Brave Writer Podcast: Finding a Balance in High School with Karen Goldstein
Do you feel burdened by the weight of high school requirements? Do you miss the early days when homeschool felt more enchanted?
If so, then you need to hear this podcast episode! (Psst: and if you’re not there yet—tune in, gather ideas for your future self, and be ahead of the game!)
Today’s guest of honor, Karen, wrote to me saying: “I’m having a difficult time juggling rigorous high school level work and I miss the easy-going lifestyle we enjoyed when my son was younger. How do we find balance in high school?”
This episode covers:
- Helping your teen find the key that turns the lock for an irksome subject.
- Taking a crash course with a topic: high intensity, but finished in a flash!
- Look up from the textbooks: education can be delivered in any packaging.
- The moment your teen’s interest is caught is the moment they are taught.
Karen took my advice into practice & our follow-up conversation is truly inspiring—make sure to stay ‘til the end!
What about balance in high school?
There are four key ideas in the Brave Writer notion of Enchanted Education: Surprise, Mystery, Risk, and Adventure. The former appeal most to younger children, while the latter appeal most to teens.
Education taught by a mother sometimes loses the feeling of adventure for the child. They might not feel challenged, they don’t know how they “stack up,” so trying things like community college courses is a great way to introduce more risk and adventure!
Through adventure, you can allow your child to find the key that turns the lock for an irksome subject. Laser-focusing on one key area of interest will illuminate the educational subject. Don’t worry, the education will be delivered. It just won’t be in the packaging of a textbook.
It’s okay, and even encouraged, to let education through experiences nourish the hard parts of homeschool life. Our job isn’t just providing coursework. We are also helping our kids discover how to be in charge of their own learning odyssey, which will last for the rest of their lives!
Julie’s Advice
- Make lists of the most important things you want him to learn.
- Digest the list, then ignore it – follow what the child is interested in, then return to the list and see what overlapped. If you missed something, that’s the time you can address it.
- If there’s a subject your child isn’t interested in at all, consider doing a crash course. Quick, but with high intensity. In history, for example, study the trajectory of history through aviation, transportation, and telecommunication; ALL of the ways those inventions have affected history.
- Remember: All the stuff we’re teaching in high school they will get again in college, particularly if it’s in their chosen field.
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Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!
Tags: Ask Julie
