Susan Wise Bauer's Audio Lectures: The Next Best Thing to Attending Her Lecture in Person

Even though I've been homeschooling for six years, I have yet to make it to a homeschool conference. Yes, when my oldest was two I went to a tiny local pseudo homeschool conference that ended being more about being a submissive wife, canning, and home finances than actually homeschooling. I don't really count that.

Why don't I go? Well, whenever I look at the speakers at my gigantic local state conference (5 hours away) I go.. Oh. Not worth the money, time, and expense for me. Now if Susan Wise Bauer were the speaker at my local state conference, I can tell that I will go. I'm waiting, Ms. Bauer (hint: I'm in Florida).

Now that we've established that I don't attend homeschool conferences, let me tell you what the next best thing is. Susan Wise Bauer's audio lectures. I'm not a classical homeschooler, and I don't intend to be. I do homeschool in the Charlotte Mason (CM) tradition, which is in and of itself with a pretty classical bent, but I'm not classical. However, there is much to glean even if you are not CM or classical from SWB's lectures. She has an approachable style, and she has experience both as a lecturer, college professor, and homeschool mother. I also own and use her Story of the World history books which have been the cornerstone of our history curriculum.

What I appreciate the most about Ms. Bauer's Peace Hill Press publishing company is her Well Trained Mind forum. It has been and continues to be an invaluable source in my homeschooling journey. Thank you, Ms. Bauer! I know I am one of many, many homeschooling moms exceedingly grateful for this top-notch forum.

It is on this forum that I got note of Ms. Bauer's lectures. If I'm not attending homeschooling conference, I can listen to valuable homeschooling advice at home. She gives this and more. Her lectures are lucid, illuminating, and leave me with a concrete plan or worthy insight into not only educating, but understanding my son (wait, I mean my children). Here she is, college professor and author of books, and she has also been frustrated with her kids sometimes.

I downloaded Homeschooling The Real Child and A Plan for Teaching Writing: Focus on the Middle Grades and couldn't have been happier. I could be listening to this in my underwear, drinking a mug of milk and eating a plate of cookies. I can do it again and again. Homeschool conference? Nah. Unless it were a Charlotte Mason conference. I do want to go some day to the one in Boiling Springs, NC.  Or a Well Trained Mind conference, which doesn't exist - yet.  Until then, I may as well stay home and tackle teaching writing while I snack on some cookies.

Of course, this is the way I really want to be listening to an audio lecture: