Introducing: One Thing!
Brave Writer presents: The “One Thing” Series
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the good homeschooling advice available today. Homeschool can quickly become a slog through “wonderful ideas†rather than the inspired, natural rhythm and routine that fosters a love of learning and healthy educational growth in your kids. Good ideas abound, but they are only as “good†as they are satisfying to parent and child in the application of them to our lives.
To help overwhelmed mothers, I’ve often suggested that they focus on “one thing†at a time. Pick a practice or event or strategy that is appealing, that you believe in, that you hope to bring into your family life and focus on it. Plan for it (learn what it is and how it’s done), prepare for it (get the right materials, set aside the right amount of time, talk enthusiastically about it with your kids), execute it (with the phone turned off, with your full attention in the moment, not rushing ahead to what you’ll do when this event is over), give it all the time it needs (until interest flags). Then clean up and before doing something else the next day, reminisce about the event/project/activity. Then try it again, in a few days or a week later. Once you have begun to see a routine practice develop into an effortless part of your life (or at least, not painful or agitating), it’s time to add something new again.
One thing.
You can develop a pleasing homechool routine “one thing†at a time.
True to our philosophy, we’ve decided to offer a series of short, one-month classes that feature “one thing†at a time.
The Brave Writer Lifestyle includes experiences like art appreciation, nature walks, freewriting, dictation and copywork, poetry enjoyment and writing, revision of one writing project per month, grammar study through games and interaction with real literature. Rather than sending you off to invent how to do these all on your own, the Brave Writer team is heading up short, intensive workshops to help you develop the skills and creative applications for each of these ideas, one thing at a time.
One Thing: Copywork and Dictation
Our first one-month session starts October 8 and features an in-depth treatment of copywork and dictation. Rita Cevasco, Brave Writer instructor and professional speech pathologist, will teach this month-long workshop. Families with children who struggle with language processing disorders are especially encouraged to sign up as Rita’s expertise makes her an invaluable resource for the mom wanting to help her language impaired student.
However, these kids are not the only ones who will benefit from Rita’s instruction. This course is designed to show any family how to maximize the values of copywork and dictation in ways you haven’t thought of before. If you’re new to copywork and dictation or you want someone to hold your hand in showing you how to take advantage of great literature to teach language arts naturally, this is the perfect setting for you.
For families committed to copywork and dictation as the primary tools of language arts (grammar, spelling, punctuation, literary elements, and handwriting), this four-week course will take you a good distance in establishing copywork and dictation as regular practices in your homeschool (and will help you past the anxiety that drives you keep those workbooks stashed in a closet as a back-up plan).
Included in the course: One issue of the Arrow and one issue of the Boomerang (you will decide which level to use for each child during class; both will be provided).
Tuition is: $99.00 (per family)
The tuition is per family as you will be doing the work with your children at home and therefore can apply anything you learn to any number of kids. In other words, we’re offering you a real deal in terms of tuition!
Registration opens Wednesday. I’ll post a link here and on the home page of the website. Hope you’ll join us!
If you have any questions, please post them here in the comments, or email me.
Excellent post!