QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHING CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES AT HOME

When an institution becomes responsible for educating a large number of children, classifying becomes necessary for order. The children can be divided by age or by ability, but they must be divided. Oftentimes the labels that are created from this necessity are difficult to live with. Homeschooling offers the opportunity to remove or diminish the labels that are often associated with children who have learning differences. For the sake of communication we will borrow those familiar labels to address the following questions. OCHEC's ultimate goal is to help parents work with their child as a unique person rather than as a "labeled" person. Please contact OCHEC for resources to help you in a specific area. staff@ochec.com


Q. What is the biggest challenge in homeschooling a "gifted" child?

A. Developing the discipline of learning is a consistent challenge in homeschooling your gifted child. The process of learning seems trivial to him since he or she understands and remembers facts with minimal effort. If he or she decides that your requirements are unnecessary, following directions precisely will be difficult for him or her. Remember that part of your goal should be to teach him or her how to learn. One day in the future, he or she will encounter some concept that will not come easy; therefore, he or she needs to be trained early in how to tackle the task of learning.


Q. What is the greatest reward in homeschooling a gifted child?

A. Enabling your child to grow up in a positive social environment helps him or her to develop to his/her fullest potential. Many times a gifted child will see the world with different eyes. He or she possesses a great imagination and thinks in unconventional ways. Oftentimes children, as well as adults, may feel threatened by or uncomfortable around someone different and may respond unkindly. Controlling your child's social environment protects him or her from unnecessary pain while young and allows his/her special abilities to flourish.


Q. What is the greatest challenge in homeschooling a "learning different" child?

A. Developing the patience and diligence needed to work with a learning different child is quite challenging. It is very common for him or her to understand something one day and forget it the next. Because this is frustrating for both the teacher and the student, patience is paramount. Doing something consistently is how concepts stick with this type of child. Discernment is also needed to determine whether a particular teaching approach is appropriate for him or her. It is easy to become discouraged when it just isn't clicking. Be willing to be flexible in adjusting methods, when necessary, to enhance the learning process.


Q. What is the great reward in homeschooling a "learning different" child?

A. Giving your child the time needed to develop strengths is an awesome reward. Especially in a school system, a child can feel like a failure because he or she is limited in the subjects he or she can learn as well as the way he or she can learn them. Homeschooling allows the time and freedom necessary to develop his/her God-given gifts.

Q. What is the great challenge in homeschooling a child with a disability?

A. One of the greatest challenges of home educating children with disabilities can be coordinating necessary therapies with academic instruction. Keeping all medical and therapeutic personnel up-to-date on the child's progress and needs can be a daunting task, but it is absolutely in the child's best interest. You must make accommodations for the child's individual needs while continuing to present him or her with academic challenges. Depending on the disability, a child may tire readily and need frequent breaks or changes in activity .

Q. What is the greatest reward in homeschooling a child with a disability?

A. There are many rewards that come with home educating children with disabilities. As the person who interacts with the child most often, the teaching parent is there when a concept finally "clicks", and that brings joy beyond measure. Parents are also uniquely able to tell when to push a little and when to back off. This gives home educating parents satisfaction of knowing that their child is really receiving an education that takes him or her to the highest level of his or her potential, rather than leaving him or her "out of the loop". Best of all, these parents have a front row seat for witnessing the everyday miracles of God at work in and through their child.