
647. What’s Missing From the Modern Education System with Susan Wise Bauer
From unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc by Greg La Blanc
May 1, 2026 · 51 min · Episode 647
About this episode
Susan Wise Bauer discusses the shortcomings of the modern education system and the impact of historical experiences of sickness on society.
Susan Wise Bauer is a prolific author, former instructor at the College of William and Mary, and classical education expert. Her books include, The History of the World series, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education, and most recently, The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy. Susan and Greg discuss the mismatches between institutional schooling and how kids learn, the historical context in which the U.S. education system was created, and practices for cultivating deeper learning, whether it be in a homeschool environment or reading for enjoyment. They also dive into Susan’s latest book, The Great Shadow, and explore how historical experiences of sickness have shaped daily life, persistent health beliefs, and current tensions between vaccines and wellness rhetoric. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
People in this episode
Host: Greg LaBlanc
Guest: Susan Wise Bauer
Topics covered
- modern education system
- classical education
- homeschooling
- historical context of education
- sickness and society
- vaccines and wellness
Keywords
- education
- classical education
- homeschooling
- sickness
- vaccines
- learning
- historical context
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: College of William and Mary
Books & works: The History of the World series, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education, The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
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