If you could rewrite the ending of a movie, which film would you pick and how would you change it?
New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.
My Wish on a Star for Homeschool
The first thing that I wish for the homeschooling movement is freedom.
Freedom to not know.
Freedom to explore.
Freedom to grow.
Do you know what I feel sometimes when I’m in the homeschool context? Shackles. There is this unwitting need to lock down our homeschool experience under some “rules,” some system that somebody else set up for us.
“Oh, everybody has a morning basket. I need to have a morning basket!” Maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re the kind of person who sleeps in till 11 everyday and homeschool doesn’t really get off the ground until after you’ve had a good lunch. You get to decide.
If I had one gift I could give every home educator, it’s the freedom to simply be the homeschooler you are.
To grow, to learn, to revise.
To put a whole bunch of ideas together and see if they fit. To say “no” when you’re in a group and they make you feel bad for a choice you’ve made. I want you to feel freedom, first and foremost.
One of the reasons that you signed up to homeschool was so that you didn’t have to fit into the constraints of the local school system. For me, those constraints were:
- waking up early,
- making lunches every day,
- putting my kids on a bus,
- filling out all that horrible paperwork that school requires you to fill out,
- supervising a plan that I didn’t create (like homework for things I didn’t understand),
- showing up for all the PTA meetings I didn’t want to go to.
That’s not what I wanted. So, I liberated myself and I home educated.
I got into the world of homeschooling, but suddenly there’s a whole new set of shackles. People saying you had to have a schedule, maybe you should get up at 9 and make sure the kids start with chores, make sure your kids are learning all the classics before you let them read anything modern. Then there were people who were telling me, “You shouldn’t do any of that. Just let your kids do whatever they want. That’s what will lead to the best education.”
I felt bullied by homeschool philosophies that were every bit as pushy as the local school district. I don’t know about you, but when I envisioned my homeschool experience before I got going, I didn’t know that there would be these controllers out there telling me what it should feel like, look like, be like. What the content “should” be.
So, what’s my number one wish on a star for homeschooling? Freedom.
I wish to see people resisting the temptation to define what homeschool should be for another person. Freedom to change, grow, and learn. That’s number one.
Want to know what numbers two, three, and four are?
Watch the full video here on YouTube.
Poetry Teatime Winter Update
One of our favorite parts of the Brave Writer lifestyle is the practice of Poetry Teatime. The idea is easy: brew a pot of tea, pull out a book of poetry, gather the family together, and have each person share some poems! Teatime allows you to slow down and take a deep breath even when life is at its craziest.
Here are some of our favorite recent posts from the Poetry Teatime blog. You’ll find:
- Epics from around the world
- Cold remedies for all your teatime coughs and sniffles
- Help for reading and writing haikus
- Dragons of all shapes and sizes
- An interview with award-winning children’s poet and illustrator Betsy Snyder
Learn About Epic Poetry: Imagine a type of poetry found in ancient cultures all over the world, detailing the most exciting heroic struggles and achievements imaginable. Epic poems do just that! Epics can be found in cultures as far apart as Kenya, India, and Finland. So get your myth-reading voices ready, because you’re about to be swept into a dangerous journey full of daring heroes, perilous quests, and the hope of victory!
Tea for Colds: It’s currently cold season, when sniffles and runny noses abound. Grab your tissue box and set some water to boil for this teatime featuring all sorts of teas and snacks to help you feel better.
All About Haikus: What’s a haiku? It’s a moment in time captured in three short lines of poetry. It’s the instant before a bird lands on the surface of a still pond. It’s the curl of wind that nudges a single leaf aside and lets a gleam of sunlight through. It’s the ribbon of cloud that crosses a full moon. Haikus give us a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty of the world around us.
Dragon Themed Teatime: Lions, tigers, and dragons, oh my! In this dragon-teatime, take a journey to distant lands, where fire-breathing creatures roam freely and magic lurks around every cup of tea. So gather your golden coins, prepare your riddling powers, and breathe in the curls of steam from the visiting dragons!
Poet Interview: Betsy Snyder: Last month we were excited to welcome to Poetry Teatime the wonderfully creative children’s poet and illustrator, Betsy Snyder. After illustrating everything from greeting cards to children’s books, Betsy shifted gears and started writing and illustrating her own books. Her first few books introduce haikus to the very young, and she’s been busy working with sounds and images ever since!
Friday Freewrite: Sea or Cloud
If you could live either under the sea or on top of a cloud, which would you choose and what might it be like?
New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.
Movie Wednesday: Charlotte’s Web
Fern lives on her family’s farm in Somerset County, Maine — but her world changes when she saves a tiny piglet too small to survive by itself. Her parents let her look after the piglet, whom she calls Wilbur, and they become best friends. But as much as she loves him, Fern can’t keep Wilbur forever.
The new farm Wilbur moves to is full of friendly animals: geese, sheep, and a clever spider called Charlotte. But he is horrified to discover the truth — that his life will end at the slaughterhouse. It looks like nothing can save him … unless Charlotte can spin the most important web of her life.
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In 1952, American writer E.B. White published a book called Charlotte’s Web, which quickly became a classic of children’s literature. Fifty-four years later it was adapted into a family film. It was produced without the participation of the E.B. White Estate, in contrast to the preceding 1973 animated film the development of which E.B. White was involved in but with which the author was nonetheless unhappy.
Discussion Questions
- If you’ve read the original book, how do you think the film compares?
- Has this film in any way changed your view on pigs, spiders, or rats? If so, how?
- Who is the hero of the story, and why did you pick him or her?
- Was Fern’s father cruel to consider killing Wilbur as a piglet? Explain your answer.
- This is the second adaptation of Charlotte’s Web for film; the first came out in 1973 and was an animated movie. Do you think the story works better live-action or animated? Share your reasons.
- Is Templeton ultimately a sympathetic character? Do you like him? Why or why not?
Additional Resources
Charlotte’s Web themed Birthday party
Learn language arts with the free Charlotte’s Web sample from Quiver of Arrows!
A Quiver of Arrows is designed for children in the Partnership Writing stage of development (typically, first and second graders who are beginning to read and write). When purchased as a part of the ten issue Quiver product, the individual price drops.
