Brave Writer

Millions of families have been forced to educate at home due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Millions of families also educate their kids this way by choice. Whether you are the former or the latter, all are welcome here.In the midst of this pandemic, Harvard Magazine published an article titled “The Risks of Homeschooling,” and I certainly have some thoughts about this. These are my own personal views, and I may push some buttons or challenge some ideas that you have, but I mean to do that. When we are confronted with someone who wants a presumptive ban on homeschooling, I want us to dig a little deeper and discover what this article is attempting to do.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Let’s address this global, unique moment where homeschooling is suddenly center-stage and millions of families are experiencing a lifestyle change that is in some ways similar and in some ways different than the choice many of us made to do this homeschooling project.The move from having kids in school to having their education thrust upon you is creating a serious amount of anxiety, confusion, and disruption to what was considered ordinary life. If that weren’t enough, parents who used to send their kids to school and then drive to an office are now also at home, trying to conduct a 40-hour workweek while they educate their children using a school system that they didn’t create.What I want to do today is look at homeschooling as a philosophy, and looking at the dynamic of what happens when you combine working from home with education from home. It is no easy thing to be confined in your house, to not have access to much of the entertainment and distractions we’re accustomed to, and to be so uncertain about what the future holds. For all of us in this conundrum, I want to talk about ways we can foster learning and play and cooperation while parents are trying to get their jobs done. I’m going to break this up into tips for those of us who are suddenly-at-home schoolers and then some tips for working from home while schooling.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Today’s question comes from an encounter I had at a homeschool conference several years ago. It echoed a feeling I’ve experienced myself in the homeschool space as both homeschooler and homeschool speaker/business owner. And then, as we ramped up to this new podcast season, and I asked for your current questions, the same wish resurfaced. See if you relate to this fundamental heart cry of so many of us.How do I find my people in the homeschool space? Why can’t being a “homeschooler” be common ground enough?We are built to have close ties with other people. When you embark on this lifestyle that challenges the status quo, the need for friends escalates because, let’s face it, it’s lonely in a world of institutional schooling filled with traditions and school mascots. Let’s talk about the ways you can find community, the different ways they break down, and the merits of wide or narrow tents.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

What do you do when your child has no clear passion?When we exhaust the value of the planned learning model, and we pivot to our children’s passions — at least for a season — what do we do when our kids pick passions that look pointless? We say that our kids have no passions, but the truth is they will find things to do. It’s just you may not approve of what that is. It may not look like the education you feel you owe your kids.The truth is: no subject on the planet is isolated from school subjects. Chemists are as likely to work in a medical lab as at Proctor and Gamble improving the power of Tide Detergent.  A child who is obsessed with making memes (those ironic images that speak to a current social trend or political reality) requires clever use of language and audience awareness and staying up to date with what’s happening in the news. If you could see the meme-creation differently, you might discover a world of learning happening that you do value.It’s so easy to dismiss what looks like it’s a mere passing craze. But you never know where it might lead!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Download the Brave Learner Companion Guide here: http://go.bravewriter.com/download-the-companion-guideWant help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

In this season of the podcast, my goal is to give you a chance to pause and consider ways to improve the experience of learning in your home and in your family by answering questions you’ve sent to me via Instagram, email, and through our customer help desk. One theme is clear as I glance through the list of growing topics: parenting!You want to know how to get your kids to cooperate with the plan or the lack of a plan, how to prepare them for their futures when they don’t seem to imagine life past age 15. You want to know how to help them fall in love with learning, and you want to do it without provoking resistance or anger or boredom or lethargy.So often we believe that the issue we are facing in our homeschools is about learning itself or the subject area (like math, writing, or science). What we are facing, though, is more universal in nature. Even parents of kids who attend traditional schools struggle to get their children to finish homework or to care about their grades or to feed the dog or to brush their teeth and make their beds. We ARE parents. But the question I want us to consider is: do we do an action called “parenting?” Do I do an action that can be described as “parenting?”You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Today’s question will likely feel very familiar to pretty much any parent: “What if you just don’t have the energy to do all the stuff? The magic-making, the planning, the execution of all the tasks? I know what needs to get done, but I just can’t get myself to do it all. Help.”I get it. There are seasons of life that make the ordinary tasks feel like bench pressing a truck. When you’re in a season like that, you can’t imagine ever getting out of it. So, to address this topic, let’s identify a few of the reasons we lose heart or energy for the tasks of homeschooling, as well as some solutions for finding your normal self again.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Head over to bravewriter.com/getting-startedSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2020 + you’ll get a free 7-Day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitzConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Our goal with this season is to focus on your questions, both the questions you’ve been asking Julie throughout this podcasting journey and the questions you haven’t asked yet. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook groups — wherever you have the opportunity to reach out, please send a message to Julie about what you’d like to learn during season six of Brave Writer.Today’s question: How do you balance your roles as a parent and a teacher?You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Get Started with Brave Writer by watching Julie’s brand new video series that helps you understand how to use the program at bravewriter.com/getting-started. Each video is only a couple minutes long and will give you the necessary information to determine which level and which products are just right for your kids. If you have further questions, reach out to our trained staff for personal advice and help: help@bravewriter.comSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter at go.bravewriter.com/tea-with-julieThe Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education Book by Ainsley ArmentConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Welcome back, Brave friends! We want to start this season with a big thank you to all of you for helping us achieve an incredible milestone: over one million downloads of the show! We couldn’t be more proud or more grateful.Our goal with this season is to focus on your questions, both the questions you’ve been asking Julie throughout this podcasting journey and the questions you haven’t asked yet. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook groups — wherever you have the opportunity to reach out, please send a message to Julie about what you’d like to learn during season six of Brave Writer.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Get Started with Brave Writer by watching Julie’s brand new video series that helps you understand how to use the program at bravewriter.com/getting-started. Each video is only a couple minutes long and will give you the necessary information to determine which level and which products are just right for your kids. If you have further questions, reach out to our trained staff for personal advice and help: help@bravewriter.comSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter at go.bravewriter.com/tea-with-julieJoin The Homeschool AllianceConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

We want to share some exciting news: Brave Writer just turned 20! To celebrate, we will have a slew of wonderful offers throughout the year. You will find all of these deals in our newsletter, which you can sign up for at this link.Our goal with this season is to focus on your questions, both the questions you’ve been asking Julie throughout this podcasting journey and the questions you haven’t asked yet. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook groups — wherever you have the opportunity to reach out, please send a message to Julie about what you’d like to learn during season six of Brave Writer.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Get Started with Brave Writer by watching Julie’s brand new video series that helps you understand how to use the program at bravewriter.com/getting-started. Each video is only a couple minutes long and will give you the necessary information to determine which level and which products are just right for your kids. If you have further questions, reach out to our trained staff for personal advice and help: help@bravewriter.comSign up for the Brave Writer Newsletter at go.bravewriter.com/tea-with-julieJoin The Homeschool AllianceConnect with Julie:Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriterTwitter: twitter.com/bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter--Brave Writer is produced by Crate Media

Julie is getting ready to go down to Texas to present at the Wild + Free conference, so today we talk with someone who’s been getting Wild + Free since the inception of this beautiful gem of a community.Greta Eskridge is a go-getter creative entrepreneur with enough projects to keep a team busy! Greta runs a website, a blog, a podcast, is an avid Instagrammer, and has written for and spoken at nearly every Wild + Free Conference. On top of that, she is a second-generation homeschooler to four adorable kids, wife to her artist husband Aaron, and “fur mama” to the family’s rescue dog, Shadow.Nature is Greta’s self-proclaimed “Happy Place,” and she is best known in the home school community for her passion for taking her children into the great outdoors and helping them make nature a source of joy in their lives – and she’s even writing a book about this topic! You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/ Resources:Register for the Wild + Free Conference: https://www.bewildandfree.org/frisco (Feb. 15-16 in Frisco, TX)Learn more at: http://www.gretaeskridge.com/Listen to At Home: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home/id1098331677?mt=2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maandpamodern/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maandpamodernOrder Julie’s new book & get your FREE companion guide at thebravelearner.comSign up for The Brave Learner Conference (July 19, 2019 in Cincinnati, OH): https://thebravelearner.com/conferenceJoin The Homeschool AllianceAsk Julie a question: help@bravewriter.com (include “The Brave Learner” in the subject line) -- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters