28. (S2E9) An Inspired Homeschool Mosaic - with Angela Awald

Angela Awald wears a lot of hats. She is a mother of six kids, a certified teacher, a writer, and a doula. She also runs the blog NurturedRoots.net.

“I came across the Brave Writer lifestyle and it clicked. Everything that I had read and felt in my heart just clicked when I read about it.”

Angela is a classroom teacher turned homeschooler, and transitioning to homeschooling was more difficult than she expected. She spent a long time trying to force school at home.

Moving away from school at home took a lot of trial and error. Instead of looking at a list of what they need to cover, she learned to look at what was best for her children. When she stopped trying to meet other people’s standards, the home education process started coming together.

In 2014, she came across the Brave Writer lifestyle and it clicked. The days started to flow more smoothly because everyone was more engaged and connected.

“That’s what I love about the Brave Writer lifestyle … I think of it as a framework that allows a lot of grace and flexibility.”

Angela created a delightful twist on Poetry Teatime – Poetry & Pajamas day! Every Thursday, the family comes to the table for breakfast treats, poetry and a project relating to the theme of the day.

The treats bring everyone to the table and the flexibility of the activity allows everyone to participate when they want to. By being flexible, she doesn’t pressure anyone to engage more than they want to while leaving an open opportunity for them to participate when they feel inspired.

Angela lives an inspired homeschooling lifestyle, meaning she develops an education guide that allows for inspiration. Angela steers clear of the word “plan” and, instead, focuses on intention.

Based on the Brave Writer lifestyle, she created a visual planning guide that covers everything she intends to get to in the next month. At the beginning of the month, she assesses what requires more focus so that she can better respond to the needs of her family.

“I try to think of it as intentions. As soon as I say the word “plan,” I automatically become rigid in my own thinking.”

Angela’s experience with homeschooling six children has taught her a lot. She says the keys to homeschooling are an open mind, a spirit of adventure, flexibility and love.

• “An open mind is just being open to the other ideas that might pop up. The input of our children. Some of the best learning that has happened in our home was not my idea. It was the idea of a child.”
• “A spirit of adventure means just being willing to step outside of our own comfort zone … being open to the things our kids can teach us, the the things the world has to offer, and not being afraid to go out there and experience them.”
• “Before we had children, I was a very by the book. You start at point A and you go to point B. There’s no detour. Well, I have learned that that just doesn’t work anymore so flexibility is the name of the game around here.”
• “If all else fails, or even if it’s all going well, just love ‘em … If we just keep focusing on the love we have for the child who’s right in front of us, it puts everything in perspective.”

At NurturedRoots.net and on her Pinterest page, Angela offers a lot of awesome resources for homeschoolers, parents and doula care. You’ll find...

• A Brave Writer-inspired planning guide, which is like a one-page menu listing all of the elements of Brave Writer.
• If you are running out of reading material, the Big Book Pile-Up has 30 days of reading ideas for your family.
• The 20 literary devices that she wants her kids to know before they leave the house, tips for using board games for education and other fun things you can tailor to your own home education experience.

“If we nurture ourselves and our families, those are our roots, and that’s what’s going to change the world.”

You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

Resources:

• You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons
• Connect with Angela: NurturedRoots.net | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
• Brave Writer-inspired planning guide
• Big Book Pile-Up