Homeschooling

This blog post is meant to guide and direct you in your decision to homeschool or not to homeschool.

Learning-style

What kind of learner is the child? What kind of learner are you? Visual, auditory, read-write, or kinesthetic.

This is very important to understand. Many people learn in a variety of ways but most have a natural learning style based on their neurobiological makeup.

As a teacher, it is good to understand what type of learning style you naturally prefer. This is because you will learn to teach subject matter in the way you naturally learn. This may be problematic if your child does not learn in the same way.

Curriculum

There are a number of proprietary paper and online curricula to choose from. As the parent, you must think ahead and ask yourself these questions:

1) Why am I homeschooling?

2) Will my child ever be back in a Texas public school setting again?

3) Will my child need to take standardized tests based on specific standards?

It is important to understand the way your child learns before you decide which curriculum to use. Some paper and online curricula align with Texas education standards whereas others do not. If you do not have the money to purchase a curriculum (paper or online), you can create lessons and activities using the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) standards for your child’s grade-level.

-- See Dallas ISD “Tips for Effective Lesson Plans”

Parent/Teacher Skills Assessment

When deciding to homeschool it is very important to know your own strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. How you learn and your ability to teach another person how “they” learn are vital for effective outcomes.

You must ask yourself these imperative questions: "Do I have the ability to learn how my child learns?", "Will I be able to slowly separate my roles as parent and teacher?", "Do I possess time management skills?", "Do I have personal issues that may hinder the progress of learning?", "Do I have a plan for behavior management?", and "Am I willing to provide the social opportunities needed for my children?".

Principles of learning are a good place to gain an overall understanding on how to effectively learn (teacher), teach, and learn (student). Some of the best qualities of an effective teacher are patience and good planning and organizational skills. Here are a few more qualities of an effective teacher.

Our Roles & Other Useful Information

We are parents first in the mind of our children. As we transition into the role of teacher, we must allow time for this to happen. The homeschool environment will be one area that may move this transition along. Many homeschoolers set up specific areas in the home as the “classroom”. This is the area of the home where most of the academic learning occurs. This helps the parent and the child move into the roles of teacher and student. It is very important to set boundaries and convey understanding of rules and expectations within the classroom environment. The home area and the classroom area should be separate (as much as possible). This will help the parent and child begin to really walk out their roles as teacher and student. (Keep in mind, other environments such as the outdoors, the community center, or a library are also very effective educational settings.)

Time management is vital. As the teacher, you need time to plan and organize your teaching day. If you use a proprietary curriculum (paper or online) you will have more time to plan lessons and supplemental activities. If you create your own lessons, based off the TEKS, you will need more time to plan and organize. Each day must be structured in a way that both you and your student know what is planned. Furthermore, as the teacher you must also plan for days when things don't go as planned. This is perfectly normal. When you plan and organize for each day, it makes unplanned occurrences easier to handle. Flexibility is key!

Parenting, in general, can be stressful. Parents have many concerns and responsibilities that have nothing to do with academic teaching, such as financial difficulties, marital discord, mental health issues, and/or managing other children in the household, to name just a few. It is very important to think about each responsibility you have as a parent and how you plan to deal with these issues in a way that won't negatively affect your academic teaching efforts.

Behavior Plan & Questions to think about!

A behavior management plan will help the parent better transition into the role of teacher. Many parents have a specific parenting style that may or may not be effective at managing child behavior. Having a behavior plan in place will alleviate a lot of frustration. It is very difficult to teach a child exhibiting negative behaviors. A behavior plan is a must.

1) What kinds of behaviors do you foresee being an issue in your home school classroom? 

2) Are you able to manage these behaviors? 

3) Do you have rules and classroom expectations clearly written on your classroom wall? Does your child understand them? 

4) Are you ready to implement the rewards and consequences of your behavior plan?

Socialization 

Socialization opportunities are important for the homeschool teacher as well as the student. Social interactions are a vital part of the learning environment. These activities assist the child in learning about others, how to play with others, builds social skills, and encourages them to better understand “life outside the home”. As parents and teachers, our sole purpose in life is to provide the opportunities that will help our children survive in our society and world.

Community activities such as volunteering, practicing ordering food in a restaurant, buying things from a store, or helping someone in a store are great for enriching their understanding of the importance of community.

Play dates are wonderful for learning turn-taking, sharing, and for language and communication development.

Sports and other recreational activities help a child build active physical and strategic team-player skills.

In Conclusion

Being the leader in your child's education requires a lot. It can truly be one of the most rewarding parts of a parent's and child's life if the process is thought through and planned well.

Donate Locally, Where Your Money Actually Helps!

The month of April is when the nation recognizes autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism. Autism is a lifespan, neurodevelopmental disability that affects 1 in 59 children. It affects a person’s social communication and social interaction skills. It is also characterized by restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors. During the month of April, many organizations raise funds through awareness walks and other events. On the national level, many of us are not sure where these funds go. This is why most parent-led autism support organizations do not lend a hand or give money to organizations that collect millions of dollars each year and only allocate a few of those dollars to help increase the quality of life (QOL) of caregivers and families.

However, money raised by local organizations is given back to our community by providing advice & support to caregivers and autistics, assistance with autism interventions and treatments, educational guidance, parent training, and respite (AKA caregiver breaks). The following non-profit organizations actively assist caregivers and autistics every month in and around Houston: Houston Disability Chamber of Commerce, Tee Time for Autism, Hope for Three, Paradigm Development Center, Special Needs Sibs, Spectrum Fusion, Inspiring Hands, Easter Seals of Greater Houston, the ARC of Greater Houston, the ARC of Fort Bend, Katy Autism Support, Reach for Kids, Man-II-Man, The Village, Langham Creek YMCA, Friends and Families of Asians with Special Needs, Mikey's Place, FEAT-Houston, Treasures of Joy, Camp Blessing, and local churches that have a special needs ministry. During this month of autism awareness and throughout the year, please consider giving your donations to one of these local organizations. Below are some specific reasons, caregivers and autistics in our local area need your help.

1) Interventions and treatments. After an autism diagnosis is received, the next step is typically locating interventions and treatments. Effective evidence-based autism interventions and treatments can cost between $2,500 - $8,000 per month (behavioral therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and sometimes physical therapy). If a household income is below a certain amount, the state provides some assistance, for a limited time. If a household income is above a certain amount, a parent may be able to use private insurance to pay. However, most insurance providers shy away from paying because of how expensive treatments are. There are some insurance providers that do pay, but they usually allow limited hours per week.

Research shows better long-term prognosis when a child receives early interventions and treatments. This directly affects the quality of life (QOL) for the child, the parents and the family. Furthermore, it relieves an overall, long-term financial burden off the state, city, and county resources. 

2) Education. Some parents opt out of public special education for varying reasons. The most common reason is that many public schools do not have the ability to address the complex educational needs of autistics. Some parents use public special education opportunities but supplement by hiring a tutor. Tutors can cost from $15 - $35 per hour. Additionally, there are times when a parent needs to hire a special education advocate when dealing with the special education process. Special education advocates may cost between $25.00 - $75.00 per hour. Some parents enroll their child in a private school setting that specializes in educating autistics. Full-day, private schools can cost from $1,100 - $3,000 per month (although a few specialized schools offer scholarships to help a family defray some of the costs).

3) Lost wages. Autism is characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behaviors. At an early age many children on the spectrum are "kicked out" of childcare

centers because of aberrant and disruptive behaviors. Some parents find in-home childcare opportunities and some have relatives that care for the child. However, many parents lose wages and sometimes their jobs because they have to care for their child. Additionally, employment status is affected due to taking off from work for a child's therapies and medical appointments.

4) Parent Mental Health. Did you know parents of autistics experience more stress than any other parent population? This is due to many factors such as aberrant child behaviors, lack of support, and feelings of helplessness. Many organizations in and around Houston provide respite services specifically for this reason. Respite services are an opportunity for the caregiver to take a break. Respite is vital for the parent.

• For the parent, there are a number of tasks that are required but are difficult to complete on a normal day of caring and managing an autistic, family, and work. (e.g., filling out applications for schools, services, or funding, calling various agencies, autism-related service providers, insurance companies, and/or managing other family/work-related tasks that never get accomplished). Another important benefit of respite for the parent is the ability to regain strength, stamina, and the energy needed to implement early intervention (EI) strategies. Research has clearly shown stressed parents are unable to effectively implement EI, which further exacerbates problematic child behaviors that directly affect a parent's mental stability.