A Homeschool Treasure Trove from a Veteran Homeschool Mom

As a homeschool mom on the verge of being a homeschool grandma, some call us veteran homeschoolers, but I often think that homeschooling, like mothering, is never really done; I get asked lots of questions about homeschooling. How to start? What curriculum to use? What educational philosophy is best? I've probably answered hundreds of questions in person and on social media, and spoken to several of these topics at homeschool conferences. I probably could have written a book with the content I've shared bits and pieces at time.

This post is a compilation of what I call my treasure trove. I will provide my personal treasure trove of curriculum and recourse suggestions at the end, but what I want to share first are those precious treasures of wisdom I've gathered over the years about homeschool life and structure, philosophy on education, and generally creating a house of order and learning, a house of prayer, a house of God.

Generally the first thing parents think about when they make the choice to homeschool what curriculum to choose for their kids. The problem with starting there is that there are thousands of options out there. In order to make good choices that don't end up breaking the bank and causing unneeded stress and anxiety, that may threaten to sink your homeschool before you get it off the ground, you need some idea about what educational approach you want to use. Your approach and educational philosophy will guide your priorities and give you some idea of what you are searching for in curriculum and learning resources. Your homeschool approach should match your children's needs and learning styles, while at the same time, it should draw on your unique strengths. It's because of all these important and unique aspects of building a custom education for your child that every homeschool looks different, just like every child is different.

When you decide to start homeschooling, start with the questions like:

• What is my vision for my homeschool and my child's education? 
• What do I want my child to learn during these years I have with them? 
• You can’t teach them everything but you can teach them what matters most, so what matters most? 
• What do you want them to learn? 
• What do they want to learn? 
• How do you want them to learn it (this is an education philosophy question)? 
• What is the destination? 
• What are you preparing for? Family life, Moral Strength, College, Trade, Business, Service to their nation, community, and church.
• What are your child’s aptitudes, interests, and challenges? What do they need to excel in? 
• What are their areas of strength? 
• What level of proficiency do you expect for their academic attainment in areas of weakness?

Begin your homeschool journey with introspective questions like these. Journal your ideas and thoughts. Counsel in your family. Talk to homeschoolers you know and trust. Go to a local homeschool convention and take classes that peak your interest. Then take all that you learn from this exploration and begin to create the big picture vision. With this foundation you can begin to search for curriculum and resources with purpose. Based on your vision make a more detailed academic plan, but don’t plan too far out, your detailed plan is going to change and adjust in dozens of ways over the years to come; but begin with the end in mind and set up your plans for this year with your long vision in mind.

What Are Some Well Known Educational Approaches:

• Classical Education
• Charlotte Mason
• Well Trained Mind
• Well Trained Heart: Libraries of Hope
• Forest School
• TJED (Thomas Jefferson Education)
• Unschooling (Discovery ED)
• Unit Studies
• Online Schools — Online Private & Public Schools
• Online A La Carte: Outschool or The Great Courses
• Traditional Text Book Curriculum
• Eclectic -- Mix and Match

My Recommendations for Parents Homeshooling their Dyslexic Child

Let's Start with WHAT MATTERS MOST!

The most important advise I can give to parents and teachers of dyslexic children is to be patient and encouraging and to be OK with going slow. Go at your child’s pace and don’t move on to new concepts until they feel comfortable where they are at. For some dyslexic children, especially profoundly dyslexic children, this will mean being years behind their peers. Don’t compare them with other kids. Do what you can to help them not compare themselves (though they will). LOVE them!! Comfort them!! Feed their interests outside basic reading, writing, and arithmetic; and don’t wait for those basic skills to develop to teach them science, history, art, technology, and any other interesting subject areas. Use documentaries, read to them, do projects together, get out the house and learn on the go, learn through experiences, learn skills through doing. Make everything outside of reading, writing, and math as fun as you can, because those basic skills will be drudgery for them. Show them the world is full of learning and that it is fun and interesting otherwise they will lose interest in learning long before they establish their basic academic skills.

It’s not easy but it’s essential with dyslexic children to take the long view. As hard as it is for you it’s ten times harder for your kids if you are frustrated with their pace. They are going to have to work ten times harder than their non-dyslexic peers to learn the basic academic skills. They are going to get discouraged and struggle to find the motivation to keep going, they are going to struggle with their self esteem; this is the hardships they face.

Their attitude about this struggle is going to make the biggest difference in their road to mastery over their dyslexia. If they can meet their challenges with cheerful determination they will have the power to unlock their strengths and come to peace with their differences. You can show them how to be cheerful and patient in the slow going, how to hold on and be calm, how to be at peace with the process. You show them how by doing it yourself. Telling them to be patient, to believe in themselves, and to be calm will mean very little if you aren't patient, if you don't believe, and if you don't remain calm. If you face the challenges of dyslexia with the belief that they will learn, they will progress, and that it’s perfectly OK to go about it slowly; you can be patient and cheerful in your teaching. You can be OK repeating things over and over as if that’s perfectly normal; after all, it is “normal” in your home.

The greatest enemy to this process is fear. Fear that you will fail, fear that they won’t learn. Kids can feel your fear and they will soak it into their bones… it is utterly toxic! Its fear that makes us impatient and frustrated with the process. I know how hard this is. I have fought the fear dragon for many years. I know that with each dyslexic child you are raising you are dealing not only with dyslexia but personality, aptitude, personal interest, character development and because of all these factors some children are going to struggle more than others. Some children will be more contrary and irascible, more despairing, less pliable, or less teachable. Hang in there! For love of them, and in the faith that people grow up and mature, continue setting your quiet yet powerful example, and be there to pick up the work again and again. Listen to me, a mom of grown-up dyslexics — a wife to a dyslexic — they will learn it, they will progress, they will not fail and you will not fail them so long as you don’t give up and you stay calm and carry on.

Find ways for your child to learn skills outside the classroom, ways for your child to learn from doing, experiencing learning through experience and exploration is critical for dyslexic kids.

MY DYSLEXIC TOOLBOX & CURRICULUM RECOMENDATIONS:

EARLY INSTRUCTION FOR DYSLEXIC CHILDREN:

The experts in dyslexic research largely agree that early multi-sensory systematic instruction in language arts is ideal for giving a dyslexic learner the best chance at successful elementary education. The difficulty is in screening young children for dyslexia. Do you know that in the UK they use Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction for all students from the start. In Britain they recognize that English is a very difficult language and presents significant challenges for the 20% of the population that is dyslexic. They recognize that it’s difficult to screen for dyslexia in young children because all five and six year old's are still processing language on the right side of the brain. Only after 7 or 8 does the dyslexia come into full focus, and at this time the dyslexic child falls behind their peers rapidly as their peers accelerate into the automaticity of left-brained language processing. Therefore, schools in Britain use Orton-Gillingham instructional methods for everyone, and why not? It’s excellent reading and language instruction for every English speaker.

Orton-Gillingham is an instructional philosophy that was developed by Samuel Torrey Orton (1879–1948), a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist at Columbia University, studied children with language-processing difficulties such as dyslexia. Together with educator and psychologist Anna Gillingham (1878–1963), he created techniques to teach reading, which integrate kinesthetic (movement-based) and tactile (sensory-based) learning strategies with teaching of visual and auditory concepts.

My advise for parents who know there is a genetic probability their child could be dyslexic — because of known dyslexia in the family — or for parents who suspect dyslexia but aren’t yet sure because their child is young, is to use a quality Orton-Gillingham based curriculum. While this approach is most commonly associated with teaching individuals with dyslexia, it is highly effective for all individuals learning to read, spell, and write. You can rest assured that you have chosen a solid instructional program for your child whether or not they have a dyslexic brain.

A BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ!

If you were to read one book about dyslexia the one I would recommend is the one that was a game changer for me and my dyslexic son. This book is solid science and gives a complete understanding of dyslexic thinkers — their strengths and challenges and why — but most importantly it will help you understand your children and help your children understand their strengths and gifts, and view their challenges as worth the advantages that will come as they grown into their brains.

The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain


HERE ARE THE CURRICULUMS THAT HAVE WORKED BEST FOR MY HOMESCHOOL:

ELA:
All About Reading & All About Spelling
Handwriting Without Tears (for elementary ED)

The Good & the Beautiful Handwriting (if additional penmanship is needed past elementary)
Explode the code workbooks for extra phonics and handwriting practice.

Here is a reading tool I highly recommend to enhance guided reading. These highlight strips are very effective for dyslexia because the colored overlays improve reading tracking and reduce visual stress: https://a.co/d/gXTrqCZ

WRITING:
Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King — 30 year teacher at a private school for dyslexic students wrote this systematic incremental approach to developing competent technical writing skills. A fantastic program that transformed my son’s writing abilities in a couple years. My son is 13 now and writing good essays.

Writing Skills Books Set (5 Books) - Book A (Grades 2-4), Book 1 (Grades 5-6), Book 2, Book 3 and Teacher's Handbook https://a.co/d/9MbIwUI

TYPING
KAZ: For Dyslexia

Typing.com

MATH

Early ED:

Discovery Methods, using math manipulatives. MathInspirations.com has fantastic training for parents teaching children through a discovery method.

School house rock multiplication songs helped my son memorize his facts.
Pet Bingo for math fact memorization.

Elementary, Middle & High School: (3rd grade and up)

Khan Academy Math

CTC Math

Teaching Textbooks

All Consumed Consumer Math


ELECTRONIC SUPPORT

Noteability
Voice-to-text dictation on Microsoft
Speechify to aid your child in reading text books.
Audio Books: LibriVox & Audible


FOR DYSLEXIC STUDENTS WHO ARE IN UPPER ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE BUT HAVE VERY LITTLE LANGUAGE FLUENCY:

I would suggest you use “All About Spelling” as your language curriculum. It teaches the same lessons the student learns in the AAR reading curriculum but without the little kiddie reading games. Pair this program with the writing road to reading, meaning you teach writing and enable your child in their writing development which leads to reading.

I highly recommend Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King. If handwriting is a challenge, use voice to text (Microsoft has a great dictation assistant, or if you are using an Apple device the Notability app is useful as a digital writing notebook.) Your child will learn to read through development of their ability to edit their own writing.

Keep up on penmanship as an art, I used handwriting without tears books when my son was little, but I’ve had to keep him constantly working on a penmanship program, and now he does TG&TB handwriting books. I expect he will continue to work on penmanship this way through high school since his primary way of completing school work is through keyboarding and voice to text technology.

Finding interesting and engaging reading content for a older student who has significant reading delay is the most difficult part. With these kinds of dyslexic delays it’s the convergence of age appropriate content and reading level that causes the lack of interest. I’ve found some good books at this site:

https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/dyslexic-reluctant-readers/

They specialize in finding interesting easy to read content for dyslexics which are struggling with their delayed fluency. In the end my son’s reading ability had to catch up with his literary interest before he began reading novels.

To aid the writing road to reading, get your child into a good typing program. I used: KAZ: For Dyslexia

https://kaz-type.com/products/dyslexia-edition

My profoundly dyslexic teen is reading Tolkien now and is a good writer. He has learned to read at an advanced level though he will be slower than most adults. — I must add that through the years I’ve fed his love of literature by having him listen to audio books. This has helped him develop as a writer, his vocabulary and sentence structure is mature because of his exposure to good literature.

A Successful Homeschooler

I responded to a Facebook thread recently where a mother considering homeschool asked what accounts for the studies showing that Homeschooled individuals do better in most life metrics over their public schooled counterparts. (She was siting research that shows that homeschooled individuals who attend college are more likely to excel in college and all homeschooled individuals report higher satisfaction in their adult lives, here and here) She wanted to know what makes a successful homeschool, as there are examples of homeschool failure just as there are examples of public school failure, but overall why do homeschooled students do so well in their adult lives?

Here was my answer:

With the right attitude toward learning at home and good home management and structure — not the same as “school structure” — children are taught correct principles and learn to govern themselves. They have the opportunity to take ownership of their education and learning, and they develop the character and skills to be successful in any chosen path. They are given the opportunity to fail and succeed in a natural way that helps them learn that they are the agents in their own success.

They do not spend their educational years under constants supervision, over-programmed, and spoon fed information. They do not learn to rely on rubric managed assignment centric models, false comparisons, and grade structures. They have the advantage of a developmentally appropriate education that is highly personalized and paced to match their strengths and weaknesses — Public education in America is NOT developmentally appropriate, is structured on false pacing that puts pressure on students weaknesses and holds back their geniuses, and teaches intellectual dependence.

What happens in successful homeschools is not “school” but rather education and human development. Of course “school” happens as skills are learned that enable education but that is a small part of what is learned. Children also have the opportunity to learn by study and also by faith, they have more opportunities to learn that God is the source of intelligence and wisdom and through his power they can unlock their potential, enlighten their minds, and do hard things without being constantly managed by the adults around them. This creates emotionally and spiritually mature people. What happens when children learn at home is a natural extension of family life and natural development.

Couple famous quotes to ponder:

“Education is not the filling of pail but the lighting of a fire.”

“Don’t let school interfere with your education.”

“Children should be instructed in the principles of freedom.”

Why I Homeschool, And Why You Should Too!

People ask me often, why I homeschool. It’s not an easy question to answer because there are so many reasons and the question deserves a long sit down conversation, but here is my attempt to answer the question in one paragraph:

Public education in America is not developmentally appropriate, severs children from their families, is structured on false pacing that puts pressure on students’ weaknesses and holds back their geniuses, teaches intellectual dependence, destroys belief in God, does not instruct in the principles of liberty, does not model natural choice and consequence, teaches false reasoning based on false assumptions, omits important historical context for deceptive purposes, has begun to deconstruct western civilization and the philosophical and moral underpinnings of our nation, and to put the nail in the coffin the institutions can no longer keep children safe from bullying, sexual exploitation, or violent crime.

“All experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

When will we reach the point when our government schools are unsufferable in their design to reduce us to absolute despotism? And will we the people have the cuttings to throw off these institutions and provide new guards for our children? We must do it soon, for as Abraham Lincoln so astutely observed, “The school room in one generation is the government in the next.”

Why Testing is Not Necessary in Elementary School

A question homeschool parents are often asked by curious friends and family and teacher friends is, "How do you know if your child is learning?" This question assumes that a teacher needs regular tests to assess a students progress, and of course most homeschooled students don't take regular tests and usually no standardized tests. Here's how I answer this question:

Public schools in the United States use tests to gauge the progress of students because teachers have to track over a dozen students (most classes having over 20 students) at one time — in an environment that makes it impossible for teachers to have one-on-one time to assess their students in a observational way. Observational assessment is a more meaningful way to access progress than standardized testing, but it can only be done when teachers are engaged in more interactive types of instructional methods — and take the time to observe students individually.

Testing in the public school way is not helpful to the development of young children. In has a negative impact on a child's development that is not worth the data derived from it — and high-stakes standardized testing, done every year in US schools, is particularly harmful. In Finland, where the education system is developmentally appropriate, teachers use healthy models of interactive instruction & observation. Students don't take their first standardized test until 8th grade, and in early elementary assessments are observation based, not formal tests. This school system ranks at the top in international tests given to their students in 10th grade.

Homeschool parents use the most healthy and effective form of observational assessment to mark the progress of their children. They do not need regular tests or intensive standardized testing to know their children are learning and developing academically. The intuitive teaching and learning relationship between a parent and their child as they homeschool is powerful and homeschool parents have a better understanding of their child's strengths and weaknesses, knowledge and deficits, than standard tests are able to reveal in their public school counterparts.

Most homeschooled students begin taking standard quizzes and tests, though, not necessarily standardized tests, in 7th or 8th grade, and they are often doing more standardized curriculum and courses complete with standard tests in their high school years. In most cases homeschool families find this adequate preparation for college entry testing and college preparation. Homeschoolers are proving that early frequent testing is not only unnecessary but developmentally inappropriate.