Over the years Home Education Magazine has consistently offered glimpses into the lives of homeschoolers via articles written by many and closer looks via one on one interviews. Here are a few of those interviews along with a few updated resources.

I recall reading and being deeply touched by Helen Hegener’s Conversation with Michelle Wilbert: Living life “Close to the Root” in the September-October 2004 of HEM. Michelle Wilbert is a midwife, homeschooler and author of Close to the Root: A Handbook of Simple, Sustainable and Earthy Alternatives for Family and Community Life.

As I said earlier, I think that I started out thinking about the potential for cultural transformation that I found in these ideas. Early thinking about homeschooling and midwifery were located within a value system that was home and community centered, democratically oriented, staunchly independent of any ideas of government or public involvement or oversight and really wedded to concerns about changing society for the better and that was true whether people were Christian homeschoolers, hippies or eclectics. They might have had different societal goals in mind, but changing the world was definitely part of the package.

In addition to Conversation with Michelle Wilbert: Living life “Close to the Root” you can read more about and from Michelle Wilbert here:

• Kneelingwoman ~ Thinking, Living and Writing “Out of the Box
• Close to the Root Family and Community Resources

In An Interview with Cafi Cohen by Marsha Ransom we were given a glimpse into the Cohen household. Cafi wrote:

Jeff adds that he would never trade his homeschooling years for high school. He has commented more than once that he never would have been admitted to the Air Force Academy if he had not homeschooled. He feels homeschooling allowed him time to get a private pilot’s license, to act as commander of his Civil Air Patrol squadron and edit their newsletter, to practice piano, to teach piano, to participate on a world-class diving team, and much more. Eventually, it was all those activities (and close to 30 units of college classes taken concurrently with high school homeschooling) that he feels got him admitted.

My daughter Tamara now says, “I wouldn’t change anything about my homeschooling. Despite our easy-going approach, I have attended four different colleges in three different states and encountered nothing academic that I could not handle.” She adds that she loved the flexibility of homeschooling, graduating “early” and earning money to travel on a student-exchange program to Australia when she was 16.

Here are a few more interviews for your enjoyment:

• Interview with Deborah Stevenson - Judy Aron
• Interview with Linda Dobson - Helen Hegener
• Interview with Mary Griffith - Helen Hegener
• Interview with Patrick Farenga - Helen Hegener
• An Interview Leila Giles and Celeste Land – Mary Nix
• An Interview with John Munson – Mary Nix

There are many more interviews and articles from past issues that offer glimpses into homeschool lives, and you can access them via the HEM Archives. To avoid missing any future issues and interviews, you can subscribe to HEM here.

Home education is a wonderful opportunity for children who may have a learning disability or those who learn differently. We all know the story of Thomas Alva Edison being labeled as “addled” in school and that his furious Mother removed him from that scenario and home-taught him. She didn’t think he was addled at all, but extremely bright. Thomas Edison said many years later, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” In his “Biography Of Thomas Alva Edison” Gerald Beals wrote, “At age 11, Tom’s parents tried to appease his ever more voracious appetite for knowledge by teaching him how to use the resources of the local library. This skill became the foundation of many factors that gradually caused him to prefer learning via independent self instruction.” And that is what parents do. We find the best resources for our children and we help them learn how to find them as well.

I’m sure we all know at least one individual who is a square peg and isn’t going to fit into the round public school hole no matter how hard they are pushed. And why should they be forced to? Why not simply allow them their squareness and let them live and learn in a way that best meets their own needs? Home education offers that opportunity to any child, but I believe that children with special needs really enjoy the freedom to be themselves that homeschooling brings.

Here are some articles and resources for Learning Disabilities:

Articles

A World of Learning by Barbara Theisen

“Kenna’s eagerness to learn certainly matched her older sister’s. But she was easily frustrated with her lack of instant success. Her learning style was so different from Kate’s – and my own. How could I possibly have the skills, resources and patience to teach her?

My husband Tom came to the rescue. Tom had overcome great odds himself as a severely dyslexic child. Attending public elementary school in the 1960′s, he was given no special help with his learning disabilities. Instead he was labeled “unteachable.” But fortunately his mom stepped in and fought the system. Somehow she was able to find him the special help he needed. Eventually Tom learned to deal with his dyslexia and went on to spend many summers working at a camp for children with learning disabilities. His knowledge and patience gave me the courage to work with Kenna and once again I felt confident enough to forego the pre-packaged curriculum.”

Learning Disabilities or Learning Differences? – Marsha Ransom
“The biggest challenges we faced were to let go of preconceived notions of how various subjects should be learned, to be flexible enough to try new things, and humble enough to realize that when something wasn’t working it was time to try another tactic. We found that learning differences can be a catalyst if they are recognized as differences and worked with as assets, instead of something that needs to be reshaped into someone else’s mold. Whatever happened to the value of marching to a different drummer?”

An Interview With Dr. Thomas Armstrong
This essay, by Janie Bowman, was originally published in the November-December 1996 issue of Home Education Magazine.

“Attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities. Public schools sometimes push children with these diagnoses out of school because they are not able or perhaps not willing to accommodate their learning styles. What suggestions do you have for parents of children who have been abused by the “system” and are new to homeschooling? How do they get a good start?”

Writing Group Strategies - Karen Kirkwood
“The class was a helpful stepping-stone for students planning to attend school. It strengthened their writing ability as well as provided them with a classroom experience. It also gave students with learning disabilities a chance to write without the shame inherent in a competitive system. I tried to emphasize everyone’s gifts to our group, rather than our individual difficulties. For example, one of my students with a severe learning disability wrote hilarious stories. Many words were spelled incorrectly, but when translated to correct English and read aloud, we rolled with laughter and marveled at his creativity. Self-confidence was the most important writing skill my students took with them when they left my class. They believed they were writers, and in learning to write, that is half the battle.”

Homeschooling the Child With ADD or Other Special Needs
Elizabeth McCullough’s Review of by Lenore Colacion Hayes Book

Two Perspectives- Elizabeth Ryan
“I was talking to a mom at Karate class and mentioned that our three boys were homeschooled. She sighed and said it was hard for her to put up with her son for half a day, that raising a handicapped child was like raising six kids. I was watching her son practice his karate kicks and he seemed normal to me. Thinking she must have another child I inquired about the nature of her child’s handicap, and she told me he had ADD. I had never considered ADD a handicap and I tried not to act surprised. I kept the conversation rolling on homeschooling, giving examples of my oldest son, hoping to give a little hope to this mom whose son, only five, had already been told that he was handicapped.”

Mark and Mary Kay Hollinger
“Our daughter said of school, “I felt like an animal locked in a cage and no one would let me out!”We let her out and don’t regret it.”

Personal Notes on ADD – Janie Bowman
“What Really Matters?
Public school or private school? Meds or no meds? Does ADD really exist? We’ve juggled many of these issues while raising our son, Cj. In public school he had great teachers and dysfunctional teachers, but homeschooling has been the best choice for our family. The structure children with ADD crave is not one of isolation or being surrounded by four walls with an authority figure at the head. Rather, structure is predictability and consistency. It’s providing a world-view of life, including diversity, mentoring, healing and the time to pursue personal interests. Structure may mean tapping into public school programs, or programs for children with disabilities, like Cj’s involvement with the DO-IT program at the University of Washington. Or it may mean getting back to nature, studying ants for three years, or being involved in projects to save our environment.

It’s not surprising families with attention differences and the homeschooling community have many things in common. Homeschooling isn’t easy, and certainly more challenging for some families than others. But if we want to provide important learning opportunities for our children and also teach them respect and compassion for diversity, we, as parents, have to take the first step. Just ask Mom Edison.”

HEM Special Situations Index
Be sure to scroll down for the books and other resources listed there.

Still More Resources for learning disabilities here.

Instead consider spending time on activities both you and your kids enjoy. You have very few years remaining to share the same household. Learning occurs as a by-product of fun events – like travel and playing games and cooking together and outdoor sports. Enjoy – and don’t sweat the small stuff.”

- Cafi Cohen, homeschooling mother and author

Homeschooling does allow us time to travel, play games, learn and enjoy living together as a family. Unfortunately, too often fear sometimes grips our hearts as our children get closer to the teen years. Little doubts begin to crop up and we wonder if they have done enough academically, will they be ready for college? Will they be able to get a job?

As many homeschool parents who are on the other side of the teen years know, they answer is that they can and will do whatever they set out to do. Just as we were there to enjoy watching them learn to walk, talk, read and write, they enter this time in their lives in their own unique way and we are along for the ride to love, nurture and help them find resources when and where we can. We hope these articles and resources will help you support the Homeschooling Older Kids in your life!

Articles on Older Kids

The Door is Open by Earl Gary Stevens “As children grow into their teens, some families worry that continuing with home education might be closing the door to college. They wonder if independent learning is more suitable for little kids than for teenagers and perhaps not very practical as a prelude to college admission. While college may not be the best choice for every person, none of us wants to eliminate the option for our children.

There exists a myth that the only way for a young person to be accepted into college is through building a record for compliant behavior in a secondary educational institution. This myth was exposed for many of us when David and Micki Colfax wrote about their boys being accepted into Harvard on the strength of their own efforts and on the lives that they had put together for themselves, as described in Homeschooling for Excellence.”

The Challenge of Older Children by Eileen Yoder “Parents of older home educated children sometimes find themselves dealing with the question of school for their older kids. I wrote this piece hoping to provide some food for thought for these parents who have kept their children out of compulsory school programs, but, faced with the challenges of older children, are wondering if they should enroll their kids in school now. Perhaps they don’t feel equipped to handle the emerging needs of their older kids. Perhaps their kids, needing to work and play with others to hone their relationship skills and explore the world, may be wondering if school would be a good thing for themselves. It is a question that comes up for a lot of families. It is hard to swim against the current of our culture, even if you are pretty sure that it is the right direction for you.

I am deeply committed to helping families keep children out of compulsory schools. I feel clear that there is far more damage than good done in that disrespectful environment, and I speak from that bias.” -E.Y.

Self-Directed Learning by Cafi Cohen “Looking at journal entries like this, I realize that after several years of homeschooling (we began when the kids were in grades 6 and 7 and continued through high school), my teenagers had finally “made it”. They had achieved my primary goal in homeschooling: they had become independent, self-directed learners.

What does that mean? In our case, it meant that both Jeffrey and Tamara planned their schedules and made good use of time. Their activities reflected goals and priorities – both theirs and the family’s. Given good instructional materials, they could teach themselves. Most importantly, they had learned to locate their own resources (people, materials, classes, interest groups) in the larger community.”

Homeschooling and Teens Who Dislike School by Larry and Susan Kaseman “Homeschooling has the potential to contribute significantly to the lives of teens who dislike school and even change their lives, especially when their parents and others recognize their strengths and the legitimacy of the their reasons for disliking school. Developing an alternative for teens is a lot of work but pays rich rewards to teens and parents. Homeschoolers who support families in this situation also help prevent homeschooling from being seen as an escape for teens who dislike school.”

Older Kids – Decompression - Frequently Asked Questions by Cafi Cohen “He just won’t do anything!” say the parents of teenagers who have just left school. Prior to beginning homeschooling, these parents have high hopes. They envision their older kids industriously attacking thoughtfully-selected curriculum, running a business, publishing a book, graduating early, and winning big scholarship money.

Some of those things may happen, but – in the first days and weeks and months of homeschooling – reality bites. Most new homeschooling families with teens deal with an adjustment period I call decompression.”

Older Kids Do-It-Yourself Group Activities for Teenagers by Cafi Cohen “Okay, you are sold. You are ready to organize or at least supervise a teen activity. But your teenager is reluctant. How to convince him and others to participate? Here are some winning strategies:

• Avoid the terms “support group” or even “homeschool group.” Simply begin an investment club or musical group or a newsletter.
• Get ideas from your teenagers. One support leader said that she never initiates an activity unless The teenagers suggests it.
  
• Encourage one or more teens organize and lead, if possible.
• Restrict the activities to older kids and adults. Find alternates for younger children.
• Always include food. “Books and Brownies” sounds like more fun than “Book Discussion Group.”

Fly-Fishing to College; The Value of Uniqueness vs. Orthodoxy by Alison McKee “The college application process need not be as traumatic as it is often made out to be. I was gently reminded of this fact when Christian, our son, got yet another note from Kalamazoo College. This one asked for “written certification” of his high school graduation. The note alarmed Christian, and when he brought it to me, I must admit that I too felt panic set in. Was this going to be the loop-hole we had not anticipated, the loophole which would cause the college to withdraw its scholarship money and leave Christian out in the cold? I’d heard often enough of homeschoolers dickering with college admissions officers about discriminatory or seemingly unfair admissions policies and couldn’t help but wonder if, after having avoided such pitfalls, we were finally going to face the raging bull. At this point in the game I knew I was entirely unwilling to allow administrative details to cut Christian’s dreams short. We’d come too far.”

Resources

Lillian Jones’s Best Homeschool.org’s Teen Years, Homeschooling High School, College & Career Information
Articles and Links to information about high school years, colleges, getting into college, financial aid, CHSPE, GED, KLEP, and preparation for tests – as well as career information and opportunities other than college.

Homeschool Teens from the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
Offers articles and resources for the teen years

Online Groups

AHA High School-College
Ask questions about homeschooling through high school and college – or share your experiences and resources with others who may be seeking help.

Apricot Pie – Giving older homeschoolers and homeschool graduates a voice

Homeschooling High School
A discussion list for parents homeschooling high school students, 9th-12th grade. Parents of 8th graders are welcome so they can start planning for high school. Only topics related to home schooling high school are allowed on this list.

Vegesource Homeschool High School Board

Click this link to explore more resources for Homeschooling Older Kids.