Homeschooling Different Learners

Can a struggling or different learner be effectively homeschooled? The answer is yes! To help equip you for this unique calling, we’ve included a excerpt from “Different Learners,” Chapter 8 of the newly updated Colorado Homeschool Guidebook.

Homeschooling Different Learners

Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of our Creator. We have been blessed with gifts and talents, areas of strength and areas of need. God has a plan for each and every life that He has created. When we become parents, the Lord blesses us with the responsibility of raising His children. Our ultimate purpose as parents is to raise His children to seek Him and discover His will for their lives. This purpose does not change with our circumstances.

The Lord has given some parents a special assignment in the form of children who learn about their world very differently. He has promised to give us the wisdom we need to meet this challenge when we seek Him.

Our attitude toward our children is a great test of our faith as parents, whether or not they have a special needs label. Only as we seek the Lord on our knees can we hope to meet the challenge of parenting. Blessings await when we meet the challenges in His strength and follow His plan.

Many parents decide to home educate their ‘different learner’ because of their struggles in institutional schools, but they don’t know where to begin, or what to do. This can be disconcerting, but parents do not need to remain in this place. They can analyze, evaluate, learn, observe, and resolve how to successfully homeschool their different learner.

We might describe these children as out-of-the-box learners, and we may need to become out-of-the-box teachers! On the following pages you will find helpful information as well as many practical tips and suggestions for educating children who learn differently. Nothing in these pages is meant to be the final authority, for only the Lord holds that position.

At Christian Home Educators of Colorado, there are fellow home educators and graduates who are here to walk alongside you and encourage you along the way. The most important advice we can give you is to ask the One who has all the answers. Pray to the Lord for His wisdom and guidance. May He bless you abundantly in this journey as you parent and educate your children.

Advantages of Homeschooling a Different Learner

• FOCUS: You love your child more than anyone. Now you can become your child’s advocate and expert. You are free to research and coordinate a special learning program based around your child’s particular needs and strengths.
• SAFETY: Home education provides a safe, nurturing environment proven to enhance learning.
  VARIETY: Children and parents are free to use a variety of methods and approaches.
• ONE-ON-ONE: One-on-one, tutorial instruction that is natural in a home environment may be necessary for a child with special learning needs.
• AT YOUR OWN PACE: An individualized learning program is easy to provide at home and can be paced according to needs and abilities.
• PRACTICAL: Life skills are more easily taught as a natural part of daily living in the home. (Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 22:6)
• HEALTHY: Physical activity becomes a part of the education process. Home cooking reduces allergies and additives.
• COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Consultants and therapists are increasingly available to parents of children with special needs.
• BEHAVIOR TRAINING: Children can learn self-control in a safe, structured environment from a loving adult. Behavior expectations should be the same for ‘different learners’ as they are for typical learners. Clear expectations and consistent training can be provided in your home.
• SCHEDULES: At home, therapy becomes a part of your school day instead of an addition to it.
• FREEDOM: For accelerated learners, being at home allows more time for the child to be challenged in areas of special interest.

Chapter is continued in the CHEC Homeschool Guidebook, available for preorder now!

Check out the New Guidebook!