This is Week Two of our series on the Logic and Rhetoric schools here at Horizon Prep.

Week One (#043) was an overview of Logic and Rhetoric and what's on the horizon for both schools.

This week we talk with two of the English teachers to find out more about the English program at HP.

Ellen Bennett and Tony Groesbeck joined Will to talk about English and books, and what makes a good book "good". During the conversation one of the things Tony said was

"A classic book is one that teaches you into lean into life and learn more and think more about life, vs a candy book that pulls you out and distracts you from life".

This episode is a little longer than normal. What are your thoughts on the length of the podcast?

Is brevity the soul of wit? Or is it The More, The Merrier?

Let us know what you think at hplioncast@gmail.com or in a review on iTunes. 

Matt Davis joined us to talk about what's going on in the Schools of Logic and Rhetoric. Matt is the director for all the HP students in 6th-8th grade and 9th-12th.

One of the things Matt talks about is establishing traditions for the high school age students. Each year the incoming 9th Grade class buys an Orange tree, fertilizer, and any needed supplies and plants the tree in a planter that sits outside the Hub area. As they go through the next four years of school they're responsible for the care and upkeep of that tree until they graduate. So as they progress through school the students see the tree grow along with them.

If you'd like to hear more from Matt Davis on the School of Logic you can listen to Episode 002. If you'd like to hear more from Matt about the School of Rhetoric, check out episode 007.

Who would you like to hear on the podcast? Send us an email at hplioncast@gmail.com or leave us a review on iTunes.

This is part two of Heather Dalton's talk at our most recent PTF meeting. To hear part one check out Episode 041: Conflict is good for our kids.

In this episode we get the final five of Heather's parenting tips, including:

6. Eat family dinner together several times a week. No phones allowed.

7. Respect your child's authority figures. When we criticize them in front of our kids, we have ensured our kids will not respect that authority in the future.

8. Do not rescue your kids. We have to train our kids that there are consequences for their lack of responsibility.

9. Suck it up buttercup. Not everyone gets a trophy.

10. Be intentional. Our schedules get so full that we don't have time for what's important unless we are intentional about making that time.

Heather ended her talk with a list of five books she recommends for parents. Those books are:

The Well Behaved Child by John Rosemond

Parenting By The Book by John Rosemond

Loving Your Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk

Hands Free Momma by Rachel Macy Stafford

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala

Who would you like to hear on the podcast? Send us an email at hplioncast@gmail.com or let us know in a review on iTunes.

Heather Dalton joined us as the speaker at the last PTF meeting. Heather was an administrator at Horizon Prep for years before leaving to start her own family. Now she's a mom at HP with a two, four, and six year old.

Heather shared 10 tips on parenting that she says she stole from the very best minds. Tips one through five are on this episode, with six through ten on next week's episode Monday morning. Here are her first five tips.

1. Keep your kids at Horizon Prep. Train your children in righteousness instead of “exposing them to evil".
2. Be who you want your kids to be. 90 percent of parenting is being the kind of person you want your kids to be.
3. Accept that conflict is good for our kids. We believe that our trials are helping to make us better people, but it’s hard to believe that for our own children. We need to take a step back and say “What is the Lord trying to teach our kids through this?”
4. Praise effort over ability. Foster an environment where all that matters is they do your best. Research shows the more effort we put into something, the more we will achieve. 
5. Be very aware of your child’s friendships. “Bad company corrupts good character”.

Who would you like to hear on the podcast? Send us an email at hplioncast@gmail.com or let us know in a review on iTunes.

Melissa Smith talked with staff and teachers from all over the campus for our final holiday edition of the podcast.

Melissa talked with Susan Ferrari, Matt Berg, Heather Downing, Stacy Schaefer, Mary Mitchell, Matt Davis, Abby Mayall, Laiah Blue, Rebecca Gonzalez, Jeff Pratt, Lisa Schrift, Kelly Hendrickson, Jenn Preske, Erin Rose, and Kaitlyn Cook. 15 guests!

Who would you like to hear on the podcast? Send us an email at hplioncast@gmail.com or let us know in a review on iTunes.