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Brave Writer: it’s a buzzword in homeschool circles. A highly recommended writing program and die hard fans call it a lifestyle. But what is the Brave Writer lifestyle? And what’s the big deal?
Read on to take a look into the life of a homeschool mom of three living the Brave Writer Lifestyle.
As part of our homeschool methods series, I spoke with southern homeschool mama of 3, Dachelle McVey, to find out what’s the big deal about Brave Writer???
Dachelle discovered the Brave Writer curriculum when searching for a way to get her reluctant writer to write. Sound familiar? Writing is challenging for so many kids. I hear over and over from homeschool parents that writing is their biggest sticking point.
Dachelle may have found Brave Writer while searching for an answer to her child’s writing woes, but she soon discovered that Brave Writer is more than a writing program.
“You see, Brave Writer is more than just a language arts program… Julie Bogart and the amazing Brave Writer team brought new life to our language arts. But, slowly I began to realize that more than our language arts program had changed — our entire homeschool had changed.”
Dachelle McVey, The Brave Writer Lifestyle: How to Add Joy Back to Your Homeschool
What is the Brave Writer Lifestyle?
The Brave Writer Lifestyle is based on Julie Bogart’s own teaching philosophy that focuses on setting up an engaging, encouraging learning environment meant to inspire and excite your child. The lifestyle is based on taking this philosophy and making it work with your family.
Read more about the Brave Writer Lifestyle here.
Julie Bogart is the creator of Brave Writer and author of the acclaimed book The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life.
Julie has become a cornerstone of the homeschooling and after-schooling community, offering advice and resources to parents. The good, gritty kind of guidance that can only come from someone who has been in the trenches. She homeschooled her five children for seventeen years!
Brave Writer currently offers resources including homeschool curriculum and a variety of online classes for writing and language arts.
Getting started with the Brave Writer philosophy breathed new life into Dachelle’s homeschool. In the following interview, Dachelle shares her thoughts and advice on getting started with the Brave Writer lifestyle.
What does the Brave Writer lifestyle look like in your home?
An average day in our homeschool begins with a slow start. My people are not “morning people.” I am not “morning people.” We do best when we don’t have to be too alert or too friendly early in the morning.
Since the kids are now middle school and high school, they get up and log on to Homeschool Tracker at their leisure. They start working through their day’s task that I have assigned and come to me as needed.
I miss the sweet days of family gatherings, but we still come together for activities like Poetry Teatime, Book Clubs and other hands-on projects. As our children mature, our homeschool evolves and changes with them.
How do you plan your homeschool days?
I find that creating a long-term plan helps me to see the big picture and not get too stressed about getting everything done in a particular day. I like Plan Your Year, because it allows me to be flexible and relaxed in our routine.
What advice would you share with homeschool parents getting started with Brave Writer?
The biggest struggle with implementing the Brave Writer Lifestyle is overwhelm. There are many moving parts, but it’s important to not try to implement them all at once. Start with one thing that appeals to you. Once you feel comfortable with that piece, add another. Keeping your focus on that one thing helps you to understand what the BWL is all about.
Interested in starting Brave Writer in your home? Check out the guide to getting started with Brave Writer.
What is the best part about the Brave Writer Lifestyle?
Our favorite part of the Brave Writer Lifestyle and Charlotte Mason, is immersing ourselves into beautiful literature. Creating book club and enjoying them with our friends has opened our world up to new cultures, new friends and new ideas.
You can learn more about how we started our book clubs and how to create your own in my article, How To Start a Book Club in Your Homeschool Community.
Find out more…
Read more about Dachelle’s approach to homeschool and parenting on her website, Hide the Chocolate.
Are you a new homeschooler? Find answers, advice, and support here.
Ashley helps parents who want to homeschool find the resources they need to successfully teach their children. Ashley is a former teacher, current homeschooler, published author, and designer behind Circle Time with Miss Fox printables as well as the creator of this website, The Homeschool Resource Room.
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