The Brave Learner

Book #9 for 2025

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

Overall, this book was a little more unschool-y than I totally agree with. However there were some really great ideas and concepts throughout the text as well.

Here are my favorite takeaways from this book:

“Surprise your children by treating their education as a celebration – make day one as special as a birthday party, and the rest of the year as gentle and nourishing as your love.” pg. 44

“When faced with resistance to learning or when drudgery has set in, ask yourself the following questions: -How can I show up in a surprising way to deliver the message? -What can I pair with this subject or activity that will startle my child into delight?“ pg. 44

“Sustained fascination is the fruit of being taken seriously rather than waved off.” pg. 46

“You’re involved in a risky endeavor. The choice to homeschool is a “stick it to the man” fist pump that says, “I’m more adequate to instruct my children than the credentialed teacher down the street.” Bold! The crazy thing is that you’re risking your kids!… It’s this conundrum that sometimes makes you the teensiest bit cranky when your children won’t finish the math page. You have no control – you can’t live inside their brains making them learn. Yet you bravely continue… Just so you know – homeschool is not a risk for them. It’s their garden-variety life inside four familiar walls with the same parental unit they’ve always known. They have no urgency about proving anything to anyone, unlike you – who feels you must prove everything to everyone.” pg. 53

“We tend to undervalue what comes naturally to our children and family culture. We overvalue what comes easily to others.” pg. 104

I particularly enjoyed chapter 9, titled: “House-Schooling”

“Let’s get one thing straight. Homeschooling is messy… When a family lives in the same square footage all day every day, without a break, it’s impossible to maintain showroom-worthy housekeeping.” pg. 187-188

“Is there an ideal “house” for homeschooling? Yes! It’s yours – the one you have right now. The key to a great homeschooling house is to use the house you have to its fullest.” pg. 188

“The attractiveness of your house is not the priority when you homeschool. Your children and their education are. Maintain a home designed for that.” pg. 192

“If your house is so nitpicky neat that children need permission or adult help to get the right tools, their enthusiasm will wilt before they start. Accessibility is critical to exploration. Being allowed to make a mess, even more important.” pg. 193-194

To conclude my list of favorite quotes:

“Repeat after me: we are powerless to produce academic results in our kids… Once you accept your inability to get your kids to be who you want them to be, you can stop striving. Put up your feet, pour a Diet Coke over ice, and focus on connecting with your children and teens. It turns out – that’s the key to a great homeschool experience. The good news: you can work on yourself to grow that connection.” pg. 209

“We are important to our kids. We are important – not our lesson plans. We create the conditions for learning when we come alongside and value our children as people, not as our students.” pg. 210

I hope you enjoyed the quotes and that you get to read something inspiring sometime soon! 🩵 heavenstobetty