JennyD Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 The semester is nearly over and I am putting together my summer reading list. Has anyone read The Brave Learner, by Julie Bogart? Is it worth reading? I have read and enjoyed her other work but I can't quite tell how much this book is targeted at new homeschoolers (which I am not). Any other recommendations for restorative reading for a non-Christian, semi-burned-out, deeply cynical homeschool mom with kids in elementary, middle and high school? This past year I read and loved both Susan's Rethinking School and Farrar's fabulous book on homeschooling tweens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet2ndchance Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 I really enjoyed reading The Brave Learner and I am by no means a new homeschooler (3 young adult children who were homeschooled in elementary and middle school, 2 middle school aged children and finishing up kindergarten for the last time with my youngest and only remaining homeschooled child.) I think it works equally well for new homeschoolers and burned out homeschoolers looking for something to renew that spark of "this is why I do this". It does lean toward less structure in homeschooling and more toward unschool-ish things but if you like Brave Writer and Julie's writings about that, you will probably like The Brave Learner too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 32 minutes ago, JennyD said: Farrar's fabulous book on homeschooling tweens. Title, please! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 9 minutes ago, Noreen Claire said: Title, please! I think she has a link to it in her signature.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 I’ve been homeschooling 14 years and I found the Bravelearner wonderfully inspiring and restorative. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Oh great, delighted to hear that people liked The Brave Learner. I will check it out then. Here's Farrar's book. She's got lots of great ideas in there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 (edited) I bought Farrar's book last night; should be here tomorrow! FWIW, I skimmed The Brave Learner a few weeks back and it was a bit too un-school-y for me but I did appreciate the talk about not having nice furniture in the early years (my boys have already broken one couch!). It also spurred me to put out all the art supplies where the kids could access them any time the desire struck- this has been great for them. Edited May 20, 2019 by Noreen Claire haven't had my cuppa yet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 That's so funny, b/c I didn't find The Bravelearner un-schooley. I found it full of ideas to reinfuse joy into our schooling. We are definitely structured here. It is full of encouragement to relax and trust (but not in a way that means your children aren't learning--in a way that helps you notice that they are learning.) It's so interesting to me that we can all get different things out of the same book. Anyway, it was exactly what I needed right now and I feel that I have been re-invigorated for the next part of this journey. I was feeling a bit like I was limping to the finish line (and my youngest is still just 10!) It brought me back to my "roots" so to speak. This makes sense bc Julie Bogart is a little older than me, but not much. She has used KONOS and Sonlight and Charlotte Mason (all of which were part of my "early days"). And like me, all these philosophies smooshed together into something unique within her house and with her kids. I guess I was encouraged to embrace what I love about homeschooling and look at what is going well with my kids and how we can have more joy and peace and creativity in the process. I also found affirmation for a lot of what I've discovered along the way (Particularly with regard to collaboration instead of always striving for independent learners.) Oddly, while her writing program is similar to how I taught in the classroom years ago, I don't really use her writing methods with my kids bc we have found systems that work better for us. But for "keeping perspective" on the process of homeschooling as a whole, I found her to be priceless right now. My youngest's education in particular is going to be a lot better as a result of my "deep dive" into Julie Bogart this spring. She is tremendously affirming in a way that inspires (and not just "homeschooling is always good no matter what" way.) She sent children to school when she needed to. She embraces different philosophies of education (but says you need to educate.) She is pro-mom in a way that, for me, is empowering and makes we want to "do better" but not because of guilt iykwim. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Indeed Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 I thought the Brave Learner went really well with Rethinking School. I have been homeschooling for 18 years and am finishing up my last child in high school so I didn’t “need” the book, but I found it refreshing. Not “unschooly”, but not overly strict either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.