Everyday Educator - Crowning the 2025 National Memory Master
00:00:00.000 | Well, hello, Everyday Educators.
00:00:06.760 | I hope this podcast finds you celebrating the end of the current homeschool year, maybe
00:00:13.020 | trading in your sneakers for a pair of sandals, and possibly noting when your local practicum
00:00:19.920 | will be taking place this summer so that you can continue to be equipped and encouraged
00:00:24.840 | on your home education journey.
00:00:27.220 | My name is Kelly Wilt, and I currently serve as the lead of program development for Classical
00:00:33.360 | Conversations Multimedia, as well as a challenge director in my local community.
00:00:39.020 | But another of my favorite roles within Classical Conversations is emceeing our own annual National
00:00:47.580 | Memory Master Competition.
00:00:49.360 | This competition is designed to cement and celebrate memory work mastered by our foundation
00:00:56.820 | students on their final tour before moving on to Challenge A. And this past week, our competition
00:01:04.300 | was held in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where we crowned a new National Memory Master
00:01:11.040 | Champion for 2025.
00:01:12.780 | And if you were able to follow along on our live stream, you bore witness to many amazing
00:01:20.800 | feats of memory as our 16 finalists tackled question after question with diligence, excellence,
00:01:29.260 | and grace.
00:01:30.740 | So today, it is my pleasure and joy to introduce you to our 2025 champion, Evangeline, and her
00:01:40.300 | parents, Jason and Tricia Tracht.
00:01:43.760 | Welcome to the Everyday Educator.
00:01:45.700 | Hey, thank you so much for having us, Kelly.
00:01:48.160 | We're excited.
00:01:48.680 | Absolutely.
00:01:50.100 | Well, first of all, Evangeline, let me say congratulations on being the 2025 National Memory Master
00:01:58.200 | Champion.
00:01:58.840 | After all of the preparation you did beforehand, as well as handling the pressures of the competition,
00:02:06.540 | how did it feel when you heard your name announced as the winner?
00:02:11.500 | I was so shocked.
00:02:13.880 | It was one of the best moments of my life.
00:02:16.260 | I was, I didn't really know who was going to win.
00:02:19.120 | And I was like, kind of like really nervous.
00:02:21.080 | And then he said my name and it was, it meant a lot to me.
00:02:24.120 | Well, I will say the look on your face was pure joy and surprise coupled together.
00:02:29.840 | And it was so encouraging to see all of the finalists just wrap you up in a giant hug.
00:02:36.600 | And some of them, I think, tried to lift you off the ground because everyone was so thrilled.
00:02:42.400 | And I think that's one of the lovely things about the National Memory Master Competition
00:02:46.920 | is that spirit of teamwork and togetherness and friendship that we see evident with our finalists.
00:02:54.720 | So, you know, Classical Conversations is a family made up of families.
00:03:00.520 | And that is truly evident in the way that we love and support each other at National Memory Master,
00:03:07.640 | both before and during and after the competition.
00:03:12.500 | So, Jason, tell us a little bit about your family.
00:03:15.380 | Yeah.
00:03:16.340 | So we live here in Jacksonville, Florida.
00:03:18.220 | So we've, you know, Tricia and I have been married for 15 years now.
00:03:22.560 | Our anniversary is coming up.
00:03:23.660 | Yeah, we have the four kids.
00:03:25.560 | So Evangeline's our oldest.
00:03:27.080 | So at 12, it's a two-year cadence.
00:03:28.680 | So we have a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 6-year-old.
00:03:32.640 | So Evangeline has two younger brothers followed by a youngest who's a sister.
00:03:37.720 | So Josiah, Nehemiah, and Elizabeth.
00:03:42.420 | So obviously, Tricia stays home and homeschools the kids.
00:03:45.940 | No surprise there.
00:03:47.240 | And I work for a financial company.
00:03:48.960 | And so helping people make wise financial decisions.
00:03:51.440 | But yeah, so we've lived here our entire married life.
00:03:54.920 | Tricia's lived here our entire life.
00:03:56.440 | I'm actually from out on the West Coast and grew up in Washington State.
00:03:59.740 | But yeah, we love living here, being a part of our community here and loving life.
00:04:05.760 | Wonderful.
00:04:06.780 | Tricia, I know that homeschooling is a full-time job.
00:04:11.060 | Tell us, how did you find out, how did your family find out about Classical Conversations?
00:04:16.380 | And share with us a little bit of your family's CC story.
00:04:20.220 | Okay, so we knew that we wanted homeschool.
00:04:23.720 | My husband was homeschooled.
00:04:25.200 | And we were actually both Christian school teachers.
00:04:27.460 | So we knew we wanted to homeschool.
00:04:29.440 | And so I had a friend actually on social media.
00:04:32.840 | And I had never met her in person.
00:04:34.740 | It's just a social media friend.
00:04:36.640 | But she was local to my area.
00:04:38.140 | And she would post all the time about this Classical Conversations that she was doing with
00:04:43.100 | her children and learning Latin, all of these things.
00:04:46.280 | And she would explain it.
00:04:48.200 | And I was like, that sounds amazing.
00:04:50.180 | What is this?
00:04:50.920 | And so I reached out to her.
00:04:52.200 | And she encouraged me to reach out to the local director, which I did.
00:04:55.960 | So I met her.
00:04:57.620 | And then I came to that first practicum.
00:04:59.420 | And seeing the Challenge Kids, because the year that I came to the practicum,
00:05:04.480 | they had a panel of Challenge Kids.
00:05:06.640 | And they were asking them questions and asking them about college and their future.
00:05:11.360 | And just listening to them answer how intelligently they answered and thoroughly.
00:05:17.340 | And they seem to have just loved learning and gained so much knowledge and wisdom.
00:05:23.580 | I was so impressed by that.
00:05:25.560 | And then one of the seniors' mothers actually spoke.
00:05:29.360 | And when she explained what homeschool could be, I was so excited.
00:05:34.260 | Because coming from that teacher background, I, Corey Evangeline at four years old, like
00:05:39.140 | when I did pre-K at home, it was like, okay, 8 o'clock this, 8.30 this, 9 o'clock this.
00:05:45.020 | It was just, I had this schedule, right?
00:05:46.680 | Because I had this teacher mentality.
00:05:48.200 | And I think I thought at first, it's supposed to be just school at home.
00:05:53.040 | And I didn't really grasp the homeschool aspect.
00:05:56.060 | And so when she explained, listen, we do CC, we review it for like 10, 20 minutes a day,
00:06:02.560 | and then do a math curriculum, do a reading and writing and language curriculum, and you're
00:06:07.920 | good to go.
00:06:08.520 | And I was like, really?
00:06:09.460 | That's it?
00:06:10.740 | It streamlined it for me.
00:06:13.240 | And I found the beauty of just starting our mornings around the table with the Bible.
00:06:17.920 | And then we go into CC review.
00:06:19.880 | And it was just, it was eye-opening to me.
00:06:22.780 | And I've been so encouraged with CC and just how it's impacted my children, that we're classically
00:06:30.360 | learning, but it's Christian-based, and we're doing it as a family.
00:06:33.520 | It's just been so rich.
00:06:35.620 | So that's kind of our CC story.
00:06:38.040 | I love that.
00:06:39.440 | I hear just remnants of our family's CC story or echoes of our story and yours too, because
00:06:46.080 | I was a, I am a former public school teacher, and I subjected our firstborn to much of the
00:06:52.380 | unnecessary rigor that I think I attached to the idea of what education needed to be.
00:06:57.980 | And I also had a gracious friend who helped open my eyes, not to what schooling is, but
00:07:04.140 | what education can be.
00:07:05.980 | And so I love that.
00:07:07.940 | I love that.
00:07:08.600 | And I hope that your story is an encouragement to perhaps other families who, you know, are
00:07:14.040 | coming into this and wondering what is Classical Conversations?
00:07:17.340 | What can it be?
00:07:18.700 | And what can I expect for my family?
00:07:21.340 | So Evangeline, you're going to be headed from the familiar world of foundations into
00:07:27.960 | Challenge A in the fall.
00:07:30.420 | And I'm curious, how old were you when you started foundations?
00:07:34.380 | And then could you tell me, were you a national memory master, a national, were you a memory
00:07:40.860 | master from the very beginning or was it something you decided later to do?
00:07:45.820 | So I started foundations when I was five, almost six, and I didn't want to do memory master until
00:07:54.940 | like my first year of essentials.
00:07:57.680 | And so I've only done memory master three times.
00:08:00.340 | Okay.
00:08:01.400 | Okay.
00:08:02.280 | You know, it's funny.
00:08:03.460 | Every year we have a broad spectrum of students who enter the competition and we have some memory
00:08:10.160 | masters who've done this eight times.
00:08:12.400 | And I love that you've been a memory master three times.
00:08:16.440 | You mastered each cycle, I'm guessing, because it gave you the skills that you needed to succeed
00:08:22.140 | in the competition.
00:08:23.080 | And I know it will give you the skills you need to succeed and challenge A in the fall.
00:08:28.180 | So I'm curious, what made you decide to send in an entry to national memory master this year?
00:08:34.560 | Well, I mean, we knew about it from a friend and we heard about it and I was like, that sounds
00:08:43.200 | like an interesting thing to do.
00:08:44.300 | Like, that would be cool to try for.
00:08:45.580 | And so about a year ago, we were like, I should try for this.
00:08:50.480 | And so I started like memorizing this year's cycle.
00:08:52.720 | And then in like either January or February, we started making my video and I was excited.
00:08:58.480 | I was nervous and I didn't really know what it was about, but I was excited to see what
00:09:01.400 | it was like.
00:09:01.840 | Wonderful.
00:09:02.740 | Well, it sounds like your spirit of curiosity paid off literally and figuratively because
00:09:08.300 | you walked home with a $10,000 check as your prize.
00:09:11.600 | You know, I think your story is really encouraging because I've heard of families who decide not
00:09:18.820 | to do this because they are intimidated by the process or they think, you know, we've only
00:09:24.080 | been involved in foundations for maybe three or four years and we've not done this or at least
00:09:29.600 | memory mastered from the time that, you know, the student was four years old.
00:09:34.460 | And so I think you are living proof that, you know, when you commit the memory work to memory,
00:09:40.560 | that three years is enough.
00:09:42.900 | So congratulations and well done to you.
00:09:45.700 | Okay.
00:09:46.920 | So this is a question for you, Tricia, as the mom, was pursuing National Memory Master something
00:09:53.080 | you encouraged Evangeline to do or was it her idea?
00:09:57.720 | Tell us a little bit about that.
00:09:59.700 | So like she said, we had actually heard about it because a friend in our community,
00:10:04.280 | her son actually made it as a finalist.
00:10:08.360 | So that's where we first heard about the National Memory Master part.
00:10:11.460 | And I think it was in the back of our mind.
00:10:13.880 | And then I just presented it to her.
00:10:15.520 | Hey, is this something you want to do?
00:10:17.340 | Like she said, over the summer and she's like, yeah, I want to try for that.
00:10:21.460 | So that's kind of led into it.
00:10:24.200 | And it was, I feel like it was a very wonderful process of just trying to break things down and
00:10:31.580 | figuring out when to study things and for it not to be overwhelming and just to refresh
00:10:36.320 | her mind on things.
00:10:37.280 | So a lot of families that become involved in National Memory Master at the very beginning
00:10:46.240 | have a lot of questions about the entry submission process.
00:10:51.000 | And I know that, you know, when, when you think about submitting an entry for National Memory
00:10:55.620 | Master, it's, it's really intimidating for one parent and the student to do alone.
00:11:01.620 | And you need someone behind the camera and you need someone who can introduce the student
00:11:06.760 | on the entry video.
00:11:08.620 | So Jason, I know all three of you were involved in crafting Evangeline's entry video.
00:11:14.500 | What was that process like for your family?
00:11:17.420 | It, it was actually a lot better experience than it, than we were thinking it might be.
00:11:23.440 | We knew, okay, this might take a lot of takes.
00:11:27.980 | And so we were really blessed.
00:11:33.420 | Like she made, she, we, the first couple of times, you know, she worked on scripting it
00:11:38.300 | out memorizing and was ready to go.
00:11:40.420 | Trisha asked me, she goes, can you be the one who gets like, I'll run the camera, you
00:11:45.180 | get in front.
00:11:45.780 | I have to confess, I chickened out and I was so scared of messing it up.
00:11:51.020 | Cause I was like, what is she, what if she does it and I mess up my part.
00:11:54.400 | So I wrote it up on a piece of paper, like behind the camera, which leads to another funny
00:11:59.560 | story down the road.
00:12:00.320 | But she, she got it her third try.
00:12:04.280 | Way to go.
00:12:07.980 | Make sure that that's not discouraging for other people.
00:12:10.220 | Like apparently if you want to win, you've got to have your, your entry done by the third
00:12:13.700 | try.
00:12:14.040 | No, we went back and watched the video and, and Trisha was like, they cannot have anything
00:12:19.760 | written and they can be disqualified.
00:12:21.660 | The entry can be disqualified if it's like, they think, oh, she's reading something.
00:12:24.880 | They're like, and you can clearly see I'm reading something.
00:12:27.500 | So we're like, oh no.
00:12:29.300 | What have I ruined?
00:12:31.140 | And so she tried it a bunch more times and about five times in, we were like, okay, never
00:12:38.040 | mind.
00:12:38.320 | We're, we're going to work.
00:12:40.320 | And so that was actually, honestly, that was the most stressful part of the entire process
00:12:44.300 | was waiting.
00:12:44.880 | She got, got accepted because I was literally living deep down inside going, what if I just
00:12:51.860 | ruined this?
00:12:52.580 | Because I wasn't able to memorize three sentences when my daughter just memorized, you know, everything.
00:12:58.180 | So that, that was, that was definitely not my finest moment, but it was, it was definitely
00:13:04.220 | the three of us working together, obviously Evangeline doing 98% of the work, 99% of the
00:13:10.180 | work, but Trisha just set her up for success, helped her practice, got a little scene set
00:13:15.140 | up so she could be happy with it.
00:13:16.260 | And yeah, apparently don't be afraid, like take a little bit of time, dad, to like memorize
00:13:23.200 | what you're supposed to say.
00:13:24.440 | Because it didn't take me long once I decided to do that.
00:13:27.300 | Absolutely.
00:13:27.660 | I will say it is very humbling to serve as the MC each year and to see them, you know,
00:13:33.680 | reciting the timeline backwards and, you know, doing all these incredible things.
00:13:38.760 | And there quite often are times when I can't remember the four items that I need to pick
00:13:43.220 | up at the grocery store.
00:13:44.640 | And so it's really humbling for me as an adult to see, to observe in real time, the beauty
00:13:51.780 | of how God has designed our minds at different ages to be able to capture that information.
00:13:57.280 | So that is, that is hilarious.
00:13:59.580 | So dads, you know, you hear Jason here, make sure you just take dominion over memorizing
00:14:05.660 | those three sentences that you need to, to be able to support your family.
00:14:08.740 | I'm like, well, excellent.
00:14:09.960 | All right.
00:14:11.200 | Evangeline, I know, you know, your dad has just alluded to the hard work that it is for
00:14:16.000 | us to be able to help support those entry videos.
00:14:19.300 | But I know it takes a lot of hard work to become a national memory master.
00:14:24.480 | When you found out that you had been selected as a finalist, tell us what types of things you
00:14:31.000 | did to be able to prepare to compete?
00:14:33.380 | Well, I, we split up the work, the memory work, like between the days of the week.
00:14:39.820 | And so like Monday, I would do two subjects Tuesday, I would do two subjects and so on.
00:14:44.100 | And then we took timeline cards and we put them all around our house.
00:14:47.560 | That was like, that was the winning factor for me.
00:14:51.160 | That was the only way I was probably going to be able to do the timeline backwards.
00:14:54.880 | And so that helped extremely with the visual picture, because I would just like tap each
00:14:59.480 | one and like go forward around our house and then go backwards.
00:15:01.460 | And like, I would like point to where each ones were.
00:15:03.720 | And then eventually I started going backwards with it, like from memory saying it.
00:15:08.120 | And so that helped a lot.
00:15:09.320 | And then about maybe a month before the competition, I started working on maps.
00:15:17.800 | And so I would like trace a certain continent until I can memorize it.
00:15:21.640 | And then I would eventually, I got a bunch of poster boards and then I would like draw the
00:15:25.700 | whole world on it from memory.
00:15:26.840 | And mommy would time me and each time I got better.
00:15:29.160 | So that helped a lot.
00:15:30.120 | Nice, nice.
00:15:31.960 | I think you hit on one of the things that is most fascinating for families when they consider
00:15:37.060 | entering National Memory Master.
00:15:38.620 | It's how do you commit some of these things to memory in new ways?
00:15:43.040 | And I love the fact that you used location as a memory peg for you with the timeline cards.
00:15:50.100 | And you're bringing back to my mind, a winner that we had a few years ago who actually took
00:15:55.080 | the timeline cards and put them all up the stairwell in their home.
00:15:59.480 | And so he would go up the stairs and he would recite the timeline forwards.
00:16:03.340 | And then he would go down the stairs and he would recite the timeline backwards.
00:16:07.120 | So I think it's really what you're saying is encouraging for families to just be creative
00:16:11.940 | and think about committing that information to their minds in new ways.
00:16:16.580 | And I love the fact that you practiced drawing the maps and drawing portions of the map until
00:16:23.620 | you had mastered it.
00:16:24.860 | And then you kind of were mapping the mastery of the map as you move from place to place.
00:16:29.640 | That is a really great tip.
00:16:32.020 | So as we've already said, you know, preparing for National Memory Master is not something a student
00:16:39.960 | does all alone from the beginning of the entry video until the time that they step on the
00:16:45.560 | platform at competition.
00:16:47.560 | So, Tricia, I'm curious, in what ways did your family and your community surround you guys and
00:16:55.200 | show support for you and Evangeline?
00:16:58.160 | Well, one thing we had her do, so we knew she knew the knowledge and she is an actress.
00:17:05.480 | So she loves being on stage in front of people, but she loves playing a part in being on stage
00:17:12.540 | in front of people.
00:17:13.360 | When it is her on display, it's different.
00:17:16.900 | So I knew that was one of the things that she would struggle with.
00:17:21.000 | So at first I would pretend to be a judge and I would say, okay, I'm a judge and I'm going
00:17:27.040 | to ask you a question.
00:17:27.680 | And I would purposely give her a look on my face like she had gotten it wrong to try to
00:17:32.380 | throw her because she's so in tune to my expressions that I knew that that could kind of throw her
00:17:39.580 | off.
00:17:39.800 | And then I feel like the Lord just kind of like, hey, try this.
00:17:42.860 | And so we actually, the last four weeks, I believe, of our CC community this year, I would
00:17:49.420 | pass out questions and I would word it just the way that you guys word it in the championship
00:17:54.120 | out to other tutors and parents.
00:17:56.640 | And during our assembly time, like at the end with assembly filled with the students and tutors,
00:18:02.420 | she would stand on the stage with a mic and have these other parents ask her some of the
00:18:08.540 | questions.
00:18:09.000 | And I think the first time she did it, she got it all right.
00:18:12.300 | But the first time she did it, she was shaking.
00:18:14.680 | It was like, you could see her knees like knocking.
00:18:17.760 | Every time.
00:18:18.700 | So it was great practice because it really put her like on the spot.
00:18:24.660 | It's like, oh, wow, they're all looking at me.
00:18:26.880 | I'm not pretending to be someone else.
00:18:28.600 | And I'm having to answer this question.
00:18:30.560 | So that was huge.
00:18:31.500 | And I love it too, because I feel like it encouraged the other kids in assembly.
00:18:36.520 | Like, look, you can do this and you're having a part of it right now because you're helping
00:18:41.020 | fill out the crowd to put her in this circumstance.
00:18:44.340 | And so it was just really neat.
00:18:45.900 | And then the other thing, our family and friends and part of our community, there was a surprise
00:18:51.140 | parade for her the day that we left.
00:18:54.080 | So they just, I never even heard of this.
00:18:56.260 | I love the idea, but just a drive by parade and they made posters encouraging her and decorated
00:19:02.260 | with balloons.
00:19:03.080 | And it was just, I feel like it was just what she needed to, to have the encouragement to
00:19:07.820 | go to the competition.
00:19:09.760 | All right, you guys, so it's that time again, we need to talk about the math map, but this
00:19:15.480 | time we need to talk about the math map as it relates to monomials.
00:19:20.260 | Monomials is our newest introduction to the math map family.
00:19:24.340 | And this curriculum helps families practice introductory algebraic computation together by using classical
00:19:33.580 | skills that prepare students for the mathematical conversation of the ages.
00:19:38.920 | That's right.
00:19:39.940 | In the monomials curriculum, you are going to learn introductory algebra aligned with a natural
00:19:47.240 | learning patterns.
00:19:48.360 | This curriculum empowers parents as the primary math teachers with layered support.
00:19:54.200 | It creates a unified math language for that one room school house feel and community learning.
00:20:00.040 | And it also centers around Christ.
00:20:03.220 | This Christ centered approach of God's mathematical design is essential for learning and appreciating
00:20:10.540 | math.
00:20:11.180 | The monomials curriculum is for students 13 and older, and it is specifically used for challenge
00:20:17.900 | B and beyond.
00:20:19.300 | If you want to learn more about this resource, please visit classicalconversations.com
00:20:24.040 | forward slash the math map today to transform your family's math experience.
00:20:29.180 | Now let's get back to the show.
00:20:30.840 | Oh, I love that.
00:20:32.580 | How wonderful to see your communities surround you in that way.
00:20:36.880 | And I think you hit on something really important, Tricia, just getting used to the idea of being
00:20:42.660 | that person behind the microphone and having the questions asked in a different way than when
00:20:47.940 | you're proofing for memory master and you're sitting next to your mom or dad on the couch or across
00:20:52.820 | from a tutor that you know really well or a director that you know really well in community.
00:20:57.700 | I think that's brilliant.
00:20:59.280 | And what a great idea to have a parade.
00:21:05.780 | And I think that you got to Southern Pines for the competition.
00:21:09.060 | So thinking about the competition, Evangeline, tell us a little bit about your National Memory
00:21:15.760 | Master experience because I'm listening to your mom talk about your knees knock, and I didn't
00:21:21.200 | see nerves for one moment of the competition.
00:21:24.800 | So tell us, what was the hardest part of round one?
00:21:28.240 | It was definitely not making any mistakes and just like getting everything right.
00:21:34.200 | And I kind of, I had to take a deep breath and just kind of like set my mind and think of
00:21:39.160 | what the answer was before actually saying it because I was afraid I was going to mess up
00:21:42.480 | or say the wrong thing.
00:21:43.480 | Sure.
00:21:44.280 | Sure.
00:21:45.520 | It is a different thing to stand behind the microphone and to be able to recite the memory
00:21:51.420 | work and then, you know, waiting for your turn.
00:21:54.200 | As, you know, we move through the finalists, I can look up on the platform and see the different
00:21:59.660 | expressions on the faces and see like everyone, you're like, oh, two more, two more finalists
00:22:04.600 | and it's my turn.
00:22:05.640 | And one of the reasons why in competition, I tell everyone, let's take a big, deep breath
00:22:12.460 | together.
00:22:13.060 | I think it helps us just to settle nerves a little bit.
00:22:16.880 | Sometimes we would take two or three breaths together, depending on what we're about to do.
00:22:22.800 | But it's important for you guys to know that as the MC, I'm sitting here just as another
00:22:28.300 | CC mom asking you questions, just like you were in community.
00:22:33.280 | So, you know, one of the things that I said in competition this year was, I want you to
00:22:38.900 | think about that fun tutoring community who always makes things so special.
00:22:43.520 | And I want for you to think about that tutor space right here.
00:22:46.660 | So as I'm asking you questions that you're thinking about that person and you're thinking
00:22:51.720 | about your community experience.
00:22:54.220 | So Evangeline, you had no errors in round one of the competition and that is just extraordinary.
00:23:00.780 | So what helped you to focus and remember your memory work in the different heats?
00:23:06.360 | I know you said you took a deep breath.
00:23:08.120 | Was there anything else that you can remember that was helpful to you?
00:23:12.560 | I mean, when we were proofing, I would sometimes make mistakes and I almost was glad for those
00:23:17.940 | mistakes because then when I would answer those questions, I thought about the mistakes that
00:23:21.540 | I had made.
00:23:22.000 | And so I didn't make those mistakes.
00:23:23.540 | And I kind of zoned out to where I stared at the wall behind the people.
00:23:26.740 | So I wasn't looking at anyone.
00:23:30.320 | I like that idea of looking beyond the faces because sometimes when you look at the faces,
00:23:36.520 | that makes you more nervous.
00:23:38.140 | And I know your mom's already alluded to that, that she was being really careful with her face.
00:23:43.400 | And that's something as the emcee, I'm really careful about too, because if a finalist makes
00:23:48.520 | an error, the first error doesn't eliminate them from competition, but the second one does.
00:23:53.660 | So when that first error happens, and even when the second one happens, I try really hard
00:23:58.740 | to keep smiling and trying to encourage you guys so that you'll keep pressing forward.
00:24:04.020 | So, you know, I know, I've heard from many National Memory Master families that during the competition,
00:24:12.340 | that the parents quite often feel more nervous than the kids.
00:24:17.040 | And I will say as the emcee, I think sometimes I'm more nervous than the kids are too.
00:24:22.760 | So Jason and Tricia, both of you, as parents watching her tackle these different types of
00:24:29.440 | heats during round one, you know, how did that feel as you were watching?
00:24:34.780 | Because the other day I sat and calculated all of the questions that we asked during round
00:24:41.080 | one, we actually asked 220 individual questions.
00:24:46.220 | And of the 220, only 20 of them were incorrect.
00:24:50.820 | So how did it feel to see her up there doing all of these different types of heats during
00:24:56.600 | round one and then move on to round two?
00:25:01.320 | Well, first of all, I didn't make eye contact with her.
00:25:04.400 | So I would look at her when you asked her the question.
00:25:07.820 | And then as soon as she started to answer, I was like, because I didn't want it because
00:25:12.420 | I was nervous, but I didn't want her to catch my eye and that to throw her.
00:25:15.640 | So I just, and then I would look up when she was done.
00:25:18.340 | But from everything that I saw, I was so taken aback by how composed she was.
00:25:25.540 | And even though inside she may have been real stressed on the outside, she was so composed
00:25:32.000 | and she answered those questions.
00:25:34.300 | And I was just so extremely proud of her.
00:25:36.940 | I feel like she had a truly joyful spirit through it all and a humility of, I'm just up here
00:25:44.560 | having fun.
00:25:45.120 | I'm going to, I'm going to do my best.
00:25:47.200 | But at the end of the day, I'm here to glorify God.
00:25:50.720 | And that, that left such an impact on me, especially with round two and how she performed in round
00:25:55.800 | two.
00:25:56.180 | I just watching my little girl up there, give it all for the glory of God.
00:26:01.000 | And, and with just this huge smile on her face and such composer, I, composure, excuse
00:26:06.720 | me.
00:26:06.900 | I could not have been prouder of her, no matter what the outcome was.
00:26:10.600 | She just really impressed me.
00:26:12.620 | Yeah.
00:26:13.220 | It was funny because about round four or five, I suddenly looked at her and realized she looks
00:26:19.500 | like she's enjoying herself.
00:26:21.280 | And another parent said like, you know, she goes, I know she goes, I just kept expecting
00:26:25.880 | her to say, and how are you doing today, Kelly?
00:26:28.080 | But I, I really do think it's, and Tricia was a huge part of this, but from the very beginning,
00:26:38.500 | we really sought to go, okay, we need to be prepared.
00:26:41.280 | Yes.
00:26:42.100 | We need to set her up for success that it's like, when we reach that week, okay, we did the
00:26:48.920 | work, we didn't go overboard to where she's sick of it, to where it's like, I gave up on
00:26:53.680 | the rest of life, but we did the hard decisions of doing it on the days where it's like, I don't
00:26:57.800 | want to, I'm tired where we're in the car and it's right in the car, but just doing the
00:27:02.340 | steady, strong work all the way through that.
00:27:04.320 | Yeah.
00:27:04.500 | By the time I didn't catch this until the day before or until we were on the road headed
00:27:08.300 | there, is that it wasn't a stressful week.
00:27:12.100 | There was no cramming.
00:27:13.120 | It was just, okay, here we are.
00:27:17.120 | She knows what she knows.
00:27:19.000 | Now it's just a matter of going out there and doing it.
00:27:22.720 | But we, we really, really wanted to stress with her and we knew we'd done a good job
00:27:27.900 | when our six-year-old daughter said it like a few days before we left, she's putting the
00:27:31.700 | dishes away and she goes, Evangeline, remember you already won.
00:27:37.760 | And yeah, it was really something where we, we, we wanted it to be that this is going to
00:27:45.660 | shape your character.
00:27:46.560 | Yes.
00:27:47.640 | Regardless of how this plays out, that it's like, imagine the worst case scenario, imagine
00:27:52.360 | the best case scenario is God's sovereign.
00:27:55.660 | And therefore he's, he has a path for you on this and he's going to work it for his glory
00:28:02.420 | and he's going to do his work in you and shape you through it.
00:28:06.620 | There is no losing.
00:28:07.880 | And just, that was something we, from like when, before we got out of the car to go in,
00:28:14.120 | it's like, all right, here we go.
00:28:16.420 | And we just gathered around and prayed.
00:28:19.120 | And I think that's one of the things that's, we have to really watch yourself as you're having
00:28:21.900 | to focus so much on the practical aspect of practicing that you have to go, no, hold on,
00:28:27.220 | let's, let's recenter.
00:28:29.040 | And I think she was able to hold to that the entire time.
00:28:32.500 | The, yeah, once you're in, it was like, it was kind of, I said to myself, well,
00:28:36.360 | she's already won and she's given this joyous experience.
00:28:40.120 | Oh, that's so wonderful to hear.
00:28:42.080 | And I think you hit on some, both of you hit on so many things that are crucial to success
00:28:47.280 | at National Memory Master, because there will only be one winner, even though there are 16
00:28:51.560 | finalists that come from all over the country in order to be able to compete.
00:28:56.220 | And you're right, my goodness, when they have taken the time and the effort and energy to commit
00:29:01.940 | this memory work to their hearts and their minds, they are winners before they even step foot on the
00:29:08.640 | platform.
00:29:09.400 | And I think that spirit of just love and peace and encouragement is so prevalent at National
00:29:17.680 | Memory Master.
00:29:18.420 | It's always a blessing to see when the finalists come in and they start greeting each other and
00:29:25.640 | they don't look at each other as competitors because you're right.
00:29:29.900 | If your purpose in coming to National Memory Master is to beat out 15 other people and take home a
00:29:35.280 | check, you have missed an incredible opportunity to help shape your child's character, to shape the
00:29:42.920 | way that they think about winning and the way that they think about losing.
00:29:47.640 | Because like you said, it is in God's hands.
00:29:50.340 | And so what an encouragement to our families at home to think about this as more than a financial
00:29:58.120 | opportunity, to think about this as a moment of eternal significance in the lives of their children.
00:30:05.940 | I love that.
00:30:07.120 | So Evangeline, you know, when you think back over the entire competition, I know you have so many
00:30:12.780 | wonderful memories.
00:30:15.080 | I know just from watching you with the other finalists, you guys, just every single picture I've seen from
00:30:21.840 | the event has just made my heart so full of joy to see the love and the support that you guys had for each
00:30:30.240 | other.
00:30:30.700 | But I want you to think for just a moment about what was hard.
00:30:34.500 | What was the hardest thing of competing in National Memory Master?
00:30:39.180 | And then was there anything that really surprised you that maybe you weren't expecting when you competed?
00:30:44.940 | Well, one of the hardest things for me was the math, actually.
00:30:49.500 | The times tables, I kept messing up.
00:30:52.080 | And I was like super worried that I was going to mess up on stage.
00:30:54.860 | And so I got the AIDS, which I was pretty strong on.
00:30:58.140 | But like some of the other ones, I was like, and then it was also very hard when people got
00:31:03.940 | out because, you know, your heart, you're so sad for them.
00:31:08.020 | And sometimes just the hardest thing to do is what to say to them.
00:31:12.320 | And sometimes just a hug is all you can give.
00:31:15.040 | And then some of the stuff that surprised me was, one, how fast I went with round two.
00:31:21.240 | I've never said the timeline so fast.
00:31:23.280 | I was like so stressed.
00:31:24.440 | I was like hyperdrive.
00:31:25.880 | And then I drew the map like so fast.
00:31:29.080 | I was there like five minutes and I had labeled everything an extra.
00:31:32.760 | And I was almost thinking to myself, man, there's so much I could label in five minutes.
00:31:37.740 | I don't know what to label now.
00:31:41.500 | I love that.
00:31:42.340 | I love that.
00:31:42.880 | I think that, you know, your perspective on the your friends, I can call them your friends
00:31:49.020 | because I've seen your interactions with them who may have been eliminated.
00:31:53.200 | I think that really shows a sensitivity of spirit to the fact that they put in that hard work
00:31:59.060 | at home before they came to the competition, too, and just supporting them in a way that shows
00:32:04.560 | love to them in what is, you know, a moment of sadness, I think is really kind.
00:32:10.040 | And I will agree with you about the surprising nature.
00:32:13.420 | And I feel surprised every year.
00:32:15.220 | This was the I think the eighth time that I've emceed National Memory Master.
00:32:20.020 | And every year I'm blown away in round two by how quickly you guys can recite the timeline.
00:32:28.640 | And just for if you're listening to this podcast in round two, our finalists, our four remaining
00:32:36.260 | finalists who advance from round one will be given three and a half minutes to recite as
00:32:41.800 | much of the timeline as possible from a given point.
00:32:44.900 | And if they reach the end of the timeline, which I can assure you they all do, they come back
00:32:51.380 | to the beginning and they continue reciting until the time expires.
00:32:55.980 | And Evangeline, I'm pretty sure that you got through the timeline almost two whole times in
00:33:03.960 | the three and a half minutes.
00:33:05.500 | And that's amazing.
00:33:06.720 | We actually actually had one father of a finalist come up to me afterward and say, classical conversations
00:33:12.720 | is missing on on a great opportunity.
00:33:15.200 | What's next?
00:33:16.460 | CC auctioneering school.
00:33:21.340 | Just how quickly you can articulate and enunciate those events shows your mastery of them because
00:33:28.340 | you're already thinking about the next one in your mind before it even crosses your lips.
00:33:33.000 | So I'm with you, friend.
00:33:34.360 | That was surprising to me, too.
00:33:36.200 | It continues to surprise me every year.
00:33:39.380 | So I'm curious, you know, Jason, Tricia, both of you, now that now that the experience has
00:33:44.900 | passed, I think I asked Tricia you the other day if you guys had come down from cloud nine yet because
00:33:50.480 | it was such a wonderful, positive experience.
00:33:53.540 | What benefits do you see for Evangeline and your family through your preparation and participation
00:34:00.940 | in National Memory Master this year?
00:34:03.380 | And then I may know the answer to this already, but now that it's over, do you look back and
00:34:10.020 | think, I think I would do that again?
00:34:11.780 | I'll answer the second question first is absolutely all, all with her.
00:34:18.220 | Yes.
00:34:18.800 | All three of our younger kids are now like, we're in, we're doing this.
00:34:23.820 | Here we go.
00:34:24.900 | And it really plays into like, it's an interesting spot for us because they literally can't do
00:34:32.600 | better than she did.
00:34:33.540 | Like you feel like what you want it twice.
00:34:36.140 | I don't know.
00:34:36.600 | It's like, there's, there's no other, there's, there it is.
00:34:39.240 | There's the finish line and gold medal, which I think drives us back to what we really like.
00:34:45.980 | Why do we want to do this?
00:34:47.240 | And it will be such a temptation for them to be like, I'm going to go do what she did.
00:34:51.240 | And I'm going to get this big check and everyone's going to get around me and give me a big hug.
00:34:54.740 | And it's teaching.
00:34:56.540 | I think several things that are so huge is we want them to do hard things because to build
00:35:01.620 | the kingdom of God, exercise dominion, like you mentioned earlier, it's hard work.
00:35:06.480 | We live in a fallen world and it's like, we're called to seek wisdom and to strive and to go.
00:35:12.740 | And that, yeah, every single one of our kids will want to pursue it.
00:35:17.380 | Now that they've seen the joy of it and they're going to, they're going up against 15 amazing
00:35:23.960 | kids.
00:35:24.360 | It was a weird point when I sat there and saw her up with those kids who we've gotten to know
00:35:27.580 | a little bit, met their families the night before and looking and going, that's an amazing,
00:35:33.800 | amazing group of kids that you don't go.
00:35:36.180 | I don't know if my kid can do it.
00:35:37.500 | You're just going all 16 of them can.
00:35:39.320 | And so it's, you know, it's like watching two Superbowl teams.
00:35:43.320 | It's okay.
00:35:43.840 | Well, they're both great.
00:35:45.240 | So I don't know why I'm going to win.
00:35:46.260 | Yeah.
00:35:46.920 | 16 of them though.
00:35:48.720 | But so for them, it's like whether their video does not win a 16 finalist spot, whether
00:35:55.460 | they go and get out early or they just don't make it to the second round or they make the
00:36:00.240 | mistakes.
00:36:00.500 | Like I know that.
00:36:01.200 | And whatever that level is that the going back to what we said earlier is like, God wants
00:36:08.520 | to use us to do great things in you.
00:36:10.180 | And I think it's, it's not very often in life that we get with our children, especially
00:36:15.800 | younger children.
00:36:16.580 | And I want this for all of them is the ability to go, you have put in time and energy pursuing
00:36:23.500 | something that is good.
00:36:25.340 | And then for it, not go the way you want it to go.
00:36:28.800 | And it's just a huge job because they are going to have that happen in their life.
00:36:34.500 | So to put them in a spot where we're there to coach them through it and guide them and
00:36:39.860 | shepherd them through it.
00:36:40.700 | We absolutely want that for all of them.
00:36:42.960 | And then now probably their biggest reason is the competition's a neat experience, but she
00:36:48.480 | now has 15 people that she knows that she's connected with and has a clear experience.
00:36:53.200 | And I mean, she has, I mean, she has friends that I'm just not going to be surprised if quite
00:36:59.040 | a bit of them are her friends that they're all six years from now going.
00:37:02.320 | And so we're all going to North Carolina for the graduation, right?
00:37:05.020 | So yeah, we want that for our kids too, is it really is the mindset that Trisha and I
00:37:11.320 | are blessed from getting to be around other parents from very, very different parts of
00:37:17.200 | the country, very different, just life experiences and just what we do.
00:37:21.040 | And yet just the community of there's so much shared value and pursuit that we've made friends.
00:37:29.040 | And so for our family, we joked, we're like, if we keep this up, we're going to have like
00:37:33.840 | a network of friends all over the country.
00:37:35.640 | We're just going to take a road trip.
00:37:36.620 | So for us, it's, it's an absolute, there is no loss to having them.
00:37:43.600 | They're going to, they, and you know, we're not going to force them to go for national memory
00:37:47.780 | master, but from this, they'll probably be hooked on it.
00:37:50.700 | And so that it's worth it for them to pursue it regardless of the outcome.
00:37:56.300 | Our younger ones came home and the first thing they did when they got in the house is they
00:38:01.640 | grabbed a piece of notebook paper, a piece of paper.
00:38:03.700 | I started drawing the map.
00:38:04.900 | We're definitely like encouraged to pursue it.
00:38:10.140 | And you know, her younger brother, one of her older younger brother, who's 10 is planning
00:38:16.420 | on trying for it in a couple of years.
00:38:18.860 | So that will be a really neat experience because some of the other contestants also have younger
00:38:23.000 | siblings.
00:38:23.760 | So it may be a reunion sooner than six years, but just like Jason said, them learning how
00:38:30.700 | to do hard things and then watching and witnessing her dedication and that little by little consistency
00:38:37.420 | and really, I mean, that just teaches them so many lessons.
00:38:40.980 | And I, and I think also a bigger thing too, is just the fact that we did pray before so many
00:38:47.660 | things and we prayed for the competition that there would be peace and clarity and joy
00:38:53.460 | among all the contestants, that there would not be any confusion.
00:38:56.580 | And they were witness to that.
00:38:58.020 | And then they got to see God honor that prayer.
00:39:00.800 | And I feel like the competition, it couldn't have gone better.
00:39:03.720 | I feel like there was peace and joy.
00:39:05.960 | And I mean, watching, watching her be embraced by those 15 other kids and some of them leaping
00:39:13.860 | off of their feet and swimming down, you know, pumping their fist, a few of them picking
00:39:19.300 | her up.
00:39:19.860 | I mean, it was just, it was amazing.
00:39:22.020 | And I feel, I just, I give it all credit to God and our routine is the answer to prayer.
00:39:27.000 | And so for our kids to see that they can be in something, they can compete, they can face
00:39:31.820 | their fears, they can work diligently, but knowing the whole time that, that God is in control and
00:39:36.900 | that he's sovereign over it all.
00:39:38.200 | And just giving him the glory for it all, I feel like a huge blessing that we got from
00:39:43.860 | the competition.
00:39:44.440 | Amen.
00:39:45.400 | It is always one of my favorite things to go back after the event and review all of the video
00:39:51.740 | footage and the photos that are taken at the moment that the winner is announced.
00:39:55.980 | And I have to say, seeing the picture, seeing the video of you and Jason rising to your feet
00:40:02.140 | and cheering for your daughter is one of my favorite video clips from the event.
00:40:08.080 | And also at that moment, like Evangeline, I don't know if you were aware of this, like
00:40:12.400 | your, your face just lit up and your hands went up like, oh my goodness.
00:40:17.980 | But it is so dear to me that one of our other finalists just reached over with her arms and
00:40:23.960 | just enveloped you in this big bear hug.
00:40:27.060 | And you can tell by the look on her face, she was genuinely thrilled that her friend had
00:40:33.680 | just been awarded this incredible honor.
00:40:36.680 | And so as the MC, it is a blessing to see what you're saying, Jason, and what you're saying,
00:40:43.640 | Tricia, that the rewards are eternal.
00:40:46.780 | You know, I know this summer in practicum, the theme is, you know, looking at things that
00:40:53.520 | are unseen, that we're trying to see the unseen and, you know, that love that the finalists
00:41:00.200 | have for one another through those relationships that they cultivate is so obviously seen in
00:41:06.460 | the way that they responded in that moment.
00:41:08.760 | It just is a beautiful testimony of families who have coached their children through this
00:41:17.080 | difficult thing that they're about to do and how we can take those moments and we can just
00:41:22.260 | offer them up as an offering to the Lord.
00:41:24.620 | So what an encouragement.
00:41:26.680 | Now, speaking of encouragement, Evangeline, I have one final question for you.
00:41:31.980 | If there's a foundation student who maybe is getting ready to enter into their last year
00:41:38.620 | of foundations in the fall and they're thinking, I just don't know, should I do this national
00:41:45.920 | memory master thing or not?
00:41:47.800 | If you could give any words of wisdom to them, what would you say?
00:41:54.120 | It's definitely hard work, but it's most assuredly worth it.
00:41:59.380 | And just to be at peace with whatever God has planned for you.
00:42:04.780 | It's most important to remember that it's not about winning, but it's about glorifying God
00:42:09.200 | and that you're going to make memories that are some of the best memories of your life.
00:42:13.440 | You're going to carry with you for all your life.
00:42:16.500 | And then just that he's going to use that in your life to teach you things and encourage you
00:42:21.360 | and build your character.
00:42:23.300 | Yes, I love that.
00:42:24.820 | I love that.
00:42:25.520 | So as Evangeline says, go for it.
00:42:28.460 | You never know what moment of surprise might await you.
00:42:33.600 | You never know what growing opportunity might await you.
00:42:36.960 | And I will say from this year, you never know what joy is awaiting you.
00:42:42.500 | So take the plunge and make that video and submit for National Memory Master of Competition 2026.
00:42:50.380 | So as we wrap up this episode of the Everyday Educator, I hope that you are as encouraged
00:42:55.140 | as I am, as you hear these words of wisdom from Evangeline and Jason and Tricia, and that
00:43:01.680 | if you're going to be in your final year of foundations come this fall, consider entering your own story
00:43:08.240 | for National Memory Master in 2026.
00:43:10.940 | Keep learning, keep growing, keep educating, and we'll see you in the next episode.
00:43:17.660 | Goodbye.
00:43:18.320 | Bye.
00:43:19.940 | Bye.
00:43:20.040 | Bye.
00:43:20.120 | Bye.
00:43:20.200 | Thanks.
00:43:20.500 | Bye.
00:43:20.760 | Bye.
00:43:20.760 | Bye.
00:43:20.800 | Bye.
00:43:20.840 | Bye.
00:43:20.880 | Bye.
00:43:21.880 | Bye.
00:43:21.880 | Bye.
00:43:21.880 | Bye.
00:43:22.880 | you
00:43:23.380 | you
00:43:23.880 | you