A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

We’ve all done it—we’ve spent more time shopping for homeschool programs than teaching the actual contents of the ones we buy! In this episode of the podcast, I’ll help you dial back your expectations and learn how to make peaceful progress in homeschooling your kids.

People read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch YouTube videos and build in their imagination a Utopian version of homeschool.

But here’s the thing: we all bring our own personalities, family dynamics, and information to the table, and then our children – our free radicals – react to it with their own point of view, personalities, and dynamics.

Really we shouldn’t be aiming for perfection – we should be aiming for progress. Just that sense that we are doing a little bit better with each bit of new information.

So if you ever find yourself wondering why your homeschool isn’t the Utopian version you saw on Instagram or in a podcast, understand that it’s because we all have our own dynamics, and even then every single day is a little bit different.

“Give yourself permission to be unconventional! After all, you are a homeschooler. You’re already an unconventional educator, you’re already an unconventional educator. Give yourself some room to try things, to explore, to experiment, to recruit other people’s opinions into your work – and don’t expect it all to work perfectly!”

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The magic keys to learning are already in your possession!

This week I address the second set of principles that help your children not only love learning but retain what they learn. Tune in!

If you missed Brain-Based Learning Part One, catch up now!

What’s going on inside the brains of good learners?

• Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception. Sometimes, when we’re deep diving into a subject, we can give our full attention to it. But even while doing that, part of our awareness is still occurring. Because of the multi-tasking involved with technology, our kids tend to be really good at this. So even while driving the car, hanging out on the back deck, or playing games in the living room, they’re picking up on what’s going on around them – so make the environment around them positive!
• Learning always involves conscious AND unconscious processes. In addition to the information we consciously imprint on your children through lessons and programs, there is a hidden, always present, unconscious process: the vibe of the family. Is it a safe place for academic risk, a space where people are gentle and generous, or a space where you can challenge authority? These contribute to the atmosphere of learning.
• There are two kinds of memory involved in learning: spatial memory and a set of systems for rote learning. Through spatial learning, you are creating a visual structure as a way to trace back your understanding, and the most obvious version of this is the way we sort information spatially. Rote learning involves figuring the sequences that lead to a specific end, like learning the rules to a game.
• Learning is developmental; it is tied to the person. It is not based on, as many schools structure their learning, scope & sequence. Learning has nothing to do with your grade level, but instead your stage of development.
• Each brain is uniquely organized, and every person learns in a different way. The more children you have, the sooner you will see this first hand!

Brain-Based Learning Part One

Would you please post a review on Apple Podcasts for us?
Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!