The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life

I am an unexpected homeschooler. I attended public school as a kid and mostly loved it -- had some truly amazing teachers. I taught elementary school for 7 years. I pulled my kids out of public school when 9, 7, 5 after struggling with the stay/go dilemma for several years. I still dream of enrolling them in a wonderful school we all love. So I am not married to the idea of homeschooling. I have just finished my first read through of this book. I plan to now go through a second time much slower, taking notes, using the free journaling guide Julie Bogart provides on her website to accompany this book. This book is highly readable but also dense -- it is jam-packed with ideas. The enchanted education methods Julie advocates do not come naturally to me as a homeschool mom (they came more easily to me as a school teacher -- go figure!), but I have enough personal experience teaching and have read enough about mental health, self-motivation, learning and emotion, and educational research to know that Julie's assertions about learning are all well-founded and backed up by the latest research. Alongside her easily understood explanations of how learning works is practical advice -- the book is full of concrete examples and ideas. I also love that she is honest (about her own failures), encouraging, and nonjudgmental. I certainly do not agree with every single thing Julie advocates or suggests. But even when she suggests a certain approach or practice or describes what worked for her family, she often offers several alternatives or differing examples alongside her own experience (example: chores). You feel you are benefiting from her years of coaching and learning from other homeschool families. She encourages you to take what you need and what works for you, and discard the rest. As both a mother and as a homeschool parent, I find the book very encouraging and empowering. This books offers all parents a wonderful perspective on learning and enjoying family life. If and when I ever put my kids back in public school, I will certainly hang on to the mentality of learning and collaborating with my kids all the time as we live our lives. I actually think this book would be especially helpful for parents who are trying to help kids in uninspiring schools hang onto or rekindle their love of learning outside of the institutional setting. A fantastic book for school teachers as well really! If you read this book, I think you will find that what Julie advocates was embodied by your own favorite adults and teachers from your childhood/ college years. The kind of education Julie describes -- it is what I hope for my own children, whether within my own home or inside a school building.

Julie, Julie, Julie!! You must have lived in my head, because so many things written in this book are my own personal doubts, ideas, beliefs, triumphs and failures. It is SO validating to see that you have gone before me, experienced these things and made it out alive on the other end proud of your grown children and their accomplishments! "At the heart of the homeschooling enterprise is the faith that the parent is enough--that YOUR energy, resourcefulness, creativity, and passion will be sufficient for YOUR children." -Julie Bogart, The Brave Learner So many times I have questioned my ability as a parent to educate my children, even tho deep down, I know I have everything I need to do so. Reading Julie's words have been so uplifting and validating. I have gone through periods of severe self-doubt and lack of self-confidence and found myself in many comparison traps. She guides us through the understanding that it isn't so much the curriculum you choose or don't choose, but more the environment for learning that we provide for our children that will grow their love of educational exploration. One of my favorite sections in the book is titled, "Bellows or Buckets of Water" Julie writes, "You have a choice when witnessing the eruption of fiery passion in your child--to either direct a bellows at the flame, or to dump a bucket of cold water over it." WOW. What. A. Statement. It really made me reflect on all the things my children have done and ask myself if I had been an encouragement to them or a party pooper to their excitement by still picking out things they could have done differently or better. Julie shares a story in her book about her son Jacob being in love with astronomy and how he wanted to dive in and learn everything about it. Julie did not find this topic satisfying or interesting. Instead she writes very candidly, "It was an awkward journey into unknown territory that I kept hoping would be short-lived (#truth)." I love that hashtag at the end because it IS truth. I am currently experiencing the SAME thing with my 6 year old son Lucas, only his obsession is tornados. All his bedtime requests are weather books and the only things he wants to watch are weather documentaries. NONE of this I find fascinating in the least, and I was feeling really bad about that and not knowing how to support and help him with something that I felt so disconnected to. And then this boy, who never likes to draw or color started drawing these beautiful swirly and quite frankly, accurate, tornados. Through these drawings, he would tell me elaborate stories about the creation and the path of these weather phenomenons, and I could see his PASSION for this and it was absolutely beautiful. At the end of Julie's story about her son Jacob and his love of astronomy, and how he helped her see the beauty of his passion by showing her Mars through his telescope, she wrote, "All I know about astronomy I learned from Jacob--not the other way around. How could I not be amazed? Enthralled? Transfixed? Enchanted." I have to say I feel EXACTLY the same way about Lucas and his tornados, and I never looked at it that way until I saw it through Julie's eyes. Julie encourages us to find peace in our own abilities as home educators. She helps to build our confidence in that it's okay to make mistakes, it's ok to decide you want to educate one way but tomorrow completely change your mind. It's ok to not have all the answers. It's ok that your child is not paralleling a standard public school education or your homeschooling neighbors education. It's okay to have LIFE CYCLES in passions and there are so many ways to learn through your children's interests. This book is a guide to help you through your homeschool journey. She gives practical tips, tricks, and ideas just in case you are a parent like me, who needs someone to literally walk them through something as small as a shopping list for art supplies! Julie is with you every step of the way. Her heart and passion for how young people learn is so evident and she wants you to succeed and be assured that YOU ARE ENOUGH FOR YOUR CHILDREN!

And Julie captured this so well in her new book, The Brave Learner. For the past two years when someone asks about my homeschooling methodology I would say Relaxed, Eclectic homeschooling? I have never fit in with one, and have educated my children based on an idea in my mind, not yet materialized. The Brave Learner has captured this idea and made it into a tangible resource, with the perspective of a mama who has tread this road before me. I can’t be more grateful! I want to start with the fact that this is not a Christian book, based off a few other reviews that had some confusion. I am a Christian and personally LOVED this book. We are strong in our faith, but that doesn’t mean that every book with great wisdom must include my Christian ideology. I am able to use the thousands of other books on faith to provide encouragement in that arena. This book is for every homeschooling parent. Throughout The Brave Learner, Julie is regularly sharing about family relationships alongside homeschooling. This book addresses parenting, education, and the atmosphere of our homes all at the same time. It truly is home education, learning and living happening simultaneously throughout our days. It is difficult for me to not make a set ‘school time’ then ‘family time’ in our day. This book was a great reminder that all day is both, with examples from her personal experiences as she home educated her five children. The chapters on the Superpowers of Brave Learning are full of practical ideas, examples from her family, a section on ‘Seeing Differently’ all that is around us every day, and questions for us parents at the end of each chapter to implement. While surprise, curiosity, collaboration, and the Four Ports of Entry are often parts of our home education, I’m looking forward to bringing in more risk, adventure and celebration! Oh, and Julie is right. Adding treats can make the difference. This week copywork and math were enjoyed with blueberry muffins in hand. I’m known to start losing interest towards the end of a book. I will admit that often by page 100 or 150 I feel like I’ve read the same thing over and over again and just drop it before reaching the end. That is NOT the case with The Brave Learner. Julie shifts from the focus on an integrated education lifestyle to looking at our family’s culture, along with emotional and mental health. This was huge for me! We’ve had a rough few years, and it has taken its toll in many ways. But we aren’t living every day in those hard spots: we are learning, healing, growing. Julie challenged me in the importance of smiling everyday (coincidentally in January the writings of Mother Teresa did the same!), she reminded me that we can’t raise our children perfectly, but we can speak honestly and take care of ourselves the same way we care of our families. The foundation of an atmosphere of learning is a strong, emotionally safe, atmosphere in our families.

I suspect that everyone I know is tired of hearing the name Julie Bogart, but I can’t stop talking about this fantastic woman and the ways she breathes life into my homeschool and my relationships with my children. This book gathers the wisdom and encouragement shared via Julie’s blog, podcast, and other platforms, and distills it in one place for the first time, along with countless new-to-me nuggets and stories and practical plans. Julie Bogart is a woman who was homeschooling her children back when I myself was being schooled at home. This was back when the idea was new and we had to explain ourselves all the time.... back before the internet and before we knew how many people were with us for the journey. Julie bravely raised her 5 children through this time and has completed her homeschool MOM adventure, but she has not left the game! No, she is now standing in the path and showing the way to those of us coming behind- cheering us on. She is just so darned encouraging to anyone anxiously navigating the waters of philosophies and resources and ideas. The Brave Learner lays out, in ever-practical ways, how to help kids actually learn, and how to see that taking place even outside their workbooks. This book opens my eyes to the “secrets” of the learning process and helps me harness that magic to make education a thing of joy and delight in our home. This book (and all that Julie shares) boldly points us back, always, to what matters most: our relationships with our kids. She shocks a little with her bluntness and honesty (no sugar-coated memories here), makes me laugh and smile (and sometimes cry), and ultimately makes me want to go hug my children and know them better. Isn’t that why I wanted to homeschool in the first place? I also really appreciate Julie’s lack of judgement for anyone utilizing the tool that is public school! She makes it clear in The Brave Learner that every parent can add enchantment to the learning experience, no matter where their children go to school. She gently redefines education and helps clear away so much anxiety surrounding the subject, bringing it back to seeing our children as people and working in ways that value them and all they’re learning at all times. Every parent can benefit greatly from reading this book! I know I’m a better homeschool mom, and that I’m leading a richer life thanks to this woman and this book. The Brave Learner will be in my reading stack for the rest of my homeschool years.... or possibly even longer than that, thanks to the encouragement to pursue an awesome adult life of my own! If I could put a copy into the hands of every parent I know, I would. This book is a treasure, and Julie Bogart has my immense gratitude for so beautifully sharing this hard-won wisdom for generations to come.

The Brave Learner is a wonderful collection of principles and inspiration for homeschooling and parenting that will definitely leave you encouraged. It is a great overview of some of the core stuff that has made homeschooling mama and writer Julie Bogart so well loved in the homeschooling community. The principles in Brave Learner can also be found woven through her other books, curriculum, podcasts, and youtube videos. The book is definitely a catalyst to creativity and the tone is empowering at every level. Julie deftly illustrates every point with tangible examples from her own homeschooling experiences and her stories act as a simple and effective springboard from which one can create new things. There is no specific homeschool "tribe" that will relate to this book, it can apply to people with all different styles of schooling. One small issue I have is that the cover of the paperback book is so soft and thin, it doesn't seem like the book will last. Maybe the kindle edition is a better buy in this case. The other negative for some might be that the book may seem a bit scattered, and some of the principles are not explored in depth. If you are new to Julie and Brave Writer, I would recommend listening to some of her podcasts as an accompaniment to reading the Brave Learner. All in all, it is a wonderfully encouraging book that will be helpful to anyone homeschooling or interested in homeschooling, wherever you are in the process. I am 8 years in and I was both inspired and uplifted.

Reading this book felt like talking to a friend; a wonderful, wise friend who knows my thoughts even before I do. I truly loved this book and it was just what I needed. I pulled my first grader from public school midway through the year. We floundered through it, with lots of self-doubt and a steep learning curve on my end. I ordered a few books for myself for inspiration while we're on summer break. Julie's insight as a been-there-done-that veteran home educator, writing teacher, author, and mom of five is simply invaluable. The internet is flooded with floundering moms like myself; junky self-published books, YouTube videos about curriculum, blogs about homeschool philosophy, yadda, yadda... Julie gives you the tools to bet beyond the minutia and get empowered to live you best homeschool life. Well researched, well written, and well lived. A gem of inspiration for homeschool moms at any stage of their journey.

This book was the assigned reading for a Christian Homeschool Mom Book Club I belong to but, because of life, I only had half of it read when I attended the meeting. One of the criticisms that came up was how, although some of the ideas were creative and would bring some life to our homeschool, they didn't necessarily coincide with Christian values. Since I hadn't completed the book I didn't really feel like I had enough information to form an educated opinion at the time so I just took note of that criticism and moved on. Upon reading the reviews I see that other Christian parents have felt the same; however, after finishing the entire book I actually completely disagree with this. Just because Jesus isn't explicitly mentioned doesn't mean that Christian values are not represented/reflected in this book. To me Chapter 13 is the culmination of the entire book and where Christian parents (okay, all parents) need to really pay attention. This chapter is a critical assessment of the homeschool co-ops that are available to homeschooling parents and how sometimes they become too rooted in ideology and philosophy to the detriment of our connections and relationships with our family. This is exactly what Paul discusses in the book of Romans -- how Christians tend to get too hung up on the infighting of our ideologies that we lose sight of our biggest commonality -- a love of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself says that, while the Law is important, the most important commandment of all is to love God and our neighbor above all else we are instructed to do (Matthew 22:35-40 and Mark 12:28-34). Ms. Bogart's point in this chapter, and really the entire book, is exactly that -- we often get too hung up on what our ideologies are in homeschooling that we end up damaging the relationship with our family to chase ideas but our emphasis should be on loving our family above all else. The entire book is devoted to her ideas about how to bring joy to your homeschool based on her experiences. But as she points out, if we are to follow homeschooling role models we are sure to find that they are human (page 258) and if we knew the entire picture of their family life, we would see the vulnerabilities/flaws that exist in all of us. I think maybe some are also unfairly placing her on a pedestal, too, and looking for her to be that Christian role model when in fact she is someone sharing her story about what worked for her family. Our true role model should be Jesus, not Ms. Bogart or anyone else (while I do appreciate a fresh perspective from time to time!); I think that her cautioning us against elevating anyone to the position of a guru to the point where we blindly follow them is another example of how this book can be relevant to a Christian parent... and I'm certain she doesn't want that responsibility, either! So just like a beautiful sunset won't point the way to God with a neon sign but you can sense His presence in it, don't dismiss this book just because it isn't overtly Christian. If you only allow yourself to come into contact with books, songs, etc. that explicitly spell out Christian principles, you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to use your God-given gifts of analysis and discernment in a world where God's presence is often quiet and subtle. Use those gifts as you read this book and realize what it really is: a narrative about someone who has gained wisdom from her experiences as a homeschooling mom for a long time with a variety of ages, stages, and personalities, and who is using that experience and her gift for writing to help others. Use your discernment to decide what will work for your family and what won't. But just because she isn't quoting Bible verses doesn't mean a Christian parent can't benefit from this book.

I've been listening to Julie's podcasts or watching her live videos for quite a while. I love that I can have all of her lovely wisdom, inspiration, and encouragement in one compact place now! This book is delightful! It not only gives practical ideas but also the WHY behind the ideas. I was sad to see there were a few reviews with just 1-3 stars on here. Mostly from Christian reviewers. I am a pretty conservative Christian as well but found this to be a great book and I was NOT offended by anything in it. This book is not sold as a specifically Christian book. It's a book meant to open your eyes to the beauty and wonder of learning. I believe all truth is God's truth. Whether or not Julie is promoting Christianity in her book, there are great truths in it. If you can read a homeschooling book with an open mind, taking all of the wonderful meaty chunks of goodness and leaving anything you find less appealing, you will benefit greatly. There's no way a writer will be able to follow all of each individual homeschooler's rules or life guidelines. This book exceeds the goal of the author and what it has been promoted as---a help in finding everyday magic in homeschool, learning, and life. The magic mentioned here is meant to be used as "captivating, exciting, wonderful" and enchanting meant to be a feeling of great pleasure/delight. I don't believe Julie is leading us toward real magical spells, witchcraft, or the like. She just cares about us and our enjoyment of our kids and their enjoyment of learning. It comes through in her lovely writing! Thank you, Julie!

I notice that most of the negative reviews of this book point to a lack of Jesus as being cause to reject a lot of the contents. How self-absorbed do you have to be... What illusions of grandeur do you need to uphold - to believe that the only book on home education worth publishing, is one that specifically references your world view and private faith? A majority of homeschooling families in the world (because families do home educate outside of America and this book is on sale elsewhere in the world!) are not Christians. This isn't a book written specifically for the minority of global home educators who happen to believe in a Christian God. This is a book on educating children. It is not a book on raising children within a religious environment (there are other books on that). This is a homeschooling book that could be enjoyed by a Christian family, a Muslim family, a Buddhist family, a Pagan family... As well as a family who have no religious position at all. There is nothing on the cover, in the synopsis, or anywhere in any promotional material, that suggests this book is written for Christians. If you by it, and you're surprised to find that it doesn't mention your particular faith, even though there was nothing to suggest that it would... You need to ask yourself why you expect the world to revolve around you! If you are such an intolerant, self important individual as you don't want to read inclusive books that can be enjoyed by everyone, but only books which pander to your need for validation at the expense of including others - you'll need an alternative book. As a guide to home education, it leans very heavily towards unschooling and autonomous/natural learning methods. If this doesn't sit well with you and you prefer a more structured, school-like approach, I'd avoid this book entirely. We are a semi-structured, secular family in England (which is the case for a majority of UK home educators) and this book has been a great encouragement. I also found that even though its written primarily for a US audience, the fact that it isn't, like most North American books on home education, heavily influenced by Christianity, meant that it was very relevant to British home educators who are likely to be taking a secular approach.

Excellent read!

A great assess to homeschooling. Easy to read, great practical advice

This book for both homeschoolers and traditional schoolers. Shifts our perspective on parenting

I'm reading this book slowly, finding guidance and encouragement on every page. I don't homeschool anymore but the words in this book remind me how to be a better, more understanding parent. Julie Bogart teaches me how to recognize & appreciate what the truly important things are in my children's development and in my relationship to them.