If your children have learning differences, choosing homeschool curriculum can be a challenge. But Shawna shares one simple way to ensure you get it right.

Nine years ago this month, I ordered my very first homeschool curriculum. It was an all-in-one, everything-you-need-in-these-boxes type of curriculum and I was so excited. I unpacked the boxes with the enthusiasm of a kid opening presents on Christmas morning.

I carefully put together my lesson plan binders and organized my bookshelves. Every once in a while, I would glance through a workbook or two, excited to get started.

Then, we began homeschooling.

It didn’t take long for my children to rebel. To their credit, they tried. Their little five- and eight-year-old faces looked up at me with an expression that showed they knew I really, really wanted to do all the things. They tried to appease me.

But within a week, it was clear me that they both needed a different approach. I felt like a total failure, only five days in.

Almost a decade later, I have to smile looking back on those early days. Back then, I didn’t know about any of my boys’ learning differences. I didn’t realize that recreating school at home would have the same outcome as school itself had for them. (Not a good fit, to say the least.)

I didn’t know that I could take advantage of the freedom homeschool offers. That I could help my boys learn in ways that worked best for their strengths and differences. 

I only knew that the only person this amazing, beautiful curriculum was working for was me. [Read more…]

When worry that you’re not doing enough for your homeschooled kids eat at, ask yourself these questions to focus on the big picture.

One of the most challenging parts of being a homeschooling mom for me is the nagging feeling that I am missing something.  Eight years in and I still battle the worries.

Should I have made him do more math?

What if his reading delays are because I didn’t push him to do more?

Am I really doing enough?

Over the past month, I have had the pleasure of working directly with families of non-traditional learners to create individualized learning plans. Because we base these plans on the children’s strengths and interests, it requires me to communicate directly with moms about the specifics of their children’s learning.

These families blow me away! Every single child has engaging interests and significant abilities that reach far beyond academics. The parents I work with are doing amazing things to help their kiddos succeed, sometimes in the face of difficult diagnoses and challenging learning differences.

Here’s the thing – I have been wholly impressed. The moms I have worked with, however, all express the same general concern, one that I completely identify with.

I feel like I am not doing enough.  [Read more…]