Freedom to Explore Homeschooling
By Kacy Weigle, Tennessee H&V
When you first got the diagnosis that your child was hard of hearing, what were your initial thoughts? I would venture to guess that somewhere in the top five of those existed a fear of their future in education. Giving your child the education they need and deserve is an issue that is paramount during early intervention and as they progress through the school system. But what if your dream for the best education for your child was through homeschooling? Would you still create goals to get your child to that point?
Our journey with deafness forced me to think about my answers to these questions. My goals for my child have changed over the years with time, knowledge, patience, and value shifts. I started him off in every single program I could get him in. He had hours and hours of therapy every week. In addition, I enrolled him in a special needs preschool in the school system as soon as he was potty trained. Next, I pushed him to be mainstreamed in a different school by age four all while continuing to cart him to audiologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists. But as we spent much time in the car, I began to feel the tug that I was working him too much. He is capable, but was it necessary? My thoughts drifted to a less structured schedule, a more robust collection of subjects and interests, and a God-given teacher who already knew exactly when something was malfunctioning with his cochlear implant. I began to wonder if I had what it took to help my own child.
Homeschooling is not for everyone, but it is for many! If you’ve ever considered it, don’t discount it because of a diagnosis that threw you off track. It is still an option. I didn’t pull my children from the school system because of his hearing loss, but there are advantages related to that which we now enjoy. For example, his class size is now much smaller and so the hearing environment is better and one-on-one attention more readily available. He gets more restful sleep after struggling for years without adequate rest. Now, our speech therapy sessions are scheduled during the week when it is best for the whole family. The other children are able to work on their studies while he is getting extra help with his communication skills. Another perk is that it frees up time during the day for other interests such as music or specialized sports not typically offered at most public schools.
We have enjoyed the freedom that came along with learning at home and his deafness was just another way that he could demonstrate that nothing will hold him back!
It was beneficial to me to see other parents of deaf or hard of hearing children homeschooling, too. It felt like a community that was even more specific for us! The beauty of our choice to homeschool was made sweeter that his hearing loss didn’t play a huge role in our decision. We benefit from what the public school offers while still being able to learn at home in ways that are tailored to each child and fit in with what we know about the way children learn.
These were some of the resources important to us when starting out. Some are related to homeschooling but most are more general resources that we use all the time.
Resources for Homeschooling
Books on Homeschooling
- Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie
- For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
- The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
Books on Reading
- The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
- The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
Websites/Podcast on Homeschooling
- https://www.bewildandfree.org
- The Mason Jar Podcast
- Read Aloud Revival Podcast
- A Delectable Education Podcast
- Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/1435791790006732/
There are many avenues one could take to get children set up in homeschooling. We choose to independently homeschool through the school system in our area. This allows us freedom to choose what we want to study, but it also allows my deaf child to receive services through the school system with his IEP. Because we school this way, he can take advantage of speech and occupational therapy twice a week at the local public school. More information on homeschooling requirements through our state can be found here: https://www.tn.gov/education/families/school-options/home-schooling-in-tn.html ~
Editor’s note: The author is a parent Board member and parent consultant for the Tennessee Chapter.