05/20/2002

Homeschooled Children with Special Needs

I occasionally write about parents who choose to educate their children at home. Critics of homeschoolers sometimes note that parents sacrifice a rewarding career for themselves by staying home to educate their children. Still others might think that it's impossible for one or two adults to teach children enough about all the subjects to insure their success in college and careers. The following letter is from a man who, with his wife, has educated several natural and adopted children at home, including several children with special needs. He tells readers how they have equipped their children for independent, successful lives on their own.

Dear Beth,

My wife, like many other women, is now into her second (or is it third?) career. She just completed a Masters in Special Education with a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average while homeschooling and running a foster home for premature, medically complex infants for the state of Connecticut.

We were two of the 1,000 parents that home schooled our children in Maine in 1992. There are 4,000 today. We now live in Connecticut where statistics are more hidden, but we belong to a support group of nearly 100.

Our first five children attended public schools. I then realized I could do no worse. Our oldest daughter had a 140 tested I.Q. and completed elementary school in 7 years and high school in 3. She had horrible experiences. We also had children at the opposite end of the spectrum with 75 I.Q.s and IEPs in Special Ed. They each received an equally poor education.

Our 11 year old, two years ago attended school to gain a comparison. He tested 10% above the next highest student in his class on the Connecticut standardized testing for 5th grade. He was placed one year above his chronological age as a guess to his functioning. He nearly lost a year of education and has just now caught up.

My wife is starting her third "career" as am I. She was a Medical Technologist and keeps her certification. She then studied mental health and is a nationally certified Crisis Intervention Specialist.

I spent 10 years in Music Education teaching K-12 vocal and instrumental music. The next 10 were spent in social work, founding and doing case work for an adoption agency that places special needs children. When one of our children became terminally ill, I left the agency to work in a nursing home; a slower pace.

I then attended seminary and am now a minister in a small church. This allows me flexible time to teach my children and to tutor others.

We are not exceptions but rather most common. I teach the humanities while my wife teaches the sciences. I do math, she teaches languages. We have "specialists" that we call on for things like poetry, art, computer, and calculus. We trade our gifts for those of others. I find music easy; others find lab sciences fun. No money changes hands. We both are/were certified teachers, which is common among home schoolers.

Parents are legislated in Connecticut to "provide for their child's education." They may use public, private or charter schools, if needed. First and foremost, they are charged with providing for their children's education. We do this in a safe environment while integrating our children into society through extracurricular activities such as music, the town recreation program's soccer and basketball, youth group, and field trips.

Home schooling is not "a noble experiment" but a high quality education that prepares children for further education. Many schools PREFER home school students. One in Maine that surprised me in their literature was Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. Home schooled students have discipline, excellent study skills and use reference material in a more efficient manner.

Lastly, we produced our first three home schooled students to the world three years ago. All completing high school at the same time, Ricky, 18, (tested I.Q. of 75, and told he would never be able to read in kindergarten by reading specialists in special education) has attended Three Rivers Community College for two years until offered a job in Atlanta, where he lives today. Todd, 17, Ricky's biological brother and termed "behaviorally impaired" in 6th grade, attended the same college for one year, then entered the military and today runs his own business in Atlanta.

Sean, born without arms, attended the same school for one year then transferred to Bangor Theological Seminary as its youngest incoming student ever, at 18. On academic probation due to his age, he attained a 4.0 his first year. This last fall he entered the Master of Divinity program there as the youngest student to do so. Sean answers questions and does presentations regarding home schooling, handicap awareness, etc. and can be contacted at:

seanjharper@hotmail.com.

Feel free to contact me with questions at any time.

Sincerely,

Lou Harper
Email: louharper@snet.net

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Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.