The Saint Emmelia Podcast

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Ruth Purcell (experienced homeschool mom, music educator, and a certified 1st Steps in Music instructor) on the importance of music in the education of children. 1st Steps in Music was developed by Dr. John Feierabend and adapted for homeschool use by Ruth. To find out more about Ruth's music program visit ruthpurcell.com/stemmelia where you will find a video of a sample lesson to help you evaluate the curriculum, and use as a music lesson with your children. You can email Ruth Purcell at ruth@ruthpurcell.com. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Kh. Kristina Gillquist on the topic of homeschooling with children and parents who have special abilities or needs. Kh. Kristina lives in Bloomington, Indiana where her husband, Fr. Peter Jon, is pastor of All Saints Orthodox Church. Her first vocation was as a physical therapist specializing in pediatrics and neurologic rehabilitation, but her full-time caseload is her zany one-room schoolhouse of 6 multiply-talented, differently-abled, fantastic children. At the 2019 St. Emmelia EAST Conference, Kh. Kristina presented a workshop title "Considering Giftedness (and Other Special Needs!) in the Shaping of Your Homeschool Planet." An audio recording of this workshop is available here. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Kh. Kristina Gillquist on the topic of homeschooling with children and parents who have special abilities or needs. Kh. Kristina lives in Bloomington, Indiana where her husband, Fr. Peter Jon, is pastor of All Saints Orthodox Church. Her first vocation was as a physical therapist specializing in pediatrics and neurologic rehabilitation, but her full-time caseload is her zany one-room schoolhouse of 6 multiply-talented, differently-abled, fantastic children. At the 2019 St. Emmelia EAST Conference, Kh. Kristina presented a workshop title "Considering Giftedness (and Other Special Needs!) in the Shaping of Your Homeschool Planet." An audio recording of this workshop is available here. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Anne Van Fossen, Chief Academic Office for the Classical Resource Learning Center (CLRC). The CLRC offers over 10 years of experience offering live, interactive, online classes for K through 12. The majority of our teachers are Orthodox Christians and have advanced degrees. We offer Orthodox Christian Studies, classical content, Charlotte Mason practice, Classical Latin and Greek, as well as modern languages. Dual Enrollment options are available for college credit through the University of Saint Katherine. Students have 24/7 access to assignments, grades and class resources. Visit the CLRC online at www.clrconline.com. Anne Van Fossen spent seven years working with her husband, John, to found a Christian Classical K-8 school in California. Anne was the Director of Program and Curriculum Development and head of the Ancient Languages Department. She has over 15 years of experience teaching classical Greek and Latin to all ages from Kindergarten to adult. Anne earned her Master’s degree in Classics from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she was awarded the Keith Aldridge Memorial Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Classics and taught Greek Mythology, Classical Archaeology, Greek Civilization, and Greek Tragedy as a teaching assistant for four years. Anne earned her bachelor’s degree in Physics and Chemistry (summa cum laude) from Mount Holyoke College and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi Societies. Anne lives in Naples, Idaho where she homeschools her three sons with her husband. She loves reading, running, and romping with her boys. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Anne Van Fossen, Chief Academic Office for the Classical Resource Learning Center (CLRC). The CLRC offers over 10 years of experience offering live, interactive, online classes for K through 12. The majority of our teachers are Orthodox Christians and have advanced degrees. We offer Orthodox Christian Studies, classical content, Charlotte Mason practice, Classical Latin and Greek, as well as modern languages. Dual Enrollment options are available for college credit through the University of Saint Katherine. Students have 24/7 access to assignments, grades and class resources. Visit the CLRC online at www.clrconline.com. Anne Van Fossen spent seven years working with her husband, John, to found a Christian Classical K-8 school in California. Anne was the Director of Program and Curriculum Development and head of the Ancient Languages Department. She has over 15 years of experience teaching classical Greek and Latin to all ages from Kindergarten to adult. Anne earned her Master’s degree in Classics from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she was awarded the Keith Aldridge Memorial Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Classics and taught Greek Mythology, Classical Archaeology, Greek Civilization, and Greek Tragedy as a teaching assistant for four years. Anne earned her bachelor’s degree in Physics and Chemistry (summa cum laude) from Mount Holyoke College and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi Societies. Anne lives in Naples, Idaho where she homeschools her three sons with her husband. She loves reading, running, and romping with her boys. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Dn. Adam Roberts, Interim Administrator of the St. Athanasius Online Academy, on the educational opportunities for homeschool families. St. Athanasius is now offering a complete option K-12 for all core studies and Christian Education. (In development: Biology, Physics, Latin, Arabic.) St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology was founded in 1976 as an arm of the Evangelical Orthodox Church and entered canonical Orthodoxy when that body was brought into the Antiochian Archdiocese. We offer a Correspondence Study Program, operate a Prisoner Education Program, and carry out various programs of research and study to prepare materials presenting the Orthodox Christian faith to Americans. The Orthodox Study Bible is an outstanding example of the fruit of our literature programs. Also, whenever appropriate, we produce audio and video media on various topics. In 2020, two divisions were created: 1) St. Athanasius Academy for online studies of K-12 grades and 2) St. Athanasius College. Visit their website at www.saaot.edu. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Adam Lockridge in a wide ranging conversation about Orthodox classical education and the St. Raphael School, as well as the use of technology and the need to develop the "super power" of focus. Adam is a veteran classical educator, with a Master Degree in Philosophy from the University of Memphis. Adam serves as the St. Raphael School Principal, and the Scholé Academy Assistant Principal. As the Assistant Principal, he manages the SA Tutoring Center & Center for Students w/ Learning Differences and assists the Principal in the general management of the school. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Dn. Adam Roberts, Interim Administrator of the St. Athanasius Online Academy, on the educational opportunities for homeschool families. St. Athanasius is now offering a complete option K-12 for all core studies and Christian Education. (In development: Biology, Physics, Latin, Arabic.) St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology was founded in 1976 as an arm of the Evangelical Orthodox Church and entered canonical Orthodoxy when that body was brought into the Antiochian Archdiocese. We offer a Correspondence Study Program, operate a Prisoner Education Program, and carry out various programs of research and study to prepare materials presenting the Orthodox Christian faith to Americans. The Orthodox Study Bible is an outstanding example of the fruit of our literature programs. Also, whenever appropriate, we produce audio and video media on various topics. In 2020, two divisions were created: 1) St. Athanasius Academy for online studies of K-12 grades and 2) St. Athanasius College. Visit their website at www.saaot.edu. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Ramona Saridakis Bean, an experienced homeschool mom, active blogger at ceoofthehome.net, and podcaster. Ramona has a wide variety of experiences in education, working in the U.S. Congress and the Dept. of the Treasury, giving her an informed understanding of educational policy in the United States as well as a first hand knowledge of the blessings and challenges of a homeschool family. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Ramona Saridakis Bean, an experienced homeschool mom, active blogger at ceoofthehome.net, and podcaster. Ramona has a wide variety of experiences in education, working in the U.S. Congress and the Dept. of the Treasury, giving her an informed understanding of educational policy in the United States as well as a first hand knowledge of the blessings and challenges of a homeschool family. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews author and homeschool mom Bethany Saros on the topic of teaching the Holy Scriptures to our children. Bethany book, titled "A Light in the Darkness: Bible Study for Children and Teens" is available on Amazon. Through her faithful study of Scripture, Bethany shows how any layperson with the ability to read can teach children—even as the adults themselves are learning—while avoiding the pitfalls of interpretation and theological speculation. Teaching, she explains, is as simple as defining words, following the plot, identifying characters, looking up historical facts, and, most importantly, sticking to the text. Parents should read the stories of the Bible to their children without comment. “Narration,” Bethany explains, “teaches children submission to the story.” I hasten to add that her book challenges parents to do the same. That Bethany takes this directive seriously is evident in her insightful exegesis of various passages. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews author and homeschool mom Bethany Saros on the topic of teaching the Holy Scriptures to our children. Bethany book, titled "A Light in the Darkness: Bible Study for Children and Teens" is available on Amazon. Through her faithful study of Scripture, Bethany shows how any layperson with the ability to read can teach children—even as the adults themselves are learning—while avoiding the pitfalls of interpretation and theological speculation. Teaching, she explains, is as simple as defining words, following the plot, identifying characters, looking up historical facts, and, most importantly, sticking to the text. Parents should read the stories of the Bible to their children without comment. “Narration,” Bethany explains, “teaches children submission to the story.” I hasten to add that her book challenges parents to do the same. That Bethany takes this directive seriously is evident in her insightful exegesis of various passages. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interviews Adam Lockridge in a wide ranging conversation about Orthodox classical education and the St. Raphael School, as well as the use of technology and the need to develop the "super power" of focus. Adam is a veteran classical educator, with a Master Degree in Philosophy from the University of Memphis. Adam serves as the St. Raphael School Principal, and the Scholé Academy Assistant Principal. As the Assistant Principal, he manages the SA Tutoring Center & Center for Students w/ Learning Differences and assists the Principal in the general management of the school. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interview Shamassy Ina O'Dell, a veteran home educator and Christian Education director, gleaning valuable insights and wisdom for today's homeschooling families. Sh. Ina O’Dell, Director of Christian Education, came into Orthodoxy in Connecticut with her husband and sons in 1995. They were then transferred for work to Washington D.C. in 1996. They were members of Holy Cross Orthodox church in Maryland for 14 years before moving back to their ancestral home in Colorado to care for her parents in 2010. She was first tasked with teaching something in 1969, and has been at it since then in various forms—including homeschooling her sons for 17 years. At St. Spyridon she created a ‘Special Space’, Montessori-type program for the 2 youngest grades and has been writing a 4-year, 101 Lessons in Scripture curriculum for 2nd grade to adult. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com

Dn. Sean Reid interview Shamassy Ina O'Dell, a veteran home educator and Christian Education director, gleaning valuable insights and wisdom for today's homeschooling families. Sh. Ina O’Dell, Director of Christian Education, came into Orthodoxy in Connecticut with her husband and sons in 1995. They were then transferred for work to Washington D.C. in 1996. They were members of Holy Cross Orthodox church in Maryland for 14 years before moving back to their ancestral home in Colorado to care for her parents in 2010. She was first tasked with teaching something in 1969, and has been at it since then in various forms—including homeschooling her sons for 17 years. At St. Spyridon she created a ‘Special Space’, Montessori-type program for the 2 youngest grades and has been writing a 4-year, 101 Lessons in Scripture curriculum for 2nd grade to adult. For more information on Saint Emmelia Ministries or one of our regional conferences, visit www.saintemmelia.com