By Shari McMinn

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 ESV)

Regrettably, I admit to throwing manure at my daughter that day ….

She was out-of-control, and frankly, so was I. It was possibly my worst parenting moment, seared in my brain so I will never forget. Despite our steady routine, good nutrition, kind parenting, and unending patience, my child was extremely angry. She was so difficult for my husband and the other children to deal with inside the house that I escorted her outside with me. 

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By Shari McMinn

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23a NKJV).

In my previous CHEC Unique Learners blog post, “Up From Their Baseline,” I discussed learning challenges that parents can begin to evaluate based on observations while homeschooling their special/unique students. This month, I want to take that to the next level and discuss alternative assessments for our children. Since our kids do not fit into the standardized test mold, it is probably best not to evaluate them that way.

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By Shari McMinn

This spring I had the privilege of editing and updating CHEC’s popular and essential publication, The Homeschool Guidebook for Colorado. Published more than 30 years ago, then fully updated and reprinted in softcover in 2016, this is the ‘go to’ compendium for Colorado home educators. IT IS SO GOOD! I had forgotten how thorough yet easy to read it is. Chapter 8, titled “Different Learners,” was very helpful in homeschooling my unique learner students for more than two decades. I would like to draw from it for this month’s blog.

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By Shari McMinn

When I speak with parents who are raising unique children and they share their struggles with me in hopes of getting some helpful guidance, often the first thing I ask them is, “Have you established a steady routine for yourself and your household?”

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By Shari McMinn

Children who do not fit in the “typical kid” box are often unique when it comes to how they view, experience, and interact with the world around them. This can be especially true when it comes to giving and receiving love. In fact, to be transparently honest, it can be a real challenge for some of us parents to show our kids unconditional love day-in-and-day-out. 

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