Homeschooling and Teaching Resources

Here is what I think.  Every parent is a teacher whether they embrace this role or not.  You are teaching your child in every interaction.  You are teaching your child with every hug, with every scolding, with every bed time story.  You are teaching your child when they watch what you do in the community and in your home.  Kinda scary isn't it?  You have a lot more influence and power than you realize in helping your child understand his or her world.

Maybe you have heard about homeschooling but thought, "I will leave teaching to the experts" or "I don't have the patience or time to teach my child."  Here's the thing.  You are an expert on your child.  And whether you know it or not, you are already teaching at home each and every day.  If your child goes to public or private school it is most likely that they come home with homework.  Who helps your child with such homework, projects, studying for tests, etc...?  You do.  Some might hire a tutor but in most cases mom and dad are helping out at home.

So according to the way I see it, whether or not your child goes to school or stays home, we parents are all teachers in some respect.

Because teaching is such an integral part of a child's life, and especially so for the child with special needs, we are going to devote a lot of posts to education.  Our contributors have a wealth of diverse experiences when it comes to our children's education.  BeenThereMom has helped her son navigate the entire educational system including the preschool years through high school.  NotYourTypicalMom and I have both chosen to educate our children at home yet our approaches to teaching differ due to our child's unique learning style.  While I have used an eclectic mix of teaching methods (some more traditional) NotYourTypicalMom primarily uses what is known as the unschooling approach to homeschooling.  Every child and family are unique and so it makes good sense that educational approaches are going to reflect these differences.

The one motto that I have adopted over these years is the saying that:

If a child cannot learn the way we teach we must teach him/her the way he/she can learn.

During a time when therapists and educators were arguing with one another over how to best teach Max, I posted this quote on my living room wall for all to see.  It shut them up rather quickly.  :>)

There really is no "right" or "wrong" way to teach other than choosing what works best for your child.  And even then there may be multiple routes to get to the end result...learning.  There is no ONE way.  If someone tells you there is only one way, run.  It simply isn't so. 

Stay tuned to learn more about the endless variety of educational techniques and approaches to teaching your child with special needs.  We hope that you will share your stories with us as well.

In the meantime here are some teaching/learning/educational resources to explore for the child with special needs: 

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