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Special Learners e-Newsletter, July 2006
In This Issue Homeschooling Amidst Abundance The Curriculum Dilemma by Tom and Sherry Bushnell Company Blog Contest Winner Visit Lifeway Homeschool Message Board Our Family's Story by Heidi in Indiana Share Your Story	Homeschooling the Highschooler... E-Book packed with answers, encouragement, and resources, this e-book will equip you to homeschool through high school with confidence! To order your copy for only $12.45!
Homeschooling Amidst Abundance I grew up in scarcity. As the youngest of eight children with a father who worked as a janitor, I looked at life as a half full glass. There was never enough chicken at the table or cookies to go around for dessert. As an adult, the Lord has blessed me abundantly. From infertility to four children, we count our blessings. Although we are not wealthy, God consistently provides for our needs. Abundance causes its own problems. It's hard enough to choose a brand of cereal from the hundred or so boxes in the aisle. That decision is trivial compared to other choices we must make, such as the curriculum we will use for our homeschooling. We are lured by bigger, better, improved products - both in the supermarket and in the catalogs that grace our mailbox. Sometimes it's just too much to take in! Even amidst abundance, sometimes we can't find just the right thing. You know what? There may not be "just the right thing." The key to successful homeschooling, especially of special learners, is flexibility and modifications. This month our feature articles speak to these issues. Our friends at NATHHAN, Tom and Sherry Bushnell, talk about "The Curriculum Dilemma." A reader named Heidi touched me deeply with her story of her daughter, presented here. I have had to do some of the same repentance of which she speaks. Those of you who may have misunderstood your children will resonate with what she has to say. Let's thank God for our abundance and seek His wisdom in dealing with it. The Curriculum Dilemma   by Tom and Sherry Bushnell Reprinted with permission from www.nathhan.com What a privilege to live in America. The choices we have in food, clothing, cars, and even homeschooling curriculum are astounding. However, what is meant to be a pleasure and a blessing can readily become a curse as we face yet another summer of choices... choices that in the past with our learning delayed child, haven't worked. Since there isn't a one-size-fits-all, perfect Christian curriculum for the learning disabled, or even any curriculums just for Down syndrome children, the autistic or cerebral palsy child, how do we choose the right one for our situation? Interestingly enough, the approaches the professionals make toward different learning problems are not all that different. In fact, a good professional will readily do what works to implement understanding and learning in a child, whatever the disability might be. A different approach, sometimes off the beaten path for a specific disability, might just be the key. Here are some tips that mothers who have faced this same dilemma when it comes to choices have to share. Watch how your child learns. Does he like videos; can he easily remember visually introduced information instead of audible? Do they prefer to watch something being done instead of told how? Buy items and materials that cater to your child's learning mode. Forget the rest, however good the bargain. Use what you have on hand for as long as you can. Just because a new year begins, doesn't mean the "required" hundred dollars or more on each child must be spent. Use what is around the house to teach early principles and reinforce early learning concepts. For instance, no fancy curriculum is needed to teach basic math. Don't be talked into buying a textbook for kindergarten math. Use blocks, spoons, the thermometer outside, your set of kitchen measuring spoons, and a big bowl of apples. Choose a costly curriculum only after you have researched whether or not others with your child's disability have been successful using it. Many of the expensive, all purpose curriculums that work for normal children move much too fast to be convenient for us moms. If we do use the typical curriculums, let's be aware that we need to break the assignments into much, much, smaller bites. Forget the seatwork, writing assignments and abstract extra activities if your child has motor problems that cause trouble. Throw out the questions that require heavy research or extra books. By the time we toss and X out, gleaning the few questions that are not out of reach for our children, we might as well have written or put together our own curriculum. (That's not a bad idea, there's not a better way to tailor make a learning environment for our children.) Don't over buy resources. Plan on engaged seatwork or book learning for a disabled child being only 1 hour a day. This can be broken into several 15 minute segments. If you need to put something into a plan book for the state's records, use other hands-on "learning" to fill in your requirements. Before you buy the resources for the year, think ahead. Be sure you have a handle on which subjects or delays are the most important for your child to be working on. Emphasize one or two areas at a time, even though your child's needs may be in many areas. For instance, if language is really important this year, emphasize reading to them by asking pertinent questions that must be answered more than yes or no to. Think about trading with someone else. Many resources are used once, or very little, by one child and are quite fit for more use. This includes teacher's manuals, puzzles, learning toys, matching games, busy centers, learning boards, and books. Put an ad in the NATHHAN NEWS or local homeschool newsletter. Put an ad on the church bulletin board to locate items. Curriculum Fairs. As tempting as it may be to buy impulsively at homeschooling conferences, don't bring in your purse! It is easy to be sold on expensive resources, watching the enthusiasm of others. They may not be the best use of our funds for our special needs children. It is so hard to think clearly when we are faced with soooo many choices. Which brings us to the next tip. You may already have experienced this, but most of us homeschooling special needs children do not buy our resources at curriculum fairs. IF we go to a conference or fair, our motives cannot be to find our year's program. This is one major way special needs homeschoolers differ from the mainstream of homeschooling. Instead, as mentioned before, arm yourself with ways to "arm-chair" shop. US Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, we couldn't offer the renewing subscribers the 19 free gifts - those were only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING subscribers get all 19 gifts (over $200 value), too! I'm a new subscriber…what do I get? With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive: •A 2-year/3-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine •19 FREE gifts for you All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase Online Or, call 1-888-718-HOME Already a subscriber? Renew now and receive: • Two or Three more years of your favorite homeschool magazine and 19 FREE gifts (valued at over $200)! All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase! Or, call 1-888-718-HOME The first 3,000 two-year or three-year new subscriber or renewing your two or three year subscription, you will receive (by USPS mail) NINETEEN free homeschooling gifts. But you don't get four gifts - you get 19! And yes, even the shipping is paid for - and you are not required to buy anything again - EVER. Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (US Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts Order catalogs from various sources, even though you may never buy the products. A lot can be learned from catalogs such as speech and language companies. They often have tips and product reviews that can be a real eye opener to us in educating ourselves about our child's particular needs. By shopping in a relaxed state, you will always get more for your money, AND you are getting more for your energy (which in our estimation is just as valuable as money!) It has been our experience that we may be vulnerable to "conquer" the homeschool curriculum fair shopping spree. This is probably a no-brainer, but be sure we are not tired or have low blood sugar levels when we shop. This means we pick a time when we can think clearly, are not fuzzy or tired. Putting wrong numbers in the order blanks can mean costly and embarrassing errors. Ordering for one child twice, or because of our guilt of last year's failures (or successes) we may, in our tired minds, order too much or too little. WE SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE!! Ooooops! Pray for guidance. The Lord will give you wisdom and grace if you ask for it. He may even surprise you by leading you down a path that you had not thought of, as we listen to our husbands' suggestions and use self-control in not over buying. Wisely using resources at home is a blessing to our family, as the money can be used for special additions that can really liven up days that seem to move too slowly. Thank you to Tom and Sherry for allowing us to reprint this article. Their family has an amazing story! Learn more about them and their ministry at  www.nathhan.com. HSB Homeschool Blog Contest Winner! Bright Ideas Press In 1992, Maggie Hogan started Bright Ideas Press. Soon, she and her husband Bob began having way too much fun writing, creating, and finding practical, fun, and affordable homeschool resources. Visit them at www.BrightIdeasPress.com - home of the award winning series: The Mystery of History and the Christian Kids Explore science books. Last month we ran a contest on the Company Porch, the company blog of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. If you haven't stopped by there, I get to post goodies on Mondays. For the contest, we asked readers to send in their favorite tips for teaching their children. We had lots of entries and chose the following from Tami: I read an idea last year and implemented it with my son who has poor visual memory skills and ADHD. I take his spelling list and some markers and plain white paper. I write one word on each page, and I use the markers to designate the different syllables of the words. Here is an example:         chocolate   -   chocolate I try to use colors that are good contrasts beside one another, and I write with large block letters. Each day, I have him look at each word for 30 seconds. Then we read it, spell it, read it. And then move to the next word. This gives him a picture in his mind of each word, and then we also have the audio portion for him, since he is stronger in that sense. I will also have him write the words once a day with his handwriting practice. Great idea, Tami! I'm going to use this one this year as my son learns syllable rules. Tami won a copy of my book Homeschooling the Challenging Child (Broadman & Holman, 2005). Thanks to all the readers who sent in ideas. We'll do this again sometime! Lifeway Homeschool Message Board As many of you know, Lifeway is associated with Broadman & Holman, publisher of Homeschool Methods by Paul and Gena Suarez and my own Homeschooling the Challenging Child. They have launched a message board just for homeschoolers, and I get to moderate it! Come join the conversation! I'll see you there! Our Family's Story   By Heidi in Indiana Our daughter has some learning struggles, and this year I really began to question why. After all, I believed all those homeschooling books, articles, and convention speakers who said our children would jump several grade levels once you began homeschooling them. I also believed all those books, articles, and workshop speakers who said homeschooled children were such high achievers that they were ready for college work by age 16 because of the one-on-one tutoring they had received. But you see, my daughter isn't doing any of that and continues to struggle two years behind her actual "grade level" even after 3 1/2 years of homeschooling. I also have a degree in elementary education, so I KNEW the problem couldn't be me! Over the years, I had bent over backwards to re-learn how to teach so I could teach to her learning style. So I just KNEW the problem had to be her! So I began reading books and listening to old convention tapes on learning disabilities. I was so emotional during one tape, I cried through the whole thing - THAT'S IT! SHE HAS LEARNING DISABILITIES! So now, I, being so well trained in the philosophy of the world, began reading more books on the various types of learning disabilities, and I lowered my expectation of mastery learning for her schoolwork - after all, she has "learning disabilities." International Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you view your subscription as a gift for yourself, a homeschool conference delivered to your door, a professional journal, or simply a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other homeschool families around the world, subscribe now to insure that you are in the first 2,000 and receive this incredible International Subscription Homeschool Gift Pack! One-Year International Subscription: Receive four issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine delivered directly to your door and 19 FREE gifts from our generous sponsors. Subscribe now! Only $38! And we have an additional gift for two-year and three-year subscribers! Two-Year or Three-Year International Subscription: Receive eight issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the 19 free gifts, AND our Secrets of Successful Homeschooling e-book! Subscribe now! Only $69 for 2 years and $83 for 3 years! These special offers will expire soon, though. Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! We have three easy ways to subscribe! Subscribe online Call 1-888-718-HOME Mail your order to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC PO Box 10 White Pine, TN 37890 Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (International Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts In the midst of all this inner turmoil, God began to lead and teach me. I went to the convention and attended a workshop by a Christian man, Steve Demme. Some of you may use his math curriculum - Math-U-See. He has a son with Down syndrome. He spoke of life with Johnny - the heartaches and the multiple joys and blessings. God used his talk and two books I had bought used off an Internet sale board and started to read before the convention. One is by Joyce Herzog, a Christian educator, called Learning in Spite of Labels, and the other is by Christian homeschooling parents Clay and Sally Clarkson, called Educating the Whole Hearted Child. Then I saw the problem very plainly. A learning disability is not a learning inability, as I was starting to believe, but a "learning differently." Satan was using that label to create fear in me for my child's future. I learned that my daughter learns "differently" beyond the standard visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style labels we use. She learns best by seeing things through their whole - seeing the possibilities, the ideals. She learns through the beautiful things in life - nature, music, art, poetry, and classic, wholesome literature - and through interaction with and serving others. She is a beautiful, energetic, imaginative, kind-hearted, sensitive, gentle spirit who loves art, music, poetry, and loves to have wonderful classic literature read to her. She can dream up more projects than we can ever get done and loves to help with cooking and housework and childcare. She is very spiritually discerning for someone so young. She is so compassionate for people that she loves to visit the sick and prays for them and for my lost brother. Her heart cries for him. She loves to help at home and church. She begs to study the Bible with us. Un-Christlike behavior causes great turmoil inside her. It physically causes her pain. So what did I learn this year? I learned that my daughter learns "differently" due some processing problems, but she is not learning disabled. She has huge potential! She has a wonderful future! God taught me that I was the learning disabled one. I wasn't comprehending the person He had given me to love, nurture, and train. I was trying to make her something He hadn't designed her to be. I had to repent for my humanistic focus on academic skills and achievement - things that are important in the sight of men. I needed to throw away those manmade scopes and sequences and embrace God's scope and sequence for my child. I needed to repent of my humanistic philosophy of learning from books written by humans rather than going to the Master Teacher who had created her. He knows her and He knew all along where He was leading her. I just needed to get with the program. So, we are going through a major philosophy change now. I have sold the curriculum I was using to try to force my daughter to "catch up" and had hoped would be the magic curriculum that would make her into one of those homeschooling super-scholars. It just frustrated her anyway and made her feel stupid. We are moving to a more natural approach to learning and are focusing on preparing her to become a Godly woman, wife, and mother. And you know what? We've had a lot more fun homeschooling these past few weeks. The pressure is off of me to "produce" a certain kind of super-scholar to prove to the world my worthiness as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother and teacher. That's not why God gave her to us. She's here to learn how to love God with all her heart, soul, strength, and mind and to love and serve His people. That is our new scope and sequence because that's God's scope and sequence for us all. Three years later, we are now ready to enter high school. We have learned a lot about her learning style thanks to the book Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Mariaemma Willis and Victoria Kindle Hodson. My daughter still struggles with math, but by finding what delights her to motivate her and using her learning style to guide us, we are making great strides in all the other areas of school subjects. After reading Barb Shelton's book, Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+La, we are now excitedly looking forward to these high school years and seeing God work through our daughter. Her whole future is not clear to us yet, but God is faithful and will reveal to us the next step - as we are ready. Our job is to trust Him and listen for His guidance each day and prove ourselves faithful with what He has shown us or guided us to use, study, and learn. To Him be the praise! Heidi in Indiana If you wish to contact Heidi about her story, you can reach her at hajasper@yahoo.com. Share Your Story! We are looking for real parents to share their stories of real life with their special learners. If you would be interested in writing a short piece for us, contact me at christinefield@sbcglobal.net. About Your Editor Christine Field practiced law for eight years before becoming a full-time Mommy. She and her husband live and homeschool their four children in Wheaton, Illinois, where her husband, Mark, serves as Chief of Police. Three of their four children are adopted, one through a private adoption and two from Korea. She is the author of several books, including Coming Home to Raise Your Children (Fleming Revell, 1995), Should You Adopt? (Fleming Revell, 1997) A Field Guide to Home Schooling (Fleming Revell, 1998), Life Skills for Kids (Harold Shaw/WaterBrook, 2000), Help for the Harried Homeschooler (Harold Shaw/WaterBrook, 2002) and Homeschooling the Challenging Child (Broadman & Holman, 2005). Her next book, written with her husband Mark, called Homeschooling 101, will be published by Broadman & Holman in Spring 2007. She serves as a correspondent and Resource Room columnist for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Her articles on life skills have appeared in Focus on the Family Magazine and Single Parent Family. To contact her about your special learner, or to have her speak to your group or conference, you may email her at mailto:christinefield@sbcglobal.net or visit her website at www.HomeFieldAdvantage.org. Her mailing address is:       The Home Field Advantage       PO Box 261       Wheaton, IL 60189-0261 Visit her blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/christinefield.

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