20. (S2E1) A Brave, Hip Homeschooler - with Rebecca Spooner

Welcome to the beginning of this Brave Writer Podcast series. Today we’re talking to Rebecca Spooner, a hip homeschooler and a shining example of the Brave Writer Lifestyle. Rebecca writes about homeschooling on her blog Hip Homeschooling, and she helps others with planning their lives and launching their own blogs at RebeccaSpooner.com.

Rebecca has five kids between the ages of three and nine, all of whom are homeschooled. It turns out, being homeschooled gave Rebecca unrealistic expectations for being a homeschool teacher. She came in with a plan and schedules, and then she had a massive wake-up call. Her five kids need five entirely different styles of teaching.

“I had it all figured out, but it was just this massive wake-up call because all my kids have are different learning styles. Every one of them.”

Rebecca’s first child is an auditory learner. She relates to that, so the teaching style is easier. Her second child is a kinesthetic learner, a more tactile learning style that involves learning by physically doing, which is almost the exact opposite. Rebecca had to learn and adapt to the differences, and becoming a Brave Writer helped her accomplish that goal.

“All kids are going to learn better when it’s experiential and they can own the experience. It’s totally shaped the way that we do everything.”

One of the key features of the Brave Writer Lifestyle and Enchanted Education is the family participation, and Rebecca is a champion of the lifestyle. By embracing the Brave Writer Lifestyle, Rebecca made homeschooling what she wanted it to be: an environment where her kids got to learn together, and where she got to learn because she was learning with them.

“Brave Writer really did change the entire way that I approach homeschooling … it totally changed my perspective and it gave me permission to make homeschooling what I wanted it to be.”

Rebecca’s main goal with her website is to show other moms real life and provide a sense of community, because she feels like everything we see out there makes us feel like a failure and makes us feel like we’re not doing enough. She shows her successes, but she also shows her failures. It’s an excellent resource for anyone interested in homeschooling or education, and she also hosts a podcast.

I appreciate Rebecca taking time out of her busy day to join us today. She shows that a Brave Writer can nurture any learning style, and Hip Homeschooling provides a strong community and a great example for any current or potential homeschool teacher.

Resources:

• Learn more about Rebecca: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
• Hip Homeschooling
• Interested in starting a blog? Rebecca can help
• Watch Julie talk about The Enchanted Education
• Are you a homeschooler parent? Check out The Writer’s Jungle
• You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/
• Download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons