We're one quarter of the way into the school year, and maybe you're finding your child is struggling with a subject. Or, perhaps you're just an intentional parent who wants to do what you can to help your child thrive academically. Or, maybe you're thinking you would like to have your child attend Veritas, but you're concerned the academics would be too challenging.

Whatever the case may be, you will enjoy this discussion with the Veritas Learning Support Team - Christine Hertzog, Deb Bentley, and Sandy Olcott - who give insights into the tools and methods they use to help kids grasp course material, things they've seen well-meaning parents do that can hinder kids' academic progress, and hope and encouragement pointing us to the real purpose of education (hint: it's not grades).

Our guest is Dr. Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Walt will be visiting Veritas Academy on the evening of November 19th to present his "Youth Culture 101" seminar, giving parents insight on the major cultural forces influencing today's kids and providing practical, hope-filled, Biblical perspectives on how to guide our kids through the noise that surrounds them and keep them pointed to Christ.

In this episode, Walt brings his experience and expertise to a discussion on how Christian parents can connect with and guide their kids in truth and light through a complicated, anxiety-ridden culture. Together with our host Ty Fischer, they cover things like:

• Stress and anxiety in our kids
• Handing technology
• Common mistakes well-meaning parents can make
• Keeping the conversation lines open with your kids
• And more.

For more information on Walt's ministry, visit cpyu.org.

In an election season such as we find ourselves presently, it seems we are inundated with political messages and noise - and much of it can feel frustrating and hopeless as we watch candidates batter one another with meaningless words and even outright falsehoods, and wade through the barrage of sound bytes, video shorts, pithy headlines, and Tic Toks to find something of real substance.

In Classical Christian education, Rhetoric is the final stage of learning, preparing a generation of students to take their place as the next citizens, voters, and leaders of our nation. If the art of Rhetoric is "a good man speaking well," then we can agree that more excellent rhetoricians is what our nation could use.

In this episode, Ty Fischer talks with the Hon. Gordon Denlinger, former PA State Representative and current Deputy Auditor General, and Veritas Dean of Students and Rhetoric teacher Graham Dennis. They discuss the political climate of this charged election season - and the many that have preceded it over the centuries - and what discerning parents and young people need to keep in mind if we are going to rise above the denigration and noise and speak Christ's truth and light well to a darkening culture.

If you're part of Veritas Academy - or another classical Christian school - you may not be aware that you're part of a burgeoning movement that is impacting families and communities all over the world.

Tim Dernlan, Vice President of the Association of Classical Christian Schools, joins Ty Fischer in this first episode of Cultivate Season 4 to give listeners a view from the heights. Whether your family is already involved in a classical Christian school, or you're exploring school options for your children and considering classical education, you will be amazed and inspired to hear how the classical Christian education as we know it grew from humble roots to a worldwide movement of bold and passionate parents, church leaders, and educators seeking to train up a virtuous and courageous generation that will impact the world for Christ.

With the start of school just around the corner, academic endeavors are beginning to bubble to the forefront of our minds and schedules. This episode, originally released in April 2023, will inspire your family for this upcoming school year by showing how pursuing excellence in learning and education can and should deepen our (and our children's) faith and bolster our devotion to God.

When did a dichotomy become assumed between academic excellence and Christian devotion? Over time, a mindset has developed that seems to tell us that these two traits can't coexist; that striving for one will compromise the other in our lives.

The Veritas Dean of Math and Science, Rhonda Forbes, talks with our host Ty Fischer about why she sees these two worthwhile objectives - academic excellence and Christian devotion - in our lives as being complimentary to one another and even, in fact, informing each other. Parents should not feel like they have to choose between the two, or that by striving to cultivate one in their child's heart they will rob the other from flourishing. On the contrary, Rhonda will pull back the curtain to show you how, as a Christian, striving for academic excellence can and should deepen our wonder and love for God...and how a deep love for God can result in a desire for greater learning, knowledge of His ways and creation, and excellence in all we do.

Rhonda Forbes, who was an engineer before embarking on her teaching career at Veritas years ago, teaches both upper school math and Great Books (Omnibus) courses deftly. She and her husband Scott have four grown children, all of whom graduated from Veritas Academy.

This episode originally aired in May of 2023. During this season heading into a Presidential election - and all of the political news and discussions that permeate such a season - we believe this is a timely conversation to release as part of our summer hiatus time.

Are you weary of the way that politics has seemed to seep into every corner of our lives, including in the education of even our youngest children? Ty Fischer and Veritas Dean of Students and humanities teacher Graham Dennis talk about the valuing a “pre-political” education, and what that looks like as we seek to cultivate a generation who can discuss an array of difficult topics with confidence, respect, and clarity.

The discussion dives all the way back to the Ancient origins of the word politics and meanders into the modern era, helping us to discern how we can raise today's youth to be free thinking citizens who can rise above the mud slinging of today's political ideas.

Books referenced in this episode include:

• ⁠Dorothy Sayers - The Mind of the Maker⁠

• ⁠Plato - The Republic⁠

• ⁠The Writings of Justin Martyr⁠

• ⁠Russel Kirk - Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered⁠

• ⁠Josef Pieper - Leisure: The Basis of Culture

This episode originally aired in Season 2 of Cultivate in February of 2023. During the summer months, between our seasons of new episodes, we'll be re-releasing one Season 2 episode each month.

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David Bahnsen - portfolio manager, author, television commentator, and host of the Dividend Cafe podcast - joins our host Ty Fischer to talk about how we can and should view economics in light of God's plan and glory, and why work is something we should lead our children toward embracing as they live their lives as image bearers of a creative, productive God. The son of the late theologian Greg Bahnsen, David approaches the topic of economics from a unique and biblical perspective that will help you understand today's issues with a new, godly mindset.

Find more about David at the links below:

⁠Bahnsen.com⁠

⁠The Dividend Cafe Podcast⁠

⁠The Bahnsen Group Investment Firm and Financial Planners⁠

⁠There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths (David's most recent book)

Determined truth seekers and bold truth speakers.

If you would agree that those are the types of people we want our kids' generation to grow into, then you must listen to this podcast.

As our final episode of Season 3, we're bringing our audience back to an exceptionally memorable conversation we had with renowned public intellectual and legal scholar Dr. Robert P. George in Season 2 of Cultivate. In fact, it was this conversation that spurred on the theme of "courage" for Season 3.

Dr. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, where he also founded and serves as the Director of the ⁠James Madison Program for American Ideals and Institutions.⁠ He was the commencement speaker at Veritas Academy's 2022 graduation ceremony, where he addressed the audience with a talk on Faith, Truth, and Courage. As a prominent scholar and professor whose deeply-held, faith-rooted views often run contrary to many of his peers and contemporaries in higher education, Dr. George has plenty of experience in practicing what he calls his students to do - that is, be determined truth seekers and bold truth speakers.

Whether you listened to this episode the first time it aired in April 2023, or you'd like to hear it again, we hope you enjoy the wisdom from this well-known, well-spoken thought leader, as he talks with Veritas Head of School Ty Fischer about what is needed in our society and in the coming generations if we want to see "this great experiment in morally ordered liberty and constitutional government long endure."