one cycle she'd missed years earlier, simply because it still mattered to her. Tunrade herself has spent the last two years earning Mom Memory Master alongside her kids, with a third planned as her capstone.

Courtney offers a beautifully different perspective — her family never completed community Memory Master, but has celebrated Subject Masters, a "Master Swordsman" scripture challenge, and countless informal moments where the content showed up in unexpected ways: a college Western Civ class, a Challenge speech, a paper. She's candid about the seasons of life — including adopting three children mid-journey — that meant mom simply wasn't available, and why that's okay.

The conversation turns practical in the back half, with both moms sharing specific tips: starting with six weeks of consistent daily review, using CDs and flip books for independent study, leveraging Christmas break to tackle early weeks, pairing up with another Memory Master family for accountability and fun, and tailoring review methods to each child's learning style. Motivation strategies include review game parties, community check-ins, and Tunrade's beloved family tradition: a full week of unlimited screen time after Memory Master — which, she notes, usually loses its charm by day two.

The episode closes with a reminder that the real reward isn't the blue shirt. It's a child who knows how they learn, trusts their own mind, and isn't afraid of hard things.

What You'll Learn:

- The full Memory Master continuum — from Subject Master all the way to the National Memory Master Contest

- How two experienced CC families approached Memory Master very differently — and both thrived

- Why the hidden benefits of Memory Master have almost nothing to do with memorization

- What to do when life gets hard and Memory Master just isn't happening this year

- Practical, age-by-age tips for making memory work fun (trampolines, hopscotch, hand motions & more)

- How to use Christmas break strategically to get ahead on proofs

- Creative ways to celebrate and motivate kids through the February doldrums

- Why kids who earn Memory Master aren't scared of hard things later in life

- How Tunrade earned Mom Memory Master — and why Courtney is already eyeing it for her last round

This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:

Summit Ministries

Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure,

and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with

the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not

just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world.

Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & Introduction

00:22 — Amy's Homeschool Journey & Why This Topic Matters

00:48 — The Memory Master Continuum: Subject Master to National Contest

03:39 — Meet Courtney Bradshaw: 12 Years of CC, Academic Advisor & 7 Kids

06:30 — Meet Tunrade Schumann: 12 Years of CC, Social Media Director & Graduating Her First

09:18 — What It Means to "Graduate" as a CC Mom

12:09 — Why the Memory Content Is So Rich (and Funny College Moments)

13:21 — Tunrade's Family Memory Master Journey: All Four Kids, Every Cycle

15:09 — Mom Memory Master: When Your Kid Proofs You

16:15 — The Hard Year Every Child Had — and What They Learned From It

18:14 — How a Challenge A Student Went Back for the Cycle She Missed

20:06 — Courtney's Journey: Subject Masters, a Scripture Challenge & Meeting Kids Where They Are

25:28 — Subject Master Deep Dive: Latin, Geography & Leaning Into What They Love

28:34 — It's Not All or Nothing: Finding the Right Level for Your Family

30:33 — Practical Tips: How and When to Start Preparing for Memory Master

32:05 — Making Memory Work Fun: Trampolines, Hopscotch, Hand Motions & More

33:09 — Using Christmas Break to Get Ahead on Proofs

35:39 — Learning Styles: Why What Works for One Child Won't Work for Another

38:55 — The Proofing Timeline: What to Expect and When

40:09 — Keeping Kids Motivated Through the February Doldrums

41:35 — Review Games, Study Dates & Building Friendships Through Memory Master

44:09 — How Tunrade's Family Celebrates: The Week of Unlimited Screen Time

45:14 — The Real Reward: Kids Who Know How They Learn and Aren't Scared of Hard Things

46:33 — Closing Encouragement & Finding Your CC Community

Is progressive Christianity coming for your kids — and would you even recognize it if it was? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Amy Jones and co-host Emma Bortins sit down with author and apologist Alisa Childers to unpack what progressive Christianity actually is, why it appeals to young people, and how Christian homeschool parents can equip their children to stand firm in biblical truth. If you're raising kids in today's cultural climate, this conversation is one you can't afford to miss.
Alisa shares her own story of encountering progressive Christianity through a pastor who slowly dismantled core doctrines of the faith, and how that crisis ultimately led her to study apologetics and write Another Gospel. She offers a clear definition of progressive Christianity — not by what it affirms, but by what it denies: substitutionary atonement, the authority of Scripture, the reality of hell, and the exclusivity of Christ.
The conversation turns to the younger generation and how moral relativism has become the dominant worldview of Gen Z, making it harder than ever for kids to understand why biblical truth isn't just "your opinion." From there, the hosts dig into practical parenting strategies: why it's not enough to shelter kids, why you should actually show them progressive content and work through it together, and how modeling confidence in your faith can be more powerful than having a perfect answer. 

What You'll Learn:
- What progressive Christianity is — and the core doctrines it quietly denies
- Why young people are so susceptible to progressive theology and deconstruction
- How social media (including random TikTok videos) is influencing your kids' faith
- Why the definition of “truth” may be the most important conversation you have with your child
- A practical, age-by-age strategy for building spiritual resilience at home
- How to show your kids progressive Christian content without it rattling their faith
- Why holding a biblical sexual ethic feels different for Gen Z than it did for previous generations
- The best apologetics resources for parents and students — including Alisa's new student edition

00:00 — Introduction & Welcome
00:29 — Introducing Alisa Childers: Author, Apologist & CCM Artist
02:18 — About Another Gospel & the Student Edition
03:09 — Alisa's Personal Story: How She Encountered Progressive Christianity
06:04 — What Is Progressive Christianity? Definitions & Core Denials
11:13 — Tracing the Gospel Arc: Where Progressive Christianity Goes Off the Rails
15:02 — Social Justice, Marxism & What Unites Progressive Christians
16:14 — Is Progressive Christianity Growing? What the Data Doesn't Show
21:21 — The Most Important Word: How You Define "Truth" Changes Everything
24:06 — Insulin or Ice Cream: Teaching Objective vs. Subjective Truth
28:40 — Loving Your Kids' Friends While Holding a Biblical Sexual Ethic
30:03 — Identity, Sexuality & Untying the Knots for the Younger Generation
36:06 — Social Media & Progressive Christianity: Where the Influence Is Coming From
40:10 — Practical Strategies: How to Raise Spiritually Resilient Kids at Home
44:25 — It's Okay Not to Have All the Answers: Modeling Faith Under Pressure
47:36 — Secondary Issues, Wrestling with Scripture & Holding Things in Tension
48:38 — Recommended Resources for Parents & Students
52:01 — Closing Thoughts: The Beauty of the True Gospel

Resources:
https://alisachilders.com/

This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:
Summit Ministries
Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure,
and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with
the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not
just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world. 
Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc