[Webinar] High School Writing in the Age of AI

Brave Writer High School Writing in the Age of AI

How it started: dinosaurs, daisy chains, phonics and lapbooks. 

How it’s going: citations, quotations, note-taking and ChatGPT.

Yikes! The high school years are upon you and it’s a whole new world.

You know you want to prepare your kids for college writing, but the task can seem daunting.

  • How much essay writing should they be doing?
  • How do I best prepare them for what’s next?
  • What really matters?

Add to the mix worries of the rising use of AI writing generators, and you may feel like giving up before you even start.

Let Us Help!

Brave Writer is here to shine a light on the high school writing path.

Kirsten Merryman (Director of Online Classes) and Jen Holman (class writer and coach) give you practical tips and show you how our writing program can help you address these burning concerns:

  • Expectations from colleges
  • Increasing issues related to AI
  • Gaining age appropriate skills
  • Covering all the bases
  • Why it matters to infuse your essays with authenticity 

Discover how to balance AI and human creativity in your teen’s writing journey.


Free Webinar Replay

Listen as we talk about High School Writing in the Age of AI.


More Resources

  1. 100+ Creative Ideas to Use AI in Education
  2. A People’s Guide To Tech – Allied Media Projects
  3. The practical guide to using AI to do stuff
  4. Murdered by My Replica? By Margaret Atwood
  5. Article on bias in AI images

AI portals to explore:


Refer-a-Friend!

Brave Writer Refer-a-Friend

We hear from you ALL THE TIME!

You and your homeschool pals:

  • plan book club parties!
  • brainstorm unit studies—sharing all the books and resources!
  • lean on each other when you don’t feel you’ve done enough! (You have!)

Wish more of your homeschool friends would homeschool the Brave Writer way?

Think of all you could do together.

Help them take the leap!

Brave Writer has launched our Refer-a-Friend program!

Give $10! Get $10!

It’s always a great time for your friends to jump into Brave Writer! And everyone gets a discount!

Here’s how it works: 

  1. Use this link to refer new-to-Brave-Writer friends—refer as many as you like.
  2. Your new-to-Brave-Writer friend will receive a $10 discount code for a purchase in the Brave Writer store.
  3. Once your friend purchases, you’ll receive a $10 discount code good for anything in the Brave Writer store.
  4. Use one code per purchase in the Brave Writer store (excludes online classes).

Sharing was never so easy!

Help more friends find the joy in homeschooling with Brave Writer. Refer-a-Friend


Growing Brave Writers

Friday Freewrite: Catch Up on Sleep

Friday Freewrite

There’s a phrase that goes, “I need to catch up on sleep.” Imagine that Sleep is actually running away from you after a poor night’s rest. Describe how you’d try to reach them and then convince them to stay longer next time.

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.


[Podcast] Building a Family Heritage through Homeschool with Amber O’Neal Johnston – Part One

Brave Writer Podcast

The heart and soul behind heritagemom.com and a proud contributor to the Wild + Free homeschooling community, Amber O’Neal Johnston has woven her experiences into a beautiful narrative in her book, A Place to Belong.

Amber Johnston
Amber O’Neal Johnston

Amber’s book serves as a rich resource for families across the spectrum, exploring homes that are:

  • inclusive,
  • culturally rich,
  • and socially conscious.

Today on the Brave Writer podcast, we’re diving deep into this narrative with Amber, talking author to author and homeschooling mom to homeschooling mom about the essence of A Place to Belong.

Show Notes

Inspiration for “A Place to Belong”

A heart-wrenching personal awakening around her eldest child’s struggles with self-worth and identity spurred Amber to pen this literary gem. Recognizing the gaps and unintentional omissions in her child’s education about race and identity, Amber addresses the need to move beyond extreme colorblindness, emphasizing the importance of embracing our unique roots, culture, and identity. As Toni Morrison beautifully put, “If there’s a book that you want to read and it hasn’t been written, then you should write it.” And so, Amber did.

What the Book is About

In A Place to Belong, Amber delves into the significance of introspection and awareness for parents. It’s not merely about understanding our children but also diving deep into our emotions, biases, and beliefs. She underscores that confronting and navigating through the emotional discomfort of parent-child conversations, especially those revolving around race, identity, and culture, is paramount. Amber also takes us on a journey through the tapestry of family culture. She emphasizes that it’s not just about annual traditions or favorite family pastimes but delving deeper into the realms of cultural heritage and background. What messages are we unconsciously sending our children through our chosen way of life? Importantly, she reminds us that these discussions and introspections about cultural heritage aren’t exclusive to any particular racial or ethnic group. White families, black families, brown families – every household has a story, a history, and a culture worth exploring and celebrating.

Evaluating Family Culture

Every family is unique, and every child should feel at home in their family culture. To truly embrace inclusivity, parents should:

  • Reflect on their social circles and children’s friends.
  • Ask if these circles reflect diversity or are they insular?
  • Evaluate their stance on race, stereotypes, and biases.

Inclusivity isn’t just about certain months dedicated to specific histories. It’s about making inclusivity a way of life, not just a topic of discussion. It’s about moving from compartmentalization to integration.

Being an “Askable” Parent

Coined by Dr. Gordon, the term “askable parent” is a badge of honor. It signifies a parent’s commitment to be available, open, and honest with their child. From answering unexpected questions to addressing bold or “inappropriate” topics, being an askable parent means creating a safe space for your child to grow and learn. And sometimes, it means saving those pressing public questions for a private chat in the car.

3 Types of Books

Every book holds a lesson, but not all books represent every reader. Amber classifies books into:

  • Mirrors: These reflect a reader’s life.
  • Windows: These give insights into others’ lives.
  • Sliding Glass Doors: These are so relatable that readers envision themselves in the narrative.

While many families have ample mirror books, the challenge lies in balancing these with window books, enabling kids to see the vibrant tapestry of our world. For Amber, this realization came when she noticed her child’s library was lacking diversity. It’s not about blame but about continuous learning and updating our bookshelves.

The crux of our journey with Amber is simple yet profound: To promote joyful inquiry and introduce our children to a diverse literary realm. Let’s embrace this vibrant world, hand in hand with our kids, leading them towards a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

When to Change Course

Brave Writer

ALL that matters is that you not persist in a program that deadens the life and learning capacity of your child. If either of you aren’t happy and energized…it’s over.

Remember: you are cultivating a LIFE. Your child’s experience of learning is the key to a healthy, valuable education.

Try all the tricks:

  • candles,
  • tea,
  • cookies,
  • back rubs,
  • blanket forts,
  • twinkle lights,
  • moving the lesson outside,
  • music,
  • petting the dog.

If the program continues to oppress, however, and deaden the atmosphere of the home, there is NO price you paid for it worth ruining your daily lives. See the cost as R&D (research and development).

Change course.

Notice what energizes and move toward THAT.

You have plenty of time to learn. That said, don’t waste your precious days harming your children’s feelings about learning.

Ain’t nobody got time for that!


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


Brave Learner Home

Flash Sale: Updated Arrows!

Brave Writer

Great news! 

Seven of our older Arrows are back and better than ever! 

Keep reading for details on the 72 hour sale! (Scroll down for the Discount Code.)

We love our Arrows, but don’t take our word for it!

Here’s what parents like you have to say! 

It is a completely different way to teach language arts. My kids were interested and excited each time we did a lesson. They know things now that we’ve never even looked at in any other grammar or spelling program. Any time you can get kids excited about learning, you’ve got a winner. — Betsy

It’s an in-depth but gentle tool. — Megan

It takes the guesswork and planning out of it for me and keeps reading and language arts at an extremely attainable level. My kids do not fight me on it at all! That’s huge! — Becky

That IS huge! Are you ready?

This is the perfect time to jump in or stock up on Arrows (ages 11-12)!

We’ve recently given seven beloved classic Arrows a make-over.

  • New content!
  • New design!

Same high-quality grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary device instruction!

And don’t forget, Book Club Party ideas! (Text a friend to book club together with one of these Arrows!) 

These best-selling Arrows will help you bring language to life through living literature!

  1. Wonder
  2. Redwall
  3. Stuart Little
  4. The Wild Robot
  5. In the Beginning
  6. The Bad Beginning
  7. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Don’t blink, or you’ll miss the sale!

Offer ends September 20, 2023 at midnight ET.


Use FLASH2023 and get $5 OFF each Arrow above. 



Friday Freewrite: Stripes or Polka Dots?

Friday Freewrite

Are you more of a stripe person or a polka dot person? Explain.

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.