A History of American Homeschooling with Dixie Dillon Lane

(Re-Air) Physical Education: Patrick Whalen with Iliad Athletics

Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements. Patrick Whalen, Marine Corps veteran, founding headmaster of St. Martin’s Academy, and founder of Iliad Athletics, makes the case that physical education is not peripheral to Catholic school mission but foundational to it. In this conversation with Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez, Patrick explores why a student’s capacity for intellectual and spiritual formation depends on serious physical encounter with reality, how schools and families must work together to cultivate it, and what tools exist right now to help Catholic school leaders elevate their PE programs. What You’ll Learn: * How to make the philosophical and practical case within your school community for treating PE as central to Catholic mission—not an add-on * What gamification and narrative techniques look like in a PE curriculum, and why they cultivate character more effectively than competition alone * How to structure PE differently for boys and girls at puberty in ways that are both philosophically grounded and practically appropriate * Why inviting parents into school physical activities strengthens the home-school partnership—and what that can look like concretely Questions Addressed in the Q&A Segment: * “I live in Illinois - where nature can be very flat and unvaried terrain. We lived for many years in the city of Chicago and didn’t have grass in our yard. We would make concerted efforts to visit nearby forest preserves for hiking trips, but wondering about your recommendations for schools and families to incorporate nature when they don’t have as direct access in the daily routines.” * “If a leader realizes this is an area to grow in, what is the place to start that will be the most fruitful?” * “If you are looking ahead to next year’s budget and want to allocate additional resources to fitness, apart from the Iliad curriculum, what would be your recommendation for investment?” * “Parents on the sidelines can be a major liability for schools. What are your recommendations for instilling a charitable and partnership-oriented ethos among fans while still maintaining a commitment to excellence and competition?” * “What about kids who are not naturally gifted in athletics? Isn’t PE just going to make them feel bad?” * “How can PE contribute to overall school culture including spirituality, discipline, and even advancement?” Resources: * Iliad Athletics [http://www.iliadathletics.com] * Iliad Educator Course Registration [https://iliadathletics.com/training-and-professional-development/] * Iliad Summer Camp Registration [https://iliadathletics.com/2026-junior-foundation-camp/] * Follow Iliad on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586137775039] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/iliad-athletics/?viewAsMember=true] Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction and Patrick Whalen’s background * 05:18: Why physical education? The philosophy behind Iliad Athletics * 11:48: Tools for schools: curriculum, teacher training, and camps * 14:43: Parents as primary educators—schools as collaborative parental agency * 16:56: Body stewardship, family culture, and the screen time problem * 19:22: Encouraging families who feel behind * 24:21: Inviting parents into school PE activities * 26:10: Gamification and narrative in the PE curriculum * 31:28: Physical excellence and sex differences * 38:53: Parents as models and encouragers—the Lenten parallel * 41:26: Educator courses: Don Bosco, pedagogy, and teacher formation Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Heart of the Family: A Resource for the Domestic Church

Visit http://familiaris-consulting.comfamiliaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements ______ Benito Medrano Calderón, Director of the Holy Family Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, joins Jaime to unpack a free, scripture-rooted family formation program built through years of multi-diocese pilots and to show Catholic school leaders exactly how to bring it to their parent communities. Whether your school serves primarily Hispanic families or not, the Heart of the Family series offers a ready-made pathway for helping parents embrace their role as the first educators of their children. What We Cover * The demographic reality Catholic school leaders can’t ignore: nearly half of all US Catholics are Hispanic, and the vast majority are second- or third-generation Americans born and raised in the US * What years of parish pilot programs revealed about how families actually grow in faith — and what keeps them coming back * How the Heart of the Family video series is structured: seven sessions, scripture-rooted, free in both English and Spanish * Why effective parent formation must begin with hope before it can move toward formation and how the program eases families in gradually * Three concrete models Catholic schools can use to implement the Heart of the Family with their own parent communities Resources: * Access the Heart of the Family Series [https://holyfamilyseries.nd.edu/] * Contact Benito [https://holyfamilyseries.nd.edu/about/] for more information Chapters * 00:00: Introducing Benito Medrano Calderón and the Holy Family Initiative * 07:26: The McGrath Institute — bridging Catholic intellectual and pastoral life * 09:25: The demographic reality: Hispanic Catholics and disaffiliation * 13:52: Extended family networks and faith transmission * 18:45: Abuelita theology and community-rooted catechesis * 20:19: Starting with encounter: evangelization before formation * 28:26: The Heart of the Family series: structure and sessions * 33:12: Scripture as the foundation of the program * 35:00: The pilot format: meals, music, reflection, and take-home resources * 42:41: Fruits from the field: parishes that took it further * 46:34: Three models for Catholic schools * 55:43: Why hope is the key to reaching parents Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Four Personas for School-Family Communication

What if becoming a more effective communicator with parents starts with recognizing the different roles educators must navigate throughout the relationship? In this episode, Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez shares four educator personas that represent the mindsets and practices that shape family partnerships in Catholic schools. The personas of The Public Servant, the Coach, the Toast, and the Doctor each offer a lens for teachers and leaders to reflect on and strengthen communication with parents. We'll explore the key traits that define each persona, the situations where each is most helpful, and how school leaders can use them to audit communication practices, support faculty growth, and think more intentionally about the overall experience families have with their school. What We Cover: * The foundational beliefs about parent-school relationships that ground the four educator personas * How the Public Servant persona keeps mission central while upholding transparency and professional responsibility * How the Coach persona delivers actionable goals and feedback while motivating students and families toward growth * How the Toast persona honors each student’s unique value and builds relational foundations through intentional celebration * How to audit your communication across key circumstances, personal tendencies, and team composition to strengthen your school’s overall family experience Overview of the Four Personas: Public Servant * Focus on the mission * Transparency & professional responsibility The Coach * Actionable goals; Actionable feedback * Motivate the team effort The toast * Honor the student’s value * Celebrate the moment The doctor * First listen, then explain, then recommend * Make the technical understandable Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction to the Four Educator Personas * 04:21: The Public Servant * 08:56: The Coach * 16:13: The Toast * 23:07: The Doctor * 29:34: Applying the Personas Throughout the Year * 34:15: Conferences and Mission-Critical Problem Solving * 36:41: Personal Tendencies and Team Audit * 40:39: Recap Resources: * Episode 5: 7 Principles for Making School-Family Relationships Work [https://familiaris.substack.com/p/7-principles-for-making-school-family] * The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John M. Gottman, PhD and Nan Silver (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4aVnuB7], Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/121472/9780553447712], Abe Books [https://www.abebooks.com/Seven-Principles-Making-Marriage-Work-Practical/31386089921/bd]) Join the Conversation: * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A History of American Homeschooling with Dixie Dillon Lane

What can the history of homeschool teach us about the future of Catholic schooling? Historian and educator Dr. Dixie Dillon Lane joins Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez to discuss her new book, Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Dixie traces homeschooling’s journey from a small and often hidden movement in the mid-twentieth century to a significant and growing part of the American educational landscape. The discussion includes the changing relationship between families and schools, why parental influence has become such an important educational question, and lessons for Catholic school leaders. Guests Dixie Dillon-Lane, Historian of Education, Author of Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream, Editor, Hearth and Field What We Cover * How Sputnik and the Cold War triggered federal intervention in local education and why that history illuminates the parental instincts driving educational choice today * The distinction between parental control, influence, and authority and what it means practically for school-family relationships in Catholic schools * How homeschooling evolved from a legally risky fringe practice into a minority norm now larger than Catholic schooling, and what that says about American beliefs * What the data actually shows about homeschooling and child safety and how Catholic school leaders can model clear-eyed, fair engagement with contested education statistics * Post-COVID shifts in how families weigh institutional affiliation against core values and the invitation that creates for schools anchored in a strong Catholic mission Chapters * 00:00: Introduction and Dixie’s background * 09:31: Sputnik and the Cold War’s impact on American education * 11:56: Early homeschoolers and the anti-institution movement * 17:14: Parental authority vs. control vs. influence * 25:03: Where homeschooling and Catholic schooling overlap * 31:54: Subsidiarity, local control, and education * 36:49: Homeschooling and child safety: data vs. narrative * 41:14: What public school performance numbers reveal * 44:01: Post-COVID shifts in values and institutional affiliation * 49:00: Lessons for Catholic school leaders in this moment * 53:15: The ultimate purpose of education Resources: * Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream by Dixie Dillon Lane (Amazon [https://amzn.to/4ffV2g2], Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/121472/9780802885517], Eerdmans Publishing [https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802885517/skipping-school/]) * The Hollow Substack Newsletter [https://thehollow.substack.com/] * The Bad Moms Homeschool Substack Newsletter [https://badhomeschoolers.substack.com/] * Hearth & Field: A Journal, An Invitation, A Quest for Real Life [https://hearthandfield.com/] Follow Dixie on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dixie-dillon-lane/] Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Speech and Debate as Whole Person Formation

Speech and debate do far more than prepare students for competition; they shape how young people think, listen, argue, and engage as citizens. Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez sits down with Ethan Tong, Jonathan Peele, and Anne McClure to explore how Catholic schools and families can enter this space and use it as a vehicle for whole-person formation and parent partnership. Guests: * Ethan Tong, League Administrator, High School Moot Court Association * Jonathan Peele, Director of Speech and Debate, Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation * Anne McClure, Board Member, High School Moot Court Association What We Cover: * The different formats of speech and debate—platform speeches, limited prep, interpretive events, policy debate, and moot court—and how each develops distinct but complementary skills * How the speech and debate landscape is structured across major leagues (NSDA, NCFL, NCFCA, STOA, Coolidge Foundation, HSMCA) and what distinguishes each for Catholic and classical schools * Practical guidance for schools getting started, from choosing a league and matching events to student strengths, to honestly assessing the time commitment for coaches * Why parents are essential to the speech and debate ecosystem—as judges, coaches, conversation partners, and the first audience for a student’s prepared arguments * How moot court and debate bring formation home through the dinner table debates, late-night arguments, and multigenerational conversations that enrich family culture Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and guest introductions * 01:27: Ethan’s path into speech and debate and founding HSMCA * 03:43: Jonathan’s journey and the Coolidge Foundation * 05:28: Anne’s story as a debate parent and board member * 08:29: Mapping the speech and debate landscape * 13:59: Coolidge debate: civility, substance, and accessibility * 19:50: Getting started: advice for schools and coaches * 26:17: Time commitment and scaling expectations * 33:04: Moot court vs. debate: different skills, shared formation * 43:03: The role of parents as judges and conversation partners * 56:26: Speech and debate as whole-family formation * 58:42: Where to find HSMCA and Coolidge online Resources: High School Moot Court Association [http://hsmca.org] Coolidge Speech and Debate [https://coolidgefoundation.org/debate] National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) [https://www.speechanddebate.org/] NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate League [http://ncfca.org] National Catholic Forensic League [https://www.ncfl.org/] STOA Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate [https://www.stoausa.org/] Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]