A Brave Writer’s Life in Brief

Be a Student of Your Students

Number one job: learn your kids.

Get to know their:

habits,
preferences,
natural inclinations,
what they love,
what they hate,
what lights them up,
what dims their shine.

When you are frustrated by a child’s lack of enthusiasm or energy or commitment, step back and observe. See what’s standing in the way. Being a detective is part of homeschooling so count it. It’s not off task or adjacent. It IS the task.

The better you know your REAL child (the one in front of you), the better the education you can offer that child.

It’s okay to take notes, to consult with your kid.

How was that for you?
More of this?
Less of that?
What else do you need to feel successful?

Give yourself time and permission to understand your child’s needs rather than feeling invalidated by them.

You can do it! I believe in you.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

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Friday Freewrite: Animal Language

Imagine that for 24 hours you can only communicate using an animal language, but you get to pick which animal’s sounds to use. Would you bark or roar or honk or something else? Now describe what that day might be like!

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

Tags: Writing prompts
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Training Tip: Wordplay

Words are the building blocks of our imaginative world.

Think of words like Lego bricks. Before our kids are building the Eiffel Tower out of Lego, they simply investigate the bricks through play. They:

take them apart,
attach them in new formations,
mix and match them.

Words are the same!

Here’s a training tip to encourage wordplay in your homeschool.

Wordplay is also the perfect preparation for our Arrow (ages 9-12) and Boomerang (ages 13-18) Book Clubs. They offer a virtual living room space–where students gather to freely discuss the novels they read with you at home.

Brave Writer’s online Book Clubs are a great way to homeschool in a busy season. Try our low-intensity, warm and welcoming discussion clubs!

We also invite you to log in to a sample class. Click around, play with our text editor, and read real instructor responses to writing posted in class.

Brave Writer Arrow and Boomerang Book Clubs

Tags: Training Tip
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We’re Celebrating Black Friday!

Heads up! We’re celebrating BLACK FRIDAY (not Cyber Monday) this year.

With 2020 comes our 20th year in business as Brave Writer. Let’s celebrate!

Thank you for being such an awesome community—here are some customer appreciation rewards!

Black Friday

20% discount on ALL Brave Writer products purchased in our store (not classes) for 24 hours.

Sale starts at 9:00 AM (Eastern) on Friday November 29 and ends at 9:00 AM (Eastern) on Saturday November 30.

Holiday Shoppe

Friday, November 29 will also be the opening of our annual Holiday Shoppe! It will provide you with gift ideas for holiday shopping and will be open through midnight Eastern Dec. 31, 2019.

JOIN ME on Facebook or Zoom LIVE on November 20 at 3:00 PM Eastern for details. No need to register for Zoom. Just click the link when the broadcast starts.

First-Time Ever Sale on a Class

We’re waiving our “no discounts on classes” policy to offer you $20.00 off of each student registration for the online writing class that started it all The Writer’s Jungle Online!

This is the class that teaches YOU how to coach your children in writing. The instructor works with you and your kids to transform their writing lives.

The discount is only good for two weeks (12/2 – 12/15), once our Winter/Spring registration opens.

Monday, December 2, 2019 Noon Eastern

Learn all about it here.

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Happiness

Happiness. That elusive subjective experience. I was thinking about it today—how we want our kids to be happy, but please Oh Guiding Force of the Universe, let them be happy about the right things! So you watch them light up over Fortnite but see a crest-fallen face as you drag your child away from the computer to the kitchen table.

Do you feel guilty? Do you wonder what to do? Should your child only ever play the game or watch TV—to ensure happiness? Or should you end the entertainment in favor of read aloud time or math problems, even if your child acts miserable or complains?

Whenever we transition from an effortless pleasure to a task that requires grit or concentration, a let down follows. You’ve experienced it—the transition from relaxing with a cup of tea while scrolling through Instagram, to regrouping to prepare lunch. One is easy—inducing a feeling of contentment. The other requires focus and work. The transition is felt as a loss. You don’t get to happiness automatically.

Your kids are the same. Don’t worry that happiness is not immediately evident in the schoolish task. Support the transition with a shoulder rub, or accompanying the little gal or guy from sofa to table, or by chatting about the fun first and then gathering energy for the new task. Happiness is not static. It ebbs and flows. You can confidently lead by letting your child know that sometimes fun is on the agenda and sometimes a pivot to the effort of intentional learning is the next item on the agenda—and you’ll be there to help that adjustment with kindness and companionship. Tolerating the momentary grief or sadness associated with the transition is how you support the move from one activity to the next.

Happiness matters, but it’s not the only emotion your kids will feel. It’s okay to help your child cope.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

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