Deciding to homeschool your twice-exceptional child can be daunting and fraught with doubts and some confusion. But once you’ve made the decision that homeschooling is the best educational option for your child, the next question is
how.
How Do I Homeschool My 2e Child?
This question can make any parent anxious, and may even cause a parent to rethink their decision to homeschool their 2e child. Just perusing the many methods and philosophies of homeschooling —as well as the multitude of curriculum offerings —would have any parent a bit overwhelmed. Here we will look at some of the most popular homeschooling methods and philosophies to help you make better decisions about the best educational fit for homeschooling your 2e child.
First, let’s lay to rest the most probable concern every new homeschooling parent is likely to fret over:
Am I qualified to adequately educate my child, especially my gifted 2e child who has specific learning needs? Most often the answer is
yes, and you do not need to be a certified teacher to provide your child with the best education possible. Parents throughout history have always been their child’s first teacher, teaching them to walk, talk, ride a bike, use appropriate social skills, and begin to navigate their world. But, if you feel trigonometry is not in your wheelhouse, know there are other options you can access for your child to master trigonometry. Homeschooling has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, and rich, varied, and comprehensive learning opportunities are abundant.
Before deciding on any method, curriculum, or philosophy for homeschooling, you should check the home education laws in your state and local school district to make sure you comply with all requirements and expectations. You may also discover that your district offers opportunities to homeschoolers in their district. Once you are familiar with the laws, requirements, and options, it’s time to decide the optimal educational fit for your 2e child.
Here are brief explanations of some of the most popular homeschooling philosophies and methods:
UNSCHOOLING
The term
unschooling can be deceptive as it may easily be perceived as being anti-schooling, as though
no learning is being undertaken. The truth is, unschooling has as many definitions and implementations as there are families who unschool. By far, the hallmark of unschooling is that it focuses on the child’s interests and needs rooted in the belief that children have an inherent thirst for learning—it’s child-centered and child-led. The parent’s role is that of a guide or facilitator in their child’s self-driven quest for knowledge. Often, there are no set schedules, time constraints or formal lesson planning as unschooling does not take the form of a traditional six- to seven-hour school day, but usually permeates the family’s day to day life. The child is encouraged to follow his curiosity and passions, what he is most interested in learning, and then given free rein to delve as deeply as he wishes to satiate his desire to learn, discover and understand his chosen topic. As facilitators, parents help their child access the various avenues to gathering the information and knowledge the child desires. A restaurant menu on a family’s dinner out or following a recipe while helping prepare a meal can become learning opportunities.
CLASSICAL
Rooted in the educational philosophies of the ancient Greeks and Romans, classical education is a an approach based on the development of a child’s mind and its ability to learn at different stages in a child’s life. There are three stages of learning within which children receive their education—this is called the “trivium,” which consists of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Its historical foundations focus on rote memorization, paper and pencil, and communication and logic skills—all presented in a parts-to-whole format. The main goal is to teach a child
how to think, not
what to think, although historic and classical texts also provide a structured, rigorous, and comprehensive content framework.
CHARLOTTE MASON
Charlotte Mason was an educator who believed children had a natural inclination and thirst for knowledge and they should be offered a more natural and engaging education that coincides with a child’s natural instincts for learning. Her approach focuses on authentic learning using living books whose stories drew the child in — instead of dry, fact-driven textbooks — and on spending time outdoors studying nature. It also includes handcrafts, art, and music.
TRADITIONAL
Traditional homeschooling is best described as using traditional textbooks and generally using the instructional format found in classrooms—textbooks, separate subjects based on age, and grade levels, schedules, and learning objectives. Most boxed curriculums would be considered traditional, and are those that come packaged with all books, lesson plans, and materials needed to cover all subject areas in one grade level for one typical school year. Many online programs also follow this approach to education, using customary grade-level learning objectives and methods.
UNIT STUDIES
Unit studies focus on a broad topic that provides an access point to academic subject matter. For example, one topic I’ve personally used is the history and production of Lego building blocks. Science was incorporated when discussing the plastic and production method used to produce Lego blocks. When learning about the origins of Lego, historical and geographical content was generated. Math and geometry is a natural extension of building and using Lego building blocks because of the different sizes of the blocks and number of studs on each block. The language arts are easily brought into any unit study through reading, research, and writing throughout the study of the topic.
ECLECTIC
This homeschooling method is exactly what the name implies—an eclectic mix of educational and homeschooling approaches, which are combined to result in an educational program culled to best suit the learning needs of the child. This approach can include a combination of online programs, dual-enrollment in public school or community college classes, private tutoring, traditional textbooks, nature studies, and extracurricular interests such as sports, music, art, internships, volunteer opportunities, or mentorships.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Parents throughout history have always been their child’s first teacher, teaching them children to walk, talk, ride a bike, use appropriate social skills, and begin to navigate their world.[/perfectpullquote]
Now What?
Your next step is to consider your 2e child’s exceptionalities, strengths and weaknesses, as well as his interests. As parents of 2e children, we understand that our children often don’t fit within a set age- or grade-level educational curriculum, which is most likely the reason for choosing to homeschool your 2e child in the first place. This is when a parent should resist the urge to simply replicate the classroom at home or offer your child a grade-level boxed curriculum based on his or her age. If your child’s strength is math and has advanced math skills beyond his or her age-based grade level, then choose a math program which meets your 2e child’s higher-level math skills. With homeschooling, you have the freedom to choose your 2e child’s entire education to meet his or her individual educational needs—each program, each book, each online class, or each opportunity.
You can expect that your educational choices for your child may make you uneasy at some point, maybe even a bit unsure. Remember that if you make a program or educational choice and later feel it is not a good fit for your child, it can be changed, even mid-year. In fact, homeschooling offers you and your child the freedom from schedules, time constraints, and lock-step educational curricula. Take advantage of being able to try different educational choices and to change them when they prove an ill-fit for or don’t engage your 2e child.
Homeschooling affords you the ability to tailor your 2e child’s education to meet all of his or her educational strengths and weaknesses, and can provide a learning environment that will engage and challenge your child. The educational choices you and your child decide on can transform your 2e child’s education to one that nurtures his love of learning, meets each of his educational needs, and can be altered with your child’s changing educational needs.
References:
Lovett, Jessica. “8 Types of Homeschooling (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Montessori and More!).”
HomeEducator.com, Texas Home School Coalition, Retrieved November 25, 2018,
https://homeeducator.com/getting-started/homeschool-types/.
Barnhill, Pam. “The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods.”
Homeschool Solutions with Pam Barnhill. Retrieved November 25, 2018,
https://pambarnhill.com/guide-to-homeschool-methods/.
“Classical Education | The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Styles Series.”
Fearless Homeschoolers, Retrieved November 25, 2018,
https://fearlesshomeschool.com/classical-education-ultimate-guide-homeschooling-styles/.
“Five Homeschooling Styles.”
Simply Charlotte Mason.com, Retrieved November 25, 2018,
https://simplycharlottemason.com/five-homeschooling-styles/.
More information about homeschooling your twice-exceptional child:
Resources: Twice-Exceptional (2e). Gifted Homeschoolers Forum website
(https://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/twice-exceptional/)
Homeschooling 2e—Living and Learning Outside of the Lines website (
http://www.homeschooling2e.com)
“Homeschooling the Gifted or 2e Child.”
(http://www.2enewsletter.com/article_homeschooling_2011_07.html)
“Gifted/2e Homeschooling: Where to Start?” (
https://yellowreadis.com/2016/06/gifted-2e-homeschooling-where-to-start.html)
