Imagine you’re a bookcase that needs to be assembled. Describe what it’s like to depend on humans to put you together.
New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.
Podcast: Millennials and Gen X CAN Homeschool!
Looking into our Brave Writer podcast analytics, we discovered a surprising fact: Most of our listeners are Millennials or Gen X!
In today’s episode, Melissa and I will be exploring the unique challenges faced by young Gen-Xers and Millennials who choose to homeschool. We’ve been looking into generation theory to better understand the characteristics and demands that may be affecting this group of homeschoolers.
Our goal is to support and advocate for you, as we think you’re awesome and brave for taking on homeschooling. We’ll also highlight some positive skills you already possess that will be helpful on your journey. It’s important to remember that every generation that has chosen to homeschool has had to defy societal norms, and we admire your courage and imagination.
So, let’s dive in and explore how different generations have related to homeschooling, and how you can forge your own path that’s right for you and your family. Remember to be kind to yourself and give yourself grace along the way.
Show Notes
We’ll be looking at the generational archetypes of four different groups: the boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z.
- The boomers were born between 1943 and 1960 and are associated with the prophet archetype.
- Gen X, born between 1961 and 1981, is associated with the nomad archetype.
- The millennials were born between 1982 and 2004 and are associated with the hero archetype.
- Gen Z, born from 2005 onwards, is associated with the artist archetype.
As we continue, we’ll explore what these archetypes mean in more detail.
It’s fascinating to see how the experiences of boomers and millennials intersect. Boomers had a vision for the future and spoke it into being, but millennials were raised to believe in that vision and follow the rules, only to come of age in a world where the promises weren’t fulfilled. Millennials often feel angry and betrayed, with a sense that they were promised a secure life if they followed the rules and obtained a degree, but this isn’t the reality they face today. They also tend to have a strong sense of self-righteousness and a desire to save the world. However, interpersonally, they often clash with their boomer or older gen X parents who feel accused and misunderstood. The shadow of the millennial generation includes denial of inner authority, making it challenging for them to step up and navigate the world as it is today.
In the pre-internet world, people had to be self-sufficient and create things from scratch. If they failed, no one would witness it except themselves. Nowadays, we broadcast our successes and failures. With the internet, resources are readily available, and if someone wants to do something, they can find a how-to manual or watch a YouTube tutorial. However, this can lead to information overload and paralysis, as people may spend too much time watching tutorials instead of taking action. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent among the younger generations, who are accustomed to having many options and resources available. When it comes to homeschooling, there are now many options for curricula and models to choose from, but it’s important to be discerning about the sources of information and not to spend too much time-consuming information instead of taking action.
To encourage millennial homeschooling parents, it’s important to tap into your own sense of identification with leaders who resonate with you. Look for what’s calling to you and try things out. Remember that you’re already unique in your group for choosing to homeschool, and you don’t have to be a perfect homeschooler. Perfectionism was a bill of goods sold to you by previous generations. Don’t fixate on the perfect outcome, but give yourself permission to have the hero’s adventure.
To be a good parent and educator, don’t try to sort through all the advice out there. Instead, focus on being present with your children and using what you have available right now. There is no “right” way to do things, so don’t get hung up on trying to find the perfect solution. Just focus on shared learning and connection with your children. It may take some time for your child to learn to read but don’t obsess over measurement and getting it right. Remember that you are teaching human beings, not preparing them for a standardized test.
Resources
- Looking for a new math program? Get a free trial of CTCMath.com today to get a free trial.
- Get 10% off our Growing Brave Writers program using code GBWPOD10 at https://store.bravewriter.com/products/growing-brave-writers
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring (+1 (833) 947-3684) to get podcast updates and more!
- Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Go to bravewriter.com/getting-started
- Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2022 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: http://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz
- Personality Hacker Podcast episodes: Boomers and Gen X Theory, Millennials and GenZ Theory
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: instagram.com/juliebravewriter
- Twitter: twitter.com/bravewriter
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Mechanics & Literature: March 2023
March’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections show characters who let curiosity and the desire to know the truth propel them toward powerful new discoveries. Your family will be entertained and enlightened as they explore
- writing,
- mechanics,
- and literary devices with these stories.
This month’s Quill rocks! Use it to make memories that sparkle like gems! Explore rocks, stones, and minerals as your child practices early reading, writing, and math skills.
[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]
Rocks Rock
Are you ready for an earth-shattering time exploring one of nature’s oldest toys? The March Quill (Rocks) is ready for you!
In this Quill we’ll have a fine old time with timelines; curate a gneiss collection of vocabulary words; set our senses sizzling with an exploration of imagery; engage our fine motor skills with the oldest writing materials on the planet; sharpen our sorting skills; and weigh in on a unique standard of measurement.
Note: You can use any rock picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.
Some suggestions:
- A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker
- Bok’s Giant Leap by Neil Armstrong, illustrated by Grahame Baker Smith
- The Stone Hatchlings by Sarah Tsiang, illustrated by Qin Leng
- If Rocks Could Sing: a discovered alphabet by Leslie McGuirk
- What Can You Do With a Rock? by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Katie Kath
- A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals (Peterson Field Guides) by Frederick Pough
Get the Quill.
Egg Marks the Spot by Amy Timberlake
Your entire family can join Skunk and Badger on a rock-finding expedition! Surprises lurk behind every boulder!
Have you ever started reading a book about mazes and gotten lost in it? Oof, sorry, we couldn’t resist! That’s because this month’s literary device is puns. Author Amy Timberlake has loaded her story with puns that will make you giggle and groan! Explore how this wacky wordplay works.
We’ll also:
- explore, investigate, and scrutinize some synonyms,
- keep an ear out for onomatopoeia,
- consider commas and colons in dialogue,
- embark on a Skills Tracker Scavenger Hunt,
- zig and zag through an exploration of verbs,
- give a list a nice big hug with parentheses, and so much more!
Get the Dart.
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Award-winning, neurodivergent author Elle McNicoll has written a story of the historical European witch trials and of a contemporary neurodivergent protagonist who is intent on setting the story straight. We’re confident this book will give your family lots to talk about!
March’s literary devices are alliteration, consonance, and assonance. We’ll explore the ways these devices make writing flow and provide a dash of pizazz!
We’ll also:
- ponder how pronouns help you and me,
- advance our understanding of adjectives,
- activate our imaginations with action words—verbs,
- tune into interior monologue,
- capture clauses with commas,
- play with plural nouns, and so much more!
Get the Arrow.
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Put on your seatbelts and settle in for a wild ride! This month you’ll join Professor Lidenbrock, an adventurous geology professor, as he sets out on a journey to the center of the earth!
In this Boomerang, we’ll:
- get acquainted through characterization,
- turn over translation ups and downs,
- ponder punctuation fashions over time,
- embark on an epic journey through a subterranean fantasyscape,
- inquire about science and research,
- wrestle with a resolution and so much more!
Get the Boomerang.
For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.
A Loving Thing
Imagine what it might be like to trust a child to grow and develop and learn. Start there. Then, if you have anything to offer, come from spaciousness, kindness, patience, and self-control.
Here’s what happens with me. My kid is not successful yet at something—any old thing from tying shoes to mastering math facts to peeing straight, aimed at the toilet and not the wall!
I come along and suddenly my adrenaline shoots, my mind is awash with urgency, and words start forming in my mouth that are CERTAIN to save my child from the hard reality of being who they are at this moment in time with this particular skill set.
I have the ego and audacity to believe that this one conversation, one idea, one method, one practice will SOLVE it: no more confusion, no more misfirings, no more failed attempts.
So I launch my urgent words at this child and… Oh my gosh, unforeseen BLOWBACK! Won’t listen, gets sassy, goes quiet, tears up… It’s as if this human being is not utterly grateful and impressed with my carefully constructed solution to what I see as a problem! In fact, this little person is not! They are not yet ready to apply my perfect solution. In fact, they resent it!
What I think is a problem may not even have been experienced as problematic by my child or teen! Here I am making them feel deficient somehow.
But what’s a loving thing?
- Maybe it’s silence.
- Maybe it’s sidling up and watching.
- Maybe it’s sending a text message with a link.
- Maybe it’s checking in to see how this little person is doing (if they are happily failing at tying shoes, who am I to swoop in and fix it yet?).
- Maybe it’s leaving a bottle of Windex and a rag next to the toilet with a note.
- Maybe it’s asking if the child wants your input before delivering it.
Bottom Line: Adults aren’t always right. Kids know this. Adults forget this.
You can do this.
Friday Freewrite: Running in Circles
Have you heard the phrase, “Running around in circles?” It means to be busy but not accomplish anything because you keep coming back to the same problem. When was the last time you “went around in circles”? Write about it!
New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.
