Well, hello, Everyday Educators. I hope this podcast finds you celebrating the end of the current homeschool year, maybe trading in your sneakers for a pair of sandals, and possibly noting when your local practicum will be taking place this summer so that you can continue to be equipped and encouraged on your home education journey.

My name is Kelly Wilt, and I currently serve as the lead of program development for Classical Conversations Multimedia, as well as a challenge director in my local community. But another of my favorite roles within Classical Conversations is emceeing our own annual National Memory Master Competition. This competition is designed to cement and celebrate memory work mastered by our foundation students on their final tour before moving on to Challenge A.

And this past week, our competition was held in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where we crowned a new National Memory Master Champion for 2025. And if you were able to follow along on our live stream, you bore witness to many amazing feats of memory as our 16 finalists tackled question after question with diligence, excellence, and grace.

So today, it is my pleasure and joy to introduce you to our 2025 champion, Evangeline, and her parents, Jason and Tricia Tracht. Welcome to the Everyday Educator. Hey, thank you so much for having us, Kelly. We're excited. Absolutely. Well, first of all, Evangeline, let me say congratulations on being the 2025 National Memory Master Champion.

After all of the preparation you did beforehand, as well as handling the pressures of the competition, how did it feel when you heard your name announced as the winner? I was so shocked. It was one of the best moments of my life. I was, I didn't really know who was going to win.

And I was like, kind of like really nervous. And then he said my name and it was, it meant a lot to me. Well, I will say the look on your face was pure joy and surprise coupled together. And it was so encouraging to see all of the finalists just wrap you up in a giant hug.

And some of them, I think, tried to lift you off the ground because everyone was so thrilled. And I think that's one of the lovely things about the National Memory Master Competition is that spirit of teamwork and togetherness and friendship that we see evident with our finalists. So, you know, Classical Conversations is a family made up of families.

And that is truly evident in the way that we love and support each other at National Memory Master, both before and during and after the competition. So, Jason, tell us a little bit about your family. Yeah. So we live here in Jacksonville, Florida. So we've, you know, Tricia and I have been married for 15 years now.

Our anniversary is coming up. Yeah, we have the four kids. So Evangeline's our oldest. So at 12, it's a two-year cadence. So we have a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 6-year-old. So Evangeline has two younger brothers followed by a youngest who's a sister. So Josiah, Nehemiah, and Elizabeth.

So obviously, Tricia stays home and homeschools the kids. No surprise there. And I work for a financial company. And so helping people make wise financial decisions. But yeah, so we've lived here our entire married life. Tricia's lived here our entire life. I'm actually from out on the West Coast and grew up in Washington State.

But yeah, we love living here, being a part of our community here and loving life. Wonderful. Tricia, I know that homeschooling is a full-time job. Tell us, how did you find out, how did your family find out about Classical Conversations? And share with us a little bit of your family's CC story.

Okay, so we knew that we wanted homeschool. My husband was homeschooled. And we were actually both Christian school teachers. So we knew we wanted to homeschool. And so I had a friend actually on social media. And I had never met her in person. It's just a social media friend.

But she was local to my area. And she would post all the time about this Classical Conversations that she was doing with her children and learning Latin, all of these things. And she would explain it. And I was like, that sounds amazing. What is this? And so I reached out to her.

And she encouraged me to reach out to the local director, which I did. So I met her. And then I came to that first practicum. And seeing the Challenge Kids, because the year that I came to the practicum, they had a panel of Challenge Kids. And they were asking them questions and asking them about college and their future.

And just listening to them answer how intelligently they answered and thoroughly. And they seem to have just loved learning and gained so much knowledge and wisdom. I was so impressed by that. And then one of the seniors' mothers actually spoke. And when she explained what homeschool could be, I was so excited.

Because coming from that teacher background, I, Corey Evangeline at four years old, like when I did pre-K at home, it was like, okay, 8 o'clock this, 8.30 this, 9 o'clock this. It was just, I had this schedule, right? Because I had this teacher mentality. And I think I thought at first, it's supposed to be just school at home.

And I didn't really grasp the homeschool aspect. And so when she explained, listen, we do CC, we review it for like 10, 20 minutes a day, and then do a math curriculum, do a reading and writing and language curriculum, and you're good to go. And I was like, really?

That's it? It streamlined it for me. And I found the beauty of just starting our mornings around the table with the Bible. And then we go into CC review. And it was just, it was eye-opening to me. And I've been so encouraged with CC and just how it's impacted my children, that we're classically learning, but it's Christian-based, and we're doing it as a family.

It's just been so rich. So that's kind of our CC story. I love that. I hear just remnants of our family's CC story or echoes of our story and yours too, because I was a, I am a former public school teacher, and I subjected our firstborn to much of the unnecessary rigor that I think I attached to the idea of what education needed to be.

And I also had a gracious friend who helped open my eyes, not to what schooling is, but what education can be. And so I love that. I love that. And I hope that your story is an encouragement to perhaps other families who, you know, are coming into this and wondering what is Classical Conversations?

What can it be? And what can I expect for my family? So Evangeline, you're going to be headed from the familiar world of foundations into Challenge A in the fall. And I'm curious, how old were you when you started foundations? And then could you tell me, were you a national memory master, a national, were you a memory master from the very beginning or was it something you decided later to do?

So I started foundations when I was five, almost six, and I didn't want to do memory master until like my first year of essentials. And so I've only done memory master three times. Okay. Okay. You know, it's funny. Every year we have a broad spectrum of students who enter the competition and we have some memory masters who've done this eight times.

And I love that you've been a memory master three times. You mastered each cycle, I'm guessing, because it gave you the skills that you needed to succeed in the competition. And I know it will give you the skills you need to succeed and challenge A in the fall. So I'm curious, what made you decide to send in an entry to national memory master this year?

Well, I mean, we knew about it from a friend and we heard about it and I was like, that sounds like an interesting thing to do. Like, that would be cool to try for. And so about a year ago, we were like, I should try for this. And so I started like memorizing this year's cycle.

And then in like either January or February, we started making my video and I was excited. I was nervous and I didn't really know what it was about, but I was excited to see what it was like. Wonderful. Well, it sounds like your spirit of curiosity paid off literally and figuratively because you walked home with a $10,000 check as your prize.

You know, I think your story is really encouraging because I've heard of families who decide not to do this because they are intimidated by the process or they think, you know, we've only been involved in foundations for maybe three or four years and we've not done this or at least memory mastered from the time that, you know, the student was four years old.

And so I think you are living proof that, you know, when you commit the memory work to memory, that three years is enough. So congratulations and well done to you. Okay. So this is a question for you, Tricia, as the mom, was pursuing National Memory Master something you encouraged Evangeline to do or was it her idea?

Tell us a little bit about that. So like she said, we had actually heard about it because a friend in our community, her son actually made it as a finalist. So that's where we first heard about the National Memory Master part. And I think it was in the back of our mind.

And then I just presented it to her. Hey, is this something you want to do? Like she said, over the summer and she's like, yeah, I want to try for that. So that's kind of led into it. And it was, I feel like it was a very wonderful process of just trying to break things down and figuring out when to study things and for it not to be overwhelming and just to refresh her mind on things.

So a lot of families that become involved in National Memory Master at the very beginning have a lot of questions about the entry submission process. And I know that, you know, when, when you think about submitting an entry for National Memory Master, it's, it's really intimidating for one parent and the student to do alone.

And you need someone behind the camera and you need someone who can introduce the student on the entry video. So Jason, I know all three of you were involved in crafting Evangeline's entry video. What was that process like for your family? It, it was actually a lot better experience than it, than we were thinking it might be.

We knew, okay, this might take a lot of takes. And so we were really blessed. Like she made, she, we, the first couple of times, you know, she worked on scripting it out memorizing and was ready to go. Trisha asked me, she goes, can you be the one who gets like, I'll run the camera, you get in front.

I have to confess, I chickened out and I was so scared of messing it up. Cause I was like, what is she, what if she does it and I mess up my part. So I wrote it up on a piece of paper, like behind the camera, which leads to another funny story down the road.

But she, she got it her third try. Way to go. Make sure that that's not discouraging for other people. Like apparently if you want to win, you've got to have your, your entry done by the third try. No, we went back and watched the video and, and Trisha was like, they cannot have anything written and they can be disqualified.

The entry can be disqualified if it's like, they think, oh, she's reading something. They're like, and you can clearly see I'm reading something. So we're like, oh no. What have I ruined? And so she tried it a bunch more times and about five times in, we were like, okay, never mind.

We're, we're going to work. And so that was actually, honestly, that was the most stressful part of the entire process was waiting. She got, got accepted because I was literally living deep down inside going, what if I just ruined this? Because I wasn't able to memorize three sentences when my daughter just memorized, you know, everything.

So that, that was, that was definitely not my finest moment, but it was, it was definitely the three of us working together, obviously Evangeline doing 98% of the work, 99% of the work, but Trisha just set her up for success, helped her practice, got a little scene set up so she could be happy with it.

And yeah, apparently don't be afraid, like take a little bit of time, dad, to like memorize what you're supposed to say. Because it didn't take me long once I decided to do that. Absolutely. I will say it is very humbling to serve as the MC each year and to see them, you know, reciting the timeline backwards and, you know, doing all these incredible things.

And there quite often are times when I can't remember the four items that I need to pick up at the grocery store. And so it's really humbling for me as an adult to see, to observe in real time, the beauty of how God has designed our minds at different ages to be able to capture that information.

So that is, that is hilarious. So dads, you know, you hear Jason here, make sure you just take dominion over memorizing those three sentences that you need to, to be able to support your family. I'm like, well, excellent. All right. Evangeline, I know, you know, your dad has just alluded to the hard work that it is for us to be able to help support those entry videos.

But I know it takes a lot of hard work to become a national memory master. When you found out that you had been selected as a finalist, tell us what types of things you did to be able to prepare to compete? Well, I, we split up the work, the memory work, like between the days of the week.

And so like Monday, I would do two subjects Tuesday, I would do two subjects and so on. And then we took timeline cards and we put them all around our house. That was like, that was the winning factor for me. That was the only way I was probably going to be able to do the timeline backwards.

And so that helped extremely with the visual picture, because I would just like tap each one and like go forward around our house and then go backwards. And like, I would like point to where each ones were. And then eventually I started going backwards with it, like from memory saying it.

And so that helped a lot. And then about maybe a month before the competition, I started working on maps. And so I would like trace a certain continent until I can memorize it. And then I would eventually, I got a bunch of poster boards and then I would like draw the whole world on it from memory.

And mommy would time me and each time I got better. So that helped a lot. Nice, nice. I think you hit on one of the things that is most fascinating for families when they consider entering National Memory Master. It's how do you commit some of these things to memory in new ways?

And I love the fact that you used location as a memory peg for you with the timeline cards. And you're bringing back to my mind, a winner that we had a few years ago who actually took the timeline cards and put them all up the stairwell in their home.

And so he would go up the stairs and he would recite the timeline forwards. And then he would go down the stairs and he would recite the timeline backwards. So I think it's really what you're saying is encouraging for families to just be creative and think about committing that information to their minds in new ways.

And I love the fact that you practiced drawing the maps and drawing portions of the map until you had mastered it. And then you kind of were mapping the mastery of the map as you move from place to place. That is a really great tip. So as we've already said, you know, preparing for National Memory Master is not something a student does all alone from the beginning of the entry video until the time that they step on the platform at competition.

So, Tricia, I'm curious, in what ways did your family and your community surround you guys and show support for you and Evangeline? Well, one thing we had her do, so we knew she knew the knowledge and she is an actress. So she loves being on stage in front of people, but she loves playing a part in being on stage in front of people.

When it is her on display, it's different. So I knew that was one of the things that she would struggle with. So at first I would pretend to be a judge and I would say, okay, I'm a judge and I'm going to ask you a question. And I would purposely give her a look on my face like she had gotten it wrong to try to throw her because she's so in tune to my expressions that I knew that that could kind of throw her off.

And then I feel like the Lord just kind of like, hey, try this. And so we actually, the last four weeks, I believe, of our CC community this year, I would pass out questions and I would word it just the way that you guys word it in the championship out to other tutors and parents.

And during our assembly time, like at the end with assembly filled with the students and tutors, she would stand on the stage with a mic and have these other parents ask her some of the questions. And I think the first time she did it, she got it all right.

But the first time she did it, she was shaking. It was like, you could see her knees like knocking. Every time. So it was great practice because it really put her like on the spot. It's like, oh, wow, they're all looking at me. I'm not pretending to be someone else.

And I'm having to answer this question. So that was huge. And I love it too, because I feel like it encouraged the other kids in assembly. Like, look, you can do this and you're having a part of it right now because you're helping fill out the crowd to put her in this circumstance.

And so it was just really neat. And then the other thing, our family and friends and part of our community, there was a surprise parade for her the day that we left. So they just, I never even heard of this. I love the idea, but just a drive by parade and they made posters encouraging her and decorated with balloons.

And it was just, I feel like it was just what she needed to, to have the encouragement to go to the competition. All right, you guys, so it's that time again, we need to talk about the math map, but this time we need to talk about the math map as it relates to monomials.

Monomials is our newest introduction to the math map family. And this curriculum helps families practice introductory algebraic computation together by using classical skills that prepare students for the mathematical conversation of the ages. That's right. In the monomials curriculum, you are going to learn introductory algebra aligned with a natural learning patterns.

This curriculum empowers parents as the primary math teachers with layered support. It creates a unified math language for that one room school house feel and community learning. And it also centers around Christ. This Christ centered approach of God's mathematical design is essential for learning and appreciating math. The monomials curriculum is for students 13 and older, and it is specifically used for challenge B and beyond.

If you want to learn more about this resource, please visit classicalconversations.com forward slash the math map today to transform your family's math experience. Now let's get back to the show. Oh, I love that. How wonderful to see your communities surround you in that way. And I think you hit on something really important, Tricia, just getting used to the idea of being that person behind the microphone and having the questions asked in a different way than when you're proofing for memory master and you're sitting next to your mom or dad on the couch or across from a tutor that you know really well or a director that you know really well in community.

I think that's brilliant. And what a great idea to have a parade. And I think that you got to Southern Pines for the competition. So thinking about the competition, Evangeline, tell us a little bit about your National Memory Master experience because I'm listening to your mom talk about your knees knock, and I didn't see nerves for one moment of the competition.

So tell us, what was the hardest part of round one? It was definitely not making any mistakes and just like getting everything right. And I kind of, I had to take a deep breath and just kind of like set my mind and think of what the answer was before actually saying it because I was afraid I was going to mess up or say the wrong thing.

Sure. Sure. It is a different thing to stand behind the microphone and to be able to recite the memory work and then, you know, waiting for your turn. As, you know, we move through the finalists, I can look up on the platform and see the different expressions on the faces and see like everyone, you're like, oh, two more, two more finalists and it's my turn.

And one of the reasons why in competition, I tell everyone, let's take a big, deep breath together. I think it helps us just to settle nerves a little bit. Sometimes we would take two or three breaths together, depending on what we're about to do. But it's important for you guys to know that as the MC, I'm sitting here just as another CC mom asking you questions, just like you were in community.

So, you know, one of the things that I said in competition this year was, I want you to think about that fun tutoring community who always makes things so special. And I want for you to think about that tutor space right here. So as I'm asking you questions that you're thinking about that person and you're thinking about your community experience.

So Evangeline, you had no errors in round one of the competition and that is just extraordinary. So what helped you to focus and remember your memory work in the different heats? I know you said you took a deep breath. Was there anything else that you can remember that was helpful to you?

I mean, when we were proofing, I would sometimes make mistakes and I almost was glad for those mistakes because then when I would answer those questions, I thought about the mistakes that I had made. And so I didn't make those mistakes. And I kind of zoned out to where I stared at the wall behind the people.

So I wasn't looking at anyone. I like that idea of looking beyond the faces because sometimes when you look at the faces, that makes you more nervous. And I know your mom's already alluded to that, that she was being really careful with her face. And that's something as the emcee, I'm really careful about too, because if a finalist makes an error, the first error doesn't eliminate them from competition, but the second one does.

So when that first error happens, and even when the second one happens, I try really hard to keep smiling and trying to encourage you guys so that you'll keep pressing forward. So, you know, I know, I've heard from many National Memory Master families that during the competition, that the parents quite often feel more nervous than the kids.

And I will say as the emcee, I think sometimes I'm more nervous than the kids are too. So Jason and Tricia, both of you, as parents watching her tackle these different types of heats during round one, you know, how did that feel as you were watching? Because the other day I sat and calculated all of the questions that we asked during round one, we actually asked 220 individual questions.

And of the 220, only 20 of them were incorrect. So how did it feel to see her up there doing all of these different types of heats during round one and then move on to round two? Well, first of all, I didn't make eye contact with her. So I would look at her when you asked her the question.

And then as soon as she started to answer, I was like, because I didn't want it because I was nervous, but I didn't want her to catch my eye and that to throw her. So I just, and then I would look up when she was done. But from everything that I saw, I was so taken aback by how composed she was.

And even though inside she may have been real stressed on the outside, she was so composed and she answered those questions. And I was just so extremely proud of her. I feel like she had a truly joyful spirit through it all and a humility of, I'm just up here having fun.

I'm going to, I'm going to do my best. But at the end of the day, I'm here to glorify God. And that, that left such an impact on me, especially with round two and how she performed in round two. I just watching my little girl up there, give it all for the glory of God.

And, and with just this huge smile on her face and such composer, I, composure, excuse me. I could not have been prouder of her, no matter what the outcome was. She just really impressed me. Yeah. It was funny because about round four or five, I suddenly looked at her and realized she looks like she's enjoying herself.

And another parent said like, you know, she goes, I know she goes, I just kept expecting her to say, and how are you doing today, Kelly? But I, I really do think it's, and Tricia was a huge part of this, but from the very beginning, we really sought to go, okay, we need to be prepared.

Yes. We need to set her up for success that it's like, when we reach that week, okay, we did the work, we didn't go overboard to where she's sick of it, to where it's like, I gave up on the rest of life, but we did the hard decisions of doing it on the days where it's like, I don't want to, I'm tired where we're in the car and it's right in the car, but just doing the steady, strong work all the way through that.

Yeah. By the time I didn't catch this until the day before or until we were on the road headed there, is that it wasn't a stressful week. There was no cramming. It was just, okay, here we are. She knows what she knows. Now it's just a matter of going out there and doing it.

But we, we really, really wanted to stress with her and we knew we'd done a good job when our six-year-old daughter said it like a few days before we left, she's putting the dishes away and she goes, Evangeline, remember you already won. And yeah, it was really something where we, we, we wanted it to be that this is going to shape your character.

Yes. Regardless of how this plays out, that it's like, imagine the worst case scenario, imagine the best case scenario is God's sovereign. And therefore he's, he has a path for you on this and he's going to work it for his glory and he's going to do his work in you and shape you through it.

There is no losing. And just, that was something we, from like when, before we got out of the car to go in, it's like, all right, here we go. And we just gathered around and prayed. And I think that's one of the things that's, we have to really watch yourself as you're having to focus so much on the practical aspect of practicing that you have to go, no, hold on, let's, let's recenter.

And I think she was able to hold to that the entire time. The, yeah, once you're in, it was like, it was kind of, I said to myself, well, she's already won and she's given this joyous experience. Oh, that's so wonderful to hear. And I think you hit on some, both of you hit on so many things that are crucial to success at National Memory Master, because there will only be one winner, even though there are 16 finalists that come from all over the country in order to be able to compete.

And you're right, my goodness, when they have taken the time and the effort and energy to commit this memory work to their hearts and their minds, they are winners before they even step foot on the platform. And I think that spirit of just love and peace and encouragement is so prevalent at National Memory Master.

It's always a blessing to see when the finalists come in and they start greeting each other and they don't look at each other as competitors because you're right. If your purpose in coming to National Memory Master is to beat out 15 other people and take home a check, you have missed an incredible opportunity to help shape your child's character, to shape the way that they think about winning and the way that they think about losing.

Because like you said, it is in God's hands. And so what an encouragement to our families at home to think about this as more than a financial opportunity, to think about this as a moment of eternal significance in the lives of their children. I love that. So Evangeline, you know, when you think back over the entire competition, I know you have so many wonderful memories.

I know just from watching you with the other finalists, you guys, just every single picture I've seen from the event has just made my heart so full of joy to see the love and the support that you guys had for each other. But I want you to think for just a moment about what was hard.

What was the hardest thing of competing in National Memory Master? And then was there anything that really surprised you that maybe you weren't expecting when you competed? Well, one of the hardest things for me was the math, actually. The times tables, I kept messing up. And I was like super worried that I was going to mess up on stage.

And so I got the AIDS, which I was pretty strong on. But like some of the other ones, I was like, and then it was also very hard when people got out because, you know, your heart, you're so sad for them. And sometimes just the hardest thing to do is what to say to them.

And sometimes just a hug is all you can give. And then some of the stuff that surprised me was, one, how fast I went with round two. I've never said the timeline so fast. I was like so stressed. I was like hyperdrive. And then I drew the map like so fast.

I was there like five minutes and I had labeled everything an extra. And I was almost thinking to myself, man, there's so much I could label in five minutes. I don't know what to label now. I love that. I love that. I think that, you know, your perspective on the your friends, I can call them your friends because I've seen your interactions with them who may have been eliminated.

I think that really shows a sensitivity of spirit to the fact that they put in that hard work at home before they came to the competition, too, and just supporting them in a way that shows love to them in what is, you know, a moment of sadness, I think is really kind.

And I will agree with you about the surprising nature. And I feel surprised every year. This was the I think the eighth time that I've emceed National Memory Master. And every year I'm blown away in round two by how quickly you guys can recite the timeline. And just for if you're listening to this podcast in round two, our finalists, our four remaining finalists who advance from round one will be given three and a half minutes to recite as much of the timeline as possible from a given point.

And if they reach the end of the timeline, which I can assure you they all do, they come back to the beginning and they continue reciting until the time expires. And Evangeline, I'm pretty sure that you got through the timeline almost two whole times in the three and a half minutes.

And that's amazing. We actually actually had one father of a finalist come up to me afterward and say, classical conversations is missing on on a great opportunity. What's next? CC auctioneering school. Just how quickly you can articulate and enunciate those events shows your mastery of them because you're already thinking about the next one in your mind before it even crosses your lips.

So I'm with you, friend. That was surprising to me, too. It continues to surprise me every year. So I'm curious, you know, Jason, Tricia, both of you, now that now that the experience has passed, I think I asked Tricia you the other day if you guys had come down from cloud nine yet because it was such a wonderful, positive experience.

What benefits do you see for Evangeline and your family through your preparation and participation in National Memory Master this year? And then I may know the answer to this already, but now that it's over, do you look back and think, I think I would do that again? I'll answer the second question first is absolutely all, all with her.

Yes. All three of our younger kids are now like, we're in, we're doing this. Here we go. And it really plays into like, it's an interesting spot for us because they literally can't do better than she did. Like you feel like what you want it twice. I don't know.

It's like, there's, there's no other, there's, there it is. There's the finish line and gold medal, which I think drives us back to what we really like. Why do we want to do this? And it will be such a temptation for them to be like, I'm going to go do what she did.

And I'm going to get this big check and everyone's going to get around me and give me a big hug. And it's teaching. I think several things that are so huge is we want them to do hard things because to build the kingdom of God, exercise dominion, like you mentioned earlier, it's hard work.

We live in a fallen world and it's like, we're called to seek wisdom and to strive and to go. And that, yeah, every single one of our kids will want to pursue it. Now that they've seen the joy of it and they're going to, they're going up against 15 amazing kids.

It was a weird point when I sat there and saw her up with those kids who we've gotten to know a little bit, met their families the night before and looking and going, that's an amazing, amazing group of kids that you don't go. I don't know if my kid can do it.

You're just going all 16 of them can. And so it's, you know, it's like watching two Superbowl teams. It's okay. Well, they're both great. So I don't know why I'm going to win. Yeah. 16 of them though. But so for them, it's like whether their video does not win a 16 finalist spot, whether they go and get out early or they just don't make it to the second round or they make the mistakes.

Like I know that. And whatever that level is that the going back to what we said earlier is like, God wants to use us to do great things in you. And I think it's, it's not very often in life that we get with our children, especially younger children. And I want this for all of them is the ability to go, you have put in time and energy pursuing something that is good.

And then for it, not go the way you want it to go. And it's just a huge job because they are going to have that happen in their life. So to put them in a spot where we're there to coach them through it and guide them and shepherd them through it.

We absolutely want that for all of them. And then now probably their biggest reason is the competition's a neat experience, but she now has 15 people that she knows that she's connected with and has a clear experience. And I mean, she has, I mean, she has friends that I'm just not going to be surprised if quite a bit of them are her friends that they're all six years from now going.

And so we're all going to North Carolina for the graduation, right? So yeah, we want that for our kids too, is it really is the mindset that Trisha and I are blessed from getting to be around other parents from very, very different parts of the country, very different, just life experiences and just what we do.

And yet just the community of there's so much shared value and pursuit that we've made friends. And so for our family, we joked, we're like, if we keep this up, we're going to have like a network of friends all over the country. We're just going to take a road trip.

So for us, it's, it's an absolute, there is no loss to having them. They're going to, they, and you know, we're not going to force them to go for national memory master, but from this, they'll probably be hooked on it. And so that it's worth it for them to pursue it regardless of the outcome.

Our younger ones came home and the first thing they did when they got in the house is they grabbed a piece of notebook paper, a piece of paper. I started drawing the map. We're definitely like encouraged to pursue it. And you know, her younger brother, one of her older younger brother, who's 10 is planning on trying for it in a couple of years.

So that will be a really neat experience because some of the other contestants also have younger siblings. So it may be a reunion sooner than six years, but just like Jason said, them learning how to do hard things and then watching and witnessing her dedication and that little by little consistency and really, I mean, that just teaches them so many lessons.

And I, and I think also a bigger thing too, is just the fact that we did pray before so many things and we prayed for the competition that there would be peace and clarity and joy among all the contestants, that there would not be any confusion. And they were witness to that.

And then they got to see God honor that prayer. And I feel like the competition, it couldn't have gone better. I feel like there was peace and joy. And I mean, watching, watching her be embraced by those 15 other kids and some of them leaping off of their feet and swimming down, you know, pumping their fist, a few of them picking her up.

I mean, it was just, it was amazing. And I feel, I just, I give it all credit to God and our routine is the answer to prayer. And so for our kids to see that they can be in something, they can compete, they can face their fears, they can work diligently, but knowing the whole time that, that God is in control and that he's sovereign over it all.

And just giving him the glory for it all, I feel like a huge blessing that we got from the competition. Amen. It is always one of my favorite things to go back after the event and review all of the video footage and the photos that are taken at the moment that the winner is announced.

And I have to say, seeing the picture, seeing the video of you and Jason rising to your feet and cheering for your daughter is one of my favorite video clips from the event. And also at that moment, like Evangeline, I don't know if you were aware of this, like your, your face just lit up and your hands went up like, oh my goodness.

But it is so dear to me that one of our other finalists just reached over with her arms and just enveloped you in this big bear hug. And you can tell by the look on her face, she was genuinely thrilled that her friend had just been awarded this incredible honor.

And so as the MC, it is a blessing to see what you're saying, Jason, and what you're saying, Tricia, that the rewards are eternal. You know, I know this summer in practicum, the theme is, you know, looking at things that are unseen, that we're trying to see the unseen and, you know, that love that the finalists have for one another through those relationships that they cultivate is so obviously seen in the way that they responded in that moment.

It just is a beautiful testimony of families who have coached their children through this difficult thing that they're about to do and how we can take those moments and we can just offer them up as an offering to the Lord. So what an encouragement. Now, speaking of encouragement, Evangeline, I have one final question for you.

If there's a foundation student who maybe is getting ready to enter into their last year of foundations in the fall and they're thinking, I just don't know, should I do this national memory master thing or not? If you could give any words of wisdom to them, what would you say?

It's definitely hard work, but it's most assuredly worth it. And just to be at peace with whatever God has planned for you. It's most important to remember that it's not about winning, but it's about glorifying God and that you're going to make memories that are some of the best memories of your life.

You're going to carry with you for all your life. And then just that he's going to use that in your life to teach you things and encourage you and build your character. Yes, I love that. I love that. So as Evangeline says, go for it. You never know what moment of surprise might await you.

You never know what growing opportunity might await you. And I will say from this year, you never know what joy is awaiting you. So take the plunge and make that video and submit for National Memory Master of Competition 2026. So as we wrap up this episode of the Everyday Educator, I hope that you are as encouraged as I am, as you hear these words of wisdom from Evangeline and Jason and Tricia, and that if you're going to be in your final year of foundations come this fall, consider entering your own story for National Memory Master in 2026.

Keep learning, keep growing, keep educating, and we'll see you in the next episode. Goodbye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thanks. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. you you you