HOMESCHOOLING WITH DYSLEXIA 101:

What You Need To Know About Homeschooling Your Kids With Dyslexia

By Marianne Sunderland

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Text Copyright © 2015 Marianne Sunderland
All Rights Reserved

Cover Design | MelindaMartin.me

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Intro: How I Overcame my Fear of Homeschooling

Chapter 1: Getting Started Homeschooling With Dyslexia

Chapter 2: Understanding Learning Styles

Chapter 3: Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Chapter 4: Homeschool Methods

Chapter 5: Finding the Right Homeschool Curriculum

Chapter 6: Creating a Homeschool Schedule That Works

Chapter 7: Setting Realistic Goals

Chapter 8: Tips for Getting It All Done

Conclusion

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 Intro: How I Overcame my Fear of Homeschooling

Our family’s experiences teaching children with dyslexia is somewhat

unusual in that we have always homeschooled. Even more unusual is the
fact that of our 8 children, 7 of them have some degree of dyslexia whether
mild, moderate, or profound.

A common fear that parents have of homeschooling their dyslexic child is

that they believe that they are ill-prepared or unqualified to adequately
teach them. I struggled with this fear for many years. I'd like to share a
story of how I overcame this fear.

When our oldest two kids were 9 and 7 years old, our family took a three
year sailing trip. Our 9-year-old was still not reading well and the 7-year-old
was following in his footsteps. We had explored several treatment options
but they were expensive and had little evidence that they were truly
effective.

While we were on our sailing trip, we rented our house out to a family with
children our own kids’ ages. They were enrolled in the local public school
that our kids would have attended had we chosen to go that route.

We found out later that their 8-year-old daughter had all of the classic signs
of dyslexia. She struggled to read but her teacher was unaware of dyslexia
symptoms and misjudged her as a lazy girl who just didn’t try hard enough.
This teacher tried to motivate the young girl by forcing her to read out loud
and mocking her in front of the entire class. She was teased and laughed at
to the point of feigning illness so that she would not have to go to school.
Certainly this is not always the case in the classroom, however, it is far too
common. The teacher simply did not know how to teach kids like this
family’s daughter who was a bright girl who learned differently or that these
differences were signs that she needed outside help.

At this point I knew that even if my kids never learned to read, it would be
better than subjecting them to the sort of treatment our friends' daughter
experienced. Of course my kids did learn to read because as a highly
motivated parent, I searched and searched until I found what would really
help my kids - without the shame and humiliation of being 'behind' in
school.

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Over the past 20 years that we have homeschooled our kids with dyslexia, I
have learned by experience that not only is it possible, in my humble
opinion, it is the best option if it is within your power to do so.

My goal for this book is to encourage you and empower you that you are
the best advocate and teacher for your dyslexic children.

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 Chapter 1: Getting Started Homeschooling With Dyslexia

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed
is always to try just one more time." - Thomas Edison

Overcoming Doubts

Before we go any further, we need to deal with doubt; your own doubt and
the doubt of the many well-meaning friends and family members in your
life. Many people who consider homeschooling their kids with dyslexia are
overwhelmed by doubts about their ability to teach their own kids. I mean if
the schools, who are supposed to be the ‘educational experts’ can’t do it,
how on Earth can I?

The truth of the matter is that accredited teachers, even reading specialists
with advanced degrees, are leaving school with little to no instruction on
dyslexia, the warning signs or which methods for teaching kids with
dyslexia really work.

Because of this, many parents with kids who are struggling end up waiting
for years to get their kids tested, and into a program that will help them, if
that ever happens at all. By this time, these kids are significantly behind
and have been embarrassed and demoralized by their lack of reading and
writing ability. These experiences can be very damaging to developing kids.
I guess a better way to look at this doubt is, “If the schools can’t educate
my dyslexic kids, I will have to do it do it myself!”

As a homeschooler, whether you teach your children to read yourself using

one of several solid, parent-friendly, research-based reading curricula or
you choose to hire a profession dyslexia tutor, you will have control of what
your child is learning and have the freedom to change anything that isn’t
working whenever you choose.

Benefits to Homeschooling With Dyslexia

▪ Freedom to choose teaching methods and curricula is just one of

many benefits to homeschooling kids with dyslexia.

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 ▪ Homeschooling allows for the necessary individualized instruction
that kids who learn differently need and in all subject areas: reading,
spelling, composition and comprehension.

▪ Homeschooling allows for kids to focus on areas of interest and for

lessons to be planned around this interests, also known as interest-
led learning - one of the most effective, enjoyable and motivating
methods of teaching.

▪ Homeschooling allows for freedom from being measured against

peers, day in and day out, with no learning difficulties and the shame
and embarrassment that comes with it.

▪ Homeschooling allows for your child to work at their own pace

using, resources that work best with their individual strengths.

▪ Homeschooling necessarily avoids the rigid scheduling and

standardized testing {and the practice of teaching to the test} that is
required in the public schools.

Don’t believe me? Listen to what the International Dyslexia Association has
to say:

“dyslexic students need direct, systematic and individual instruction in

reading and spelling and traditional schools do not always provide
adequate levels of service”.

Nobody cares for your child like you do. Don’t underestimate the power of
caring and motivated parent to figure out the best way to educate their
children.

Having homeschooled 7 dyslexic kids over the past 20 years, I am a huge

believer in homeschooling dyslexic children because of the simple fact that
dyslexic children thrive in the homeschool environment, despite the
mistakes that I have made along the way.

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Is Homeschooling Even Legal? and Other Questions

Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. There are no special

requirements for families who have kids with learning disabilities -
diagnosed (we’ll talk about that later) or not.

Homeschooling is increasingly mainstream. To get started homeschooling

you will want to find out the laws in your individual state. Home School
Legal Defense (HSLDA) is a good place to start. I recommend joining
HSLDA for the protection they provide in the rare occasion that you would
need legal support. Your yearly membership fees also goes towards
helping HSLDA keep an eye on legislation that affects homeschooling in
the United States.

According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NRERI)

there were over 2 million children being homeschooled, that is, parent-led,
home-based education, in the United States in the year 2010. Home
educated kids score above average on achievement tests regardless of
their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.
The NHERI also found that homeschool students are increasingly being
actively recruited by colleges. For more of the NHERI’s research facts on
homeschooling, please visit their web site here.

Get plugged in to a good local homeschool support group (resources

available on the Homeschool Legal Defense web site). Many local
homeschool organizations have support and encouragement groups for
families with non-traditional learners.

Find other families who are teaching kids who learn differently who can
support you and guide you along the way.

Learning Styles

Dyslexia does not just affect a person’s ability to read. It can also affect,
spelling, handwriting, math and organizational skills. Although very bright,
dyslexic kids learn differently. The freedom to individualize your child’s
education by homeschooling allows for children to be taught at their own
pace with the methods in which they learn best.

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In the next chapter, Understanding Learning Styles, we’ll talk about
learning styles and how to plan your instruction using resources and
methods best suited to your family’ unique learning profile.

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 Chapter 2: Understanding Learning Styles

"Just as we develop our physical muscles by overcoming opposition - such

as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming
challenges and adversity." - Stephen Covey

What is a Learning Style?

Learning style is a broad term used to describe the factors that influence all
aspects of learning. You may have heard the common, simplified view of
learning styles as a choice of either the auditory, visual or kinesthetic
pathway. While all people use every one of these pathways for learning;
most people prefer one over the other. There are many factors that affect a
person’s ability to learn.

One of the most widely used and researched models of learning styles is
the Dunn and Dunn model which is outlined by the following areas of
individual preference:

Environmental

• sound
• light
• temperature
• design

Is your child effected by noise or bright lights? Do they struggle with a

cluttered work space?

Emotional

• motivation
• persistence
• responsibility
• structure

Does your child lack confidence or get overwhelmed by big projects? Do

they thrive with a loose schedule or do they need instruction every minute?

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Sociological

• learning by self
• pairs
• peers
• team
• with an adult

Does your child like working with others, by himself or does he need you
right next to him?

Physiological

• perceptual preference (auditory, visual, kinesthetic)

• food and drink intake
• time of day
• level of mobility allowed

Does your child learn better by hearing, seeing, or by getting her hands on
things? Do they learn better in the morning or in the afternoon? Does your
child need to move around and stretch frequently?

Psychological

• global or analytical preferences

• impulsive or reflective

Does your child need to learn the big picture first? Does your child need
time for quiet reflection?

Freedom for Individualization With Homeschooling

While the length of this list this might make the idea of finding your child's
learning style seem overwhelming at first, it really is fairly intuitive. You can
also see why homeschooling provides more freedom to adapt these many
factors for the individuals in your family.

By intentionally observing your children everyday with these factors in

mind, you will come to know what triggers struggles for your child.

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I have one daughter who simply cannot focus if there is a lot of noise in the
room. I have another daughter who likes to listen to music while she does
her schoolwork. This isn’t done overnight. Adjusting your homeschool to
create a more effective learning environment can be done and perfected
over time.

The freedom to adapt your teaching method to your child’s individual

learning style is one of the main benefits to homeschooling the dyslexic
child.

Dyslexic students have often been said to have a ‘learning disability’. I am

going to step out on a limb here and say that it would be at least equally fair
to say that dyslexic learners are suffering from a teaching disability. This is
not to say that teachers are inherently incompetent. Most teachers are
sincere in their desire to effectively teach their students.

The most effective teaching style for the dyslexic learner is not easy to
implement in a classroom of 30+ children, all at different levels with a
variety of differing learning styles

‘Typical’ Learning Styles of Dyslexics

As many as 80% of struggling learners are right-brain dominant. That does

not mean that right-brain dominance is a weakness. Considering that most
school curricula teach in a more left-brained style, things start to make
sense. Look at the following chart of right and left-brain functions and then
think about what style of learning would benefit most from the typical public
or private school classroom: workbooks, worksheets, rote memorization,
timed tests, lectures.

If your child is struggling with these methods of schooling, you may do well
to change the way you are teaching. By tapping into the strong right-brain
strengths – music, color, emotion, humor – you are in a sense, speaking
their language.

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How to Determine Your Learning Style

Another great way to begin to better understand the learning styles of you
and your children, is to take a learning styles assessment to find out quickly
how you and your child(ren) learn best.

Our school group had the opportunity to hear Mariaemme Willis, author of
the book Discover Your Child’s Learning Style: Children Learn in Unique
Ways – Here’s the Key to Every Child’s Learning Success speak on the
importance of understanding learning styles in the homeschool.

She has created a very comprehensive online learning style evaluation. It

includes not only talents but also other aspects of learning such as

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interests, modality, environment, and disposition – a very detailed
assessment. I was not so surprised by my own assessment – I know
myself pretty well. However, I was definitely surprised by some of my kids’
results {although they were not!}.

Mariaemme has offered my readers a $5.00 discount on the learning style

assessment. Click here for more information. Have all of your kids take the
assessment – you may be surprised at what you learn!

Don't forget to find out the learning style of you – the teacher. We will tend
to teach in the way that we learn best. If we tend to learn best with
textbooks but our child doesn’t, we can end up with a lot of tears and
frustration.

Learning more about the specific learning styles within your family can be
very helpful in understanding how to work with your child instead of against
them.

Helping your child(ren) to learn how they learn best is critical for equipping
them to be successful and independent learners, both now and in the
future.

I hope that you are beginning to see the power that you have as a
homeschooler to give your child the individualized education that he or she
needs to thrive.

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 Chapter 3: Creating a Positive Learning Environment

"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that
may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will
succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles.
Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever
lost.." - Helen Keller

Before we talk about homeschool teaching methods, how to purchase

books and other curricula to teach your kids at home and creating a
homeschool schedule, I want to talk about creating a positive learning
environment in your home. Later as you begin to fill in the details of your
curricula and schedule you can bear in mind this idea of making your home
a safe place for your kids to learn the way they learn best and at their own
pace - an individualized education.

Talking about individualized education sounds awesome while reading

about it in the comfort of our living rooms. Somehow, however, when we
begin to implement our teaching philosophies, many parents revert to a
traditional teaching method and environment.

Let me explain. I was one of the ‘good kids’ in school. I could sit still, follow
directions and quickly learned not to ask too many questions. Just tell me
how many pages to complete ma’am!

Because most of us were educated within the traditional school setting of

either a public or private institution, we tend to default to this teaching
method. This can take some time to undo. Understanding the impact of
these ideologies on our homeschooling decisions is the first step in creating
a positive learning environment in our homes.

We talked about learning styles and the typical learning styles of dyslexic
learners. Is it okay for our kids to do school in the dining room? Outside?
Under the dining room table? This may feel strange for us and for our kids
who are used to a traditional school environment.

It is okay to rethink things like:

Where we do school
How long we do school

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 What we teach
What we don’t teach
How we teach

Overcoming Negative Public/Private School Experiences

Before I go any further I must address the issue of overcoming any school
inflicted trauma that your kids may have experienced before beginning to
homeschool. I have talked to too many parents whose kids have
completely lost their desire to learn. Their confidence is so low they don’t
even want to try anymore. The good news is that these same parents have
been able to rekindle their kids' love of learning over time through their
homeschool experience.

Here are some tips for reviving a love for learning in your discouraged
learners:

Back way off on teaching standard subjects. While this may seem
counterintuitive since your child may be considered ‘behind’ their peers in
the school system, it really is how to start their healing.

Experience real life together. What does your child enjoy doing? Find
activities that you can do together to stimulate thoughts and ideas aside
from academic things for a time. Whether you spend time cooking, hiking,
drawing or painting, take time to talk about real life activities that your child
enjoys.

Read out loud. It is likely that a dyslexic child who has been discouraged
by his or her experience at school will NOT want to read. That is okay for
now. Find books of interest and read them aloud. Discuss the ideas,
characters and themes from your read aloud time. This should not be a
time of lecture or overt teaching rather a time for your child to find his or her
voice and feel comfortable discussing their own ideas in a safe
environment.

Focus on Interests. If your child is an animal lover, go to the zoo, local

farms, animal breeders in your area, etc. Be creative! By helping your child
to remember the things that they love, you will help them to rekindle their
passions and an interest in learning.

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Some Thoughts on Interest-led Learning

Kids Are Always Learning

In our large homeschooling with 8 children, there just necessarily was a lot
of downtime for our kids. There was no way that I could be everywhere all
the time. I observed something very interesting during this time. My kids,
regardless of what they were doing, were always engaged in some form of
learning. They were absolutely compelled to it. I did not have to be
‘teaching’ them every minute in order for them to be learning.

Despite my fears about my kids reading difficulties, they had been blessed
with massive amounts of natural curiosity and passion for life. I began to
see how their ‘down time’ was actually propelling them to pursue their
interests. With limited constraints on their time, my kids were finding time to
create, build, nurture and pretend to their hearts content.

Using Interests to Motivate

When my oldest daughter was 10-years old, she was an avid animal lover.
She would check out tall stacks of books from the library on any and
everything to do with the animals she so longed to own.

The trouble was that she was still not an independent reader. I had my
hands full with lots of little ones and was often unable to finish the books
we had started reading.

Interestingly, her passion for learning everything about animals propelled

her to do the hard work (reading for a dyslexic is always hard work) of
finishing those books on her own. That year, she cracked the code of
reading, overcoming great obstacles to realize her own interests.
That, my friends, is power.

Stepping Away From the Traditional School Model

Stepping away from the traditional school model isn’t as scary or

dangerous as it may seem. In fact, many aspects of interest-led learning
take place quite naturally. With a little effort on the part of parents, this
learning can expand and grow into a fantastic learning experience.

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How to Encourage Interest-led Learning

Give kids down time. Play is a child’s work. Make sure that they have
plenty of time for it. It is okay for kids to be bored!

Observe kids interests. Pay attention to what interests your kids. For
some it may be obvious, like our daughter’s love of animals. Others are
more subtle, like our young son’s fascination with machines and figuring
out how things work.

Encourage interests with books, tools and your gentle support.

Provide support in the form of outings, materials or other resources that
can enhance your child’s learning.

Kids can learn many skills and gain much information from interest-led
learning in a way that keeps them engaged and enjoying learning.

An example of interest-led learning:

The daughter that I mentioned above had for many years a love for
animals.

Here is how her interest-led learning looked:

We noticed our daughter’s interest in animals and took time for any
opportunities to see, touch or learn about animals in our daily lives. We
took frequent trips to the local zoos, animal rescue stations, beaches and
parks etc.

We began to gather resources such as field guides, binoculars, and library

books on the animals that she was learning about. She began to keep a
nature journal, drawing and labeling the animals that she had seen.

After reading some fictional books about the lives of animals, our daughter,
who was dyslexic and as yet unable to write well, dictated animal stories to
us that included characteristics of animals that she knew about.

We watched documentaries and read library books about various animals,

learning about mating and other habits as well as the habitats that the
animals needed to thrive.

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We began to notice the role of animals in history such as the fascinating
ideas held by ancient Egyptians about animals and their supernatural
powers.

Eventually, our daughter bought her first rabbit and learned how to care for
it.

She joined 4-H and began to learn more about rabbits, eventually buying a
trio of rabbits to breed. Studied breeding schedules and prepared for her
rabbits to give birth.

She learned to document the rabbits' pedigrees and sold rabbits at rabbit
shows.

This eventually branched out into owning other animals, showing them at
the local county fair and earning money by selling prize-winners.

She saved money so that at 15 years old she could afford to buy her own
horse.

Over time, our daughter's interest in animals waned and was replaced by
other interests. She learned so much from this experience.

What Was Learned

Handwriting. Keeping track of the animals she saw through a nature

journal was a natural need for using good handwriting.

Art. Practicing sketching the animals that she saw using various forms of
media.

Composition. Writing, or in our case - narrating, stories inspired by the

information she was learning and the characteristics of each animal.

Observation. Sketching and photographing animals and trying to match

them to our field guides helped our daughter hone her powers of
observation, making note of tiny variations in species, etc.

Research. Using field guides to determine an animal’s species is a basic

research skill.

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Library Skills. Over time our daughter was able to find the animal sections
in both the adult and juvenile sections of the library and eventually she
learned how to use the online catalogue as well.

Reading. For a struggling reader, learning about a subject of great interest

supplied the motivation to press through the difficulties of reading and read
all of this library books and field guides.

Biology. Applying all of her knowledge and carefully breeding and raising
young rabbits taught our daughter about the miracle and delicate nature of
life.

Business. Unable to keep all of the rabbits she was raising, she learned
the value of the animals and found a market for selling her specific,
pedigreed breed.

Sure, there is a tendency to feel like our kids won’t learn what they need to
learn without the use of textbooks or the traditional methods of teaching
found in schools. Hopefully, you can see now that interest-led learning not
only covers many areas of study, it does so while maintaining a love for
learning.

I hope this idea of creating a positive learning environment has been an

encouragement to you. In our next chapter, we will look at different
homeschool teaching methods and how to choose one, or several, that are
a good fit for your dyslexic homeschooled kids.

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 Chapter 4: Homeschool Methods

“Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become

successful." - Zig Ziglar

Hopefully, you are feeling more and more empowered as you go through
this free course that homeschooling your dyslexic kids is not only doable
but enjoyable. No two homeschools will ever be just the same. That is one
of the beauties of homeschooling our kids. We can set up a learning
environment that nurtures our kids learning styles and allows them the
freedom to pursue their interests making learning much more effective and
enjoyable.

Let’s take a look at an overview of the different homeschool methods that

are available today. Keep in mind the learning styles of you and your kids.
Remember, there will be a homeschool method that appeals to your
learning style and one that will appeal to your kids’ learning styles.

Homeschool Methods

Most of us were raised with the traditional text book, workbook, quiz and
test format. These methods make it easier to organize and manage the
teacher-to-student ratio in the public or private schoolroom – mainly for
organizational purposes. Everybody has the same assignments. Everyone
is required to complete the same work. There is little room for individualized
instruction, even if there was understanding of the benefits to doing so. We
don’t need to limit ourselves to this method. There are many different
homeschool methods.

Traditional: Closest to what you find in a traditional classroom. This

method may be a good fit for your family if you have recently brought your
kids out of the public school system. This method is heavily teacher driven
and often involves the parent teaching with the student completing written
assignments.

Classical: This approach uses the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) as its
main focus. A classical student will receive formal training in Latin, Logic,
Greek, and Western Literature. The Socratic Method is instilled in the
student to develop a critical thinker. The goal is to train the student to think
for himself and become a future leader. Think of the student/teacher

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relationship of Aristotle and Alexander the Great as an example of this
method. A classical student will study mathematics and history in depth.

Unit Studies: Unit studies integrate all subjects into one theme. Good for
combining subjects with multiple ages, is hands-on and activity based.
Good for teaching multiple ages at once. Often the theme is determined by
the child’s interests, literature book, or time period being studied. Science
and math are sometimes done outside of the unit study. Unit studies can
range from 4 to 9 to 12-week intervals.

Charlotte Mason: A whole child approach that is based around reading

‘living books” but includes focus on short, intense class meetings, nature
study, narration, copy work, and the study of fine arts. The Charlotte Mason
Method is a literature-based method, which also focuses on habit training.
The student is trained in all areas--from education to social graces through
habits. This instills positive habits as natural; consider the CM motto, “I Am,
I Can, I Ought.” Students are encouraged to perform at their best in all
subjects, competing only with themselves. Charlotte Mason students have
short classes with focus on excellent execution of material. Charlotte
Mason educators are well known for nature study, narration, copy work,
living books, study of fine arts, and the lack of textbooks. The goal is to
instill a love of learning and a curiosity about life. This method has many
characteristics that appeal to the dyslexic learner.

Montessori: Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, this method is student-

driven yet tempered by a structured environment. The Montessori method
is well known for use with young children in preschool and early elementary
schools due to the focus on sensory and motor training. The student is
given the freedom to explore his environment at his own pace and level of
interest. This is a hands-on method, whereby the parent or teacher
becomes more of an encourager or guide through the educational
experience.

Waldorf Method: The Waldorf method is also used in some homeschools.

Waldorf education is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and stresses the
importance of educating the whole child—body, mind, and spirit. In the
early grades, there is an emphasis on arts and crafts, music and
movement, and nature. Older children are taught to develop self-
awareness and how to reason things out for themselves. Children in a
Waldorf homeschool do not use standard textbooks; instead, the children

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create their own books. The Waldorf method also discourages the use of
television and computers because they believe computers are bad for the
child's health and creativity.

Thomas Jefferson Method: The Thomas Jefferson Method of

homeschooling is based in the Idea of Leadership Education and not the
conveyor belt system of the traditional school education. The principles are
seen in these seven keys:

• Classics, Not Textbooks

• Mentors, Not Professors
• Inspire, Not Require
• Structure Time, Not Content
• Simplicity, Not Complexity
• Quality, Not Conformity
• You, Not Them

Eclectic: This method is developed over time through experience as a

homeschooler. This homeschooler has determined the nature of how each
of her children learns and is confident in her knowledge of curriculum and
education. Simply put, the homeschooler picks and chooses curriculum and
aspects of methods that best fit her family.

Please do not misunderstand; one does not develop into an eclectic

homeschooler because of her level of ability, confidence, and experience.
One does not aspire to one day be an eclectic homeschooler. You can be a
mature homeschooler with years of experience and remain faithful to a
single method or a mix of two methods. However, becoming eclectic is
something that requires time and experience by someone who is naturally
driven to tailor make her curriculum and homeschool. This method is also
nice for accommodating multiple learning styles.

Unschooling Method: Perhaps the most controversial method,

unschooling is completely student directed. A student is able to learn at his
own pace and choose his own interests. Lessons are learned through
hobbies, play, interests, and life experience. Unschoolers do not
use grades or labels to identify students. The use of textbooks, classes,
unit studies, or tests is rarely, if ever, used. The focus is on imagination,
creative thought, critical thinking, nature, art, and music. The child’s entire
environment is his classroom, as there is not a designated “class time,”

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classroom, or curriculum. Parents adopt the philosophy that children learn
out of a sense of curiosity and use the world around them as their
classroom. This method is purposeful and should not be confused with
neglect, laziness, or lacking in education.

Take some time to look over the methods that appeal to you and your kids.

Review some of the resources and think about which methods appeal to
both you and your students.

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 Chapter 5: Finding the Right Homeschool Curriculum

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." - Moliere

Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum for Your Family

With so many excellent curricula to choose from, how can you find the best
materials for your family? Taking into account learning styles and
homeschool methods that appeal to you and your students, you can begin
to search for curriculums that are the best fit.

General Tips

▪ Search online for curricula that fit your family’s learning style.
• Read the reviews
• Talk to other homeschool moms of dyslexic kids (or read their
blogs!)
• Look for curriculums with audio options
• Look for curriculums with hands-on activities

Finding Balance:

There will be a homeschool method that appeals to you, the teacher, and
another one that will appeal to your child, the student. Usually, the style(s)
that you find the most interesting will be the most effective. I am a classic
left-brained, just-tell-me-how-many-pages-to-fill-in kind of girl. I like the
order and clarity of workbooks.

My kids, however, struggle with that type of learning. My right-brained,

creative children would rather act out a scene from a certain period of
history than write a paper on it. This is completely overwhelming to me. We
have had to find compromise in our curriculum so that they are learning
and I am not stressing out!

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General Learning Preferences for Dyslexic Learners

Dyslexic kids, in general, do better with:

• shorter, intense teaching sessions

• auditory learning {audio books, discussion, educational DVDs}
• oral work or discussion of material

Dyslexic learners {in general} donʼt do so well with:

• lots of writing {look for narration exercises, arts-based assignments}

• learning by reading {look for curriculums with video or audio
lectures}
• spelling lists
• rote memorization

While all people (dyslexic or not) have certain ways that they learn best,
using a multi-sensory approach (combining seeing, saying, listening and
doing) will help your child learn faster and enhance his or her ability to
retain new information.

Also, making accommodations for learning styles should not exclude

learning by other methods. If your child learns better through the auditory
channel, great. Use auditory methods when you can but still be working on
improving reading speed and comprehension on a daily basis.

Donʼt be Afraid to ʻTweekʼ Things

Most homeschool curriculums can be adapted to fit alternate learning

styles. A few years ago, my two 9th-graders were working through a
rigorous Integrated Physics and Chemistry curriculum. I had found a
curriculum that was taught on video which appealed to their auditory
learning preference.

However, the accompanying reading assignments were quite difficult and

full of vocabulary that they had never heard before. We began the year
plugging their (online) reading assignments into a text-to-speech app on
our iPad. This was helpful, because they could follow along as the iPad
read their assignment.

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However, the content was still confusing to them so, rather than
immediately list the curriculum on eBay (which I have done plenty of times!)
I decided to sit one or two days per week and read the assignment with
them. We stopped whenever there was something we didn’t understand,
looked up vocabulary words or better yet, watched a video or two on the
Kahn Academy web site. {Oh my, this site is a homeschool mom’s dream
come true!}

We also had a lot of discussions about what we were learning and were
finding connections to things that we already knew. By creatively working
with our curriculum, we were able to make it work for us. Did I buy this
same curriculum for Biology the following year? No, but we did learn how to
learn which is a large part of homeschooling, especially for the dyslexic.

Truths About Finding the Right Homeschool Curriculum

There is no magic cure for dyslexia. A dyslexic child will become a dyslexic
adult. However, all children {and adults} can learn to read and write.
Dr. Maryanne Wolf, Director of the Center for Reading and Language
Research at Tufts University has said “There are no universally effective
(reading) programs, but there are knowledgable principles that need to be
incorporated in all programs about how we teach written language.”

Teaching to your child’s strengths with research-based methods

customized to your child’s learning style and centered around his or her
interests along with helping your child learn compensation techniques will
go a long way to providing the level of literacy needed to become a
successful adult.

There will be days of frustration when you feel that nothing is ‘working’ and
want to give up. Rome was not conquered in a day! Press on and you will
see, not only the advantages to homeschooling your dyslexic child, but the
success.

It may take several tries to get a good fit that works well with your family.
Don’t be too hasty or too slow to replace a curriculum. Just because it
works for everyone else or got great reviews, doesn’t mean it will be a good
fit for your family.

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 Chapter 6: Creating a Homeschool Schedule That Works

"I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run
towards it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your
foot." - Nadia Comaneci

Step 1: Choose Your Yearly Schedule

Every state has their own requirements for homeschooling, including how
many days of instruction they require each year. In California where we live
the law requires 180 days of instruction per year. Check out the
Homeschool Legal Defense website for the laws in your state. There are
many different ways to structure your yearly schedule to most effectively
get your minimum amount of school days scheduled:

• The Traditional Public School Calendar

• Labor Day to Memorial Day
• Year Round Schooling
• Six Weeks On, Six Weeks Off
• Four Days a Week
• Something Completely Unique Just For Your Family

Many families switch their yearly schedule around from year to year
depending on the needs of their family. There is no right or wrong way to
do this - only what works best for your family.

Step 2: The Daily Homeschool Schedule

Once you have determined which schedule works best for your family,
begin making the following lists – one for every child (don’t worry about the
order of events yet – just list them):

• begin by listing the subjects that you will be teaching them

• add to each child’s list any classes, tutoring, sports or music
lessons
• add a list of their daily, weekly and monthly chores

Make a master schedule on paper or if you like something larger, make

your schedule on poster board and write every event that needs scheduling
on a Post-It note. Write the names of your family members across the top

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and the times of day along the side. I use 15 minute and half hour
increments. Begin plugging in each activity, subject and event in their
appropriate time slot.

•begin with unchangeable events such as morning routines, Bible

study, and any classes, tutors or lessons with a fixed schedule

•add everyone to the schedule – even the baby and preschoolers

•schedule times when school-aged kids are not doing school to have
them help with the preschoolers

•schedule a few chores in between subjects or break times.

Sometimes all that is needed is 5-10 minutes to wash a few windows
or move and fold a load of laundry

Consider the first days and weeks using your new schedule as a trial period
where you test it to see if it is working and adjust events as needed. For
example, my older two kids will be sharing some computer programs and
for obvious reasons can’t both use the discs at the same time. As you use
your schedule, simply move the Post-It note to another time slot if the
current time isn’t working. Continue tweaking as you go until you get a
schedule that works for you.

Scheduling Tips

•Find as many ‘do-together’ subjects as possible. Whether it be reading

aloud for history, group science projects, family art lessons – they will save
a lot of scheduling conflicts later.

•For some very unscientific reason, my days seem to go better when I start
with my little guys. Giving them one-on-one attention early in the day both
ensures that they are not slipping through the cracks and somehow settles
in their hearts that they have had their ‘mommy time’ and are better able to
play alongside the older kids for the rest of the morning.

•Try scheduling specific activities for scheduled play times with the younger
kids ie. Monday – Play-Doh, Tuesday – puzzles, Wednesday – dry erase
pens or crayons, etc…

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•Schedule a ‘Quiet Time’ into your afternoon. All kids are in a designated
‘quiet’ area for a set amount of time. I use (and plan on) this time for
checking email, doing paperwork for my husband’s business, reading,
blogging or just sipping some tea in a bit of peace.

•Schedule an afternoon clean-up time, allotting everyone an area to clean.

•Your day will never go just as you have planned. A schedule is just a
guideline to help you aim for the goal of ‘getting it all done’.

•Once everyone is familiar with the schedule, you can put it away and work
more off of habit than by the letter.

Scheduling Tips for Those Homeschooling Struggling Learners

•Kids who are not reading well on their own will require a lot more of Mom’s
time. For this reason, choosing a curriculum without a lot of individual
reading and writing helps.

•Instead of assigning individual reading, plan for family read aloud times
followed by narration, having the children tell back what they have just
heard, instead of written comprehension questions.

•Don’t be afraid to occasionally let students choose not to write a report,

instead let them choose to draw a picture, put on a dramatization or some
other non-written activity that allows and encourages them to apply their
new knowledge without the painstaking {and time-consuming} effort of
reading and writing. Your right-brainers can do these things without your
help, freeing you up for some one-on-one time with another child.

Homeschooling even one child while managing a home, business or other

commitments can be a struggle. With every child there comes more to fit in.
Scheduling will not guarantee that you get it all done – I don’t think anything
will! Scheduling will help everyone to know what they should be doing at
any given time and give you a framework to manage your days.

The Reality of a Homeschool Schedule

It is important to have a schedule.

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But know that creating and attempting to stick to a schedule is no
guarantee that your day-to-day life will actually adhere to that schedule.
I find that a lot of my energy living a busy homeschool life is poured into
correcting my kids. Correcting kids is just part of life as a parent, and really
should be the number one priority in our days.

I’m pretty sure half of the battle in maintaining a balanced home life is
having realistic expectations. Knowing that we will never achieve perfect
balance and that schedules are only a guide, helps keep our expectations
realistic – right where they need to be.

More Than Schedules

I have found oftentimes that having a schedule, although good, is not

always enough. We need to be on the same page as a family. We need to
take the time to maintain our relationships so that we act as a team and pull
together.

You can have the most elaborate schedule but if your kids resent it and
you, you will be hard pressed to enforce it.

Spend some time this week looking at your daily schedule and implement
the tips and strategies that you think would make your days run more
smoothly.

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 Chapter 7: Setting Realistic Goals

When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and
willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending
that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready.
The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. -Paulo Coelho

Knowing Why You Homeschool

When we started homeschooling back in 1995, we didn’t have a highly

developed ‘mission’ for why we were doing it. Mostly we wanted to
homeschool because we wanted to have the freedom to travel and spend
time together as a family. We enjoyed being parents and saw no need to
send our kids away to educate them.

We did dabble in the ‘school-at-home’ idea for about 3 months. I really had
no idea what homeschooling looked like and because we had concerned
family members watching us, creating a school-at-home seemed like an
acceptable, and perhaps more convincing, thing to do.

I can’t help but smile when I think of my creative, dyslexic, first-born, 5-year
old son sitting down to a full seatwork-based curriculum. The fact that he
struggled to hold a pencil and scrawl out the 3 letters of his first name
should have been a clue that life was about to get ugly. Little did I know…

I had 2 kids at the time (I know – it should have been easy, right? Wrong!)
After several months of trying to check off all of the boxes in my (extensive)
teacher’s guide, we were all well on our way to round one of homeschool
burnout.

My son was resistant. He didn’t want to ‘do school’. My 3-year old daughter
was bored playing by herself as we struggled along day after day.

My husband suggested that we take a break from the books for a few days
and get outside. This is still one of the best pieces of advice he has ever
given me as a homeschooler!

Whenever the atmosphere of our home begins to deteriorate, we call a

school break and get out of the house for some exploring or just plain old

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relaxing and fun. We are always more productive when we return after
having adjusted our attitudes.

This was one small step into the development of our family mission for
education – or more simply stated, our big picture goals and priorities for
the education of our kids. We were learning about what worked and what
didn’t and what we wanted our homeschool to look like as well as what we
didn’t want it to look like.

Oh, how our educational philosophy has changed over the years! As our
family grew, one little personality and learning style after the other, our
children have taught us more than any book about how to educate the
whole child – body, spirit and mind.

In the early years, while our mission of homeschooling was still fairly small
and simple, I didn’t see the need to write it down. Now with 8 kids and a
busy household of young adults, teenagers, right on down to preschoolers,
my husband and I have found it invaluable to sit down each year and
evaluate our family needs and goals, especially in light of homeschooling.

Big Picture Goals

The first step in setting realistic goals for your homeschool is to step back
and think about why you are homeschooling and what your overarching
goals are for your unique family. This can be accomplished by creating a
homeschool mission statement.

How to Make a Homeschool Mission Statement

The thought of creating a mission statement can be overwhelming. Relax. It

is not a 10-page paper on the history of education. It is a statement.

Several sentences long at most.

Begin by asking yourselves the following questions. Jot down your

impressions and the key words or phrases that explain your thoughts on
each subject. Don’t overthink this. Your answers will likely change from
year to year. Your mission statement won’t be unchangeably set in stone.

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Why are we homeschooling?
What are our spiritual goals?
What are our educational goals? What do we want them to learn? Why?
What life skills do we want our kids to have? What non-academic areas are
important to us?
What kind of environment do we want in our homeschool?
Why does homeschooling provide the better environment for our family?
Why homeschool rather than public or private school?

Take your notes and make sentences out of the ideas represented.

Example Homeschool Mission Statement

Here is an example from our family list:

Godly character
Christian worldview
Strong family relationships
Lifelong learners/equipped for real learning
Good study skills
Perseverance and diligence
Overcoming learning issues
Finding God’s plan for using each family member’s gifts for His glory

Our Homeschool Mission Statement:

The Sunderland Family homeschool seeks to foster strong family

relationships and godly character first by teaching with a Christian
worldview, by developing lifelong learners, equipped for real life learning by
applying diligence and perseverance to overcome struggles, both academic
and otherwise, with the ultimate goal of discovering and carrying out God’s
unique plan for each of our lives.

Being intentional about identifying our beliefs about what education is, what
our purposes are in home-educating, including any non-academic goals,
will illustrate our unique vision for our individual families.

When your homeschool world is rocked by any one of the many trials and
tribulations common to all homeschools, you will have your Homeschool
Mission Statement to go back to for both guidance and encouragement.

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Keeping your vision for your family clearly in front of you will be invaluable
in helping you remain intentional with the short years that you have with
your children.

Setting Specific Academic Goals

Most homeschool curricula have a recommended age range or even a

specific grade level assigned to them. In large part you can trust the
curriculum to provide age and grade appropriate instruction for your kids.
If you want to learn what topics are included in a typical course of study
from Pre-K through high school, you can visit this link for complete listings
by grade.

What to do if Your Child is ‘Behind’

In lesson 4 on Homeschool Teaching Methods we talked about the

traditional teaching methods found in any institutionalized educational
setting whether public or private. The reason for grade leveled material is to
organize classes and curriculum by general ability and at each age level so
that subjects aren’t skipped or repeated. For the homeschooler these
guidelines should be used as just that, a guideline.

Kids with dyslexia may not be reading at a 2nd grade level in 2nd grade, or
3rd grade or 4th, 5th or 6th grade. So what are we to do?

Teach them at the level that they are able to learn. That means not using a
4th grade curriculum to teach your 4th grader who reads at a first grade
level. It will only end in tears and frustration for both of you.

It is not uncommon to find homeschooled kids working above grade level in

one subject and below typical grade level in another. This is one of the
beauties of homeschooling and not something to be worried about.

Many curriculum providers have web sites that offer sample pages, FAQ
sections and helpful customer service reps who can help you find just the
right level for your unique student.

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Looking at Progress Over Perfection

Certainly we don’t want our kids to be reading years behind their peers for
long. I’m not suggesting that we give up on our kids. During the days of
remediation (building the foundation of reading) we teach them where
they’re at so to speak. What kind of foundation will they have if it is not laid
carefully, one brick at a time?

The way that I look at this in our houseful of non-traditional leaners is to

monitor our kids’ progress. Are they learning? Are they progressing? Are
they enjoying what they are learning and actively engaged?

We have come a long way in the last 7 chapters! My hope is that you are
being encouraged and learning. In our next and final chapter we will talk
about how to get it all done and the importance of keeping perspective.

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 Chapter 8: Tips for Getting it All Done

"It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer."
-Albert Einstein

Keeping Perspective

It is not uncommon for homeschooling parents to get overwhelmed from

time to time. I jokingly refer to February as National Homeschool Burnout
Month. Having your big picture educational goals (that you created in our
last lesson) in mind will help you to stay the course during the days when it
seems like everyone has a bad attitude, the laundry is piled to the ceiling
and the toilet overflows because your toddler stuffed an entire roll of toilet
paper in it while you were teaching your reluctant 3rd grader. We’ve all
been there. We’ve all had one-of-those-days!

Getting It All Done

Remember when we talked about creating a homeschool schedule in

chapter 6? I said that we have never had a day that went exactly to the
schedule. I don’t say this to discourage you. Having realistic expectations
about homeschooling your kids is an important part of being able to press
on through those difficult days.

I do have some homeschool mom hacks from my nearly 20 years of

homeschooling. In this, our last chapter, I am going to share those with
you.

All of these tips are effective for teaching any type of learner but more so
for homeschooling the dyslexic child. Kids with dyslexia often need more
one-on-one time with mom (or dad) and become independent learners later
than kids without dyslexia.

Start Earlier. By setting your alarm and getting out of bed a bit earlier, you
can accomplish more. This is especially true if you are homeschooling
more than one child. Teaching one child early in the morning can provide a
quiet environment and add a few extra hours to your day.

Combine Teaching. Although a typical course of study may suggest that

first graders study American History, 4th graders study State History and

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your 6th grader study World History, this is not necessary - or
recommended if you value your mental health! It is okay to teach all of your
kids one subject each year in subjects like science, history, and the arts.
Math and reading may require more of your time but by combining your
other subjects you will save time and have a better chance of staying sane.

Delegate Inside the House. Children are amazingly capable people. Six
year olds can keep an eye on the baby in her bouncy seat while the 10-
year-old reads to the toddler. Older kids can prepare meals and help with
the house keeping. There is no way that you can homeschool your kids,
cook, clean, do laundry and drive everyone to practice and clubs. You can’t
do it all! Delegate!

Delegate Outside the House. Sometimes you just need to get some
professional help. Whether you hire a house cleaner once or twice a month
or hire a certified dyslexia tutor, if you are struggling to achieve your
priorities in your homeschool, consider delegating outside the home. I talk
more about how and when to hire a certified dyslexia tutor in my Parent
Dyslexia Classes. In essence, if your dyslexic child is getting older (towards
those awkward tween years), is significantly lacking in reading skills or
teaching reading yourself is causing rifts to form in your relationship with
your child, I recommend hiring a dyslexia tutor to take that burden off of
your shoulders.

Take a Break to Build Productivity. It can be easy to get caught up in all

of the details of assignments and commitments as a busy parent, whether
you homeschool or not. If our family is struggling with poor attitudes,
irritability and lack of enthusiasm, we will take a break for a day or two.

Sometimes we will head outside for the day. My favorite place to unwind
and find peace is at the beach. Even if it is cooler outside, we still enjoy the
wide open space, the lack of electronic stimulation and the fresh air. Other
times we will go on a field trip to an event, museum or show. It is amazing
how having a little fun together as a family can reset everyone’s clock and
help us get back to work with the right attitudes.

We are at the end of our course. My hope is that you would now have a
firm foundation to establish a healthy, confident homeschool where your
kids with dyslexia can thrive and learn.

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The purpose of this site is to encourage and educate families with dyslexia.
You should never stop learning about dyslexia. I am always learning new
things that can help me to have more compassion and be a better teacher.

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 Conclusion

I have read a lot of books about dyslexia, how the brain functions, learning
styles, how to teach with multi-sensory methods, different kinds of
intelligence and lots and lots of research studies on what is going on inside
the dyslexic brain - all so that I can teach my own kids with dyslexia in the
best way possible.

It's not that I am some kind of awesome person. It's just that I've just spent
a lot of time - too much time - teaching them in ways they don't learn and it
has been difficult - painful even. For all of us.

I hope that you found this book helpful for getting started homeschooling
and understanding better what freedoms you have in homeschooling,
whether it be in the homeschool method that you choose or the curricula
that you use.

The more you learn about dyslexia, the better you will be able to teach so
your kids will learn and the better you will be able to understand your kids.
One of the common problems that people with dyslexia face is that their
learning differences are misunderstood as laziness, bad attitudes or not
trying hard enough. The irony of this is that students with dyslexia are
often trying harder to learn than any other students and the desperately
desire to do well in their studies.

Another reason that getting educated about dyslexia is so important is that

dyslexia can affect many areas of learning:

* reading
* spelling
* writing
* math ability
* memory
* organization
* attention

For the person teaching a child with dyslexia this means that we need to
know more than just which reading methods work - although that is very
important too!

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I created the web site, HomeschoolingWithDyslexia.com, to help educate
parents and teachers that work with kids with dyslexia. I am happy to share
the things that I have learned, albeit the hard way at times, so that you
don't have to make the mistakes that I did.

In addition to the eBook that you just finished, I have created courses to
help further your education.

Dyslexia Education Classes

Your dyslexic children need you to be their advocate whether they are in a
public school, private school or homeschooled. Our homeschool
experience was vastly improved by the simple (yet time-consuming) task of
getting educated about what dyslexia really is and how these bright and
creative children learn best.

These Dyslexia Education Classes were created to help you quickly and
easily get educated about what dyslexia is and how you can most
effectively help your dyslexic children really learn.

All classes will provide reliable, research-based information, personal

experience, practical applications and invaluable lists of resources to help
you on your journey.

How The Parent Dyslexia Classes Work

All classes are approximately 1 hour long and come to you in both video
and audio formats that are simple and downloadable. The course includes
a printable outline for note taking and a downloadable audio recording of
the class. You can listen anytime, anywhere (and your spouse can listen
too.)

We are also offering support in a private Facebook group for class

attendees only.

I know what it is like to be overwhelmed with the task of raising and

educating dyslexic kids, so I want to make this simple. My goal is to make
your learning as easy and efficient as possible.

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That is why each course is delivered in a multimedia format. Watch and
learn from your computer, or download the audio version to your iPad or
iPhone.

All Parent Dyslexia Class students receive:

• access to the online video content

• downloadable MP3 audio versions of the class
• PDF outline for easy note taking
• links to resources
• access to small group encouragement via our private Facebook
page

All classes are based on research-based methods of teaching dyslexics

and a plethora of my own unique, personal experience. This is a unique
opportunity for you to learn what has taken me many years to learn – how
to teach dyslexic kids so that they can learn and thrive with tips and
strategies along the way.

The following courses are now available. All courses were written and
produced by a certified Orton-Gillingham tutor who has homeschooled her
own dyslexic children for the past 20 years. Browse through our course
offerings and feel free to contact us with any questions.

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 Course One:
Understanding Dyslexia

In Course One of the Parent Dyslexia Training Courses you will learn:

• To more fully understand the many facets of the dyslexic mind

• To understand how dyslexics learn and methods you can implement
today to dramatically improve learning
• To be aware of the other areas affected by dyslexia
• To better understand and nurture the seldom mentioned, inherent
strengths of the dyslexic mind

You will leave this course feeling educated and empowered to help the
dyslexic people in your life. You will be able to reject the myths and
embrace the strengths associated with dyslexia so your kids can live and
learn freely.

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 Course Two:
Teaching Them So They Learn

Course Topics:

• Making the decision to homeschool, including how to answer any

critics that insist that the schools are the educational experts.
• The truth about the state of special education in our public schools.
• Common emotional issues for parents and kids and how to
overcome them.
• How to get started homeschooling; including legalities and finding
local support.
• Tips on finding and modifying homeschool curriculum for the
dyslexic student.
• Teaching methods, including how to balance accommodations and
remediations.
• When to get help in the form of diagnostic testing and educational
therapy.
• Strategies for getting it all done.

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 Course Three:
Reading Instruction That Works

In this course, Reading Instruction That Works, you will learn to:

• Understand the research about dyslexia so you can evaluate the

myriads of programs, supplements and services that are offered to
parents of dyslexics.
• Understand the research-based methods of reading instruction that
really work with the dyslexic learner.
• Find a program, curriculum or other service to fit your family’s
needs.
• How much does dyslexia remediation cost?
• How long does it take?
• What about those ‘alternative’ treatments and therapies? Do they
work? How can we know?

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 Course Four:
Building Fluency and Comprehension

In this class you will learn:

• what reading fluency is and how it develops

• how fluency affects comprehension
• nine of the most effective, research-based
• methods for increasing reading fluency
• easy-to-implement methods to enhance your child’s reading
comprehension at home

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 Course Five:
Teaching Spelling From Remediation to Accommodation

What you will learn in this class:

• why people with dyslexia struggle with spelling

• the best methods for teaching spelling
• the power of studying morphology and etymology with your dyslexic
students
• 3 simple ways to teach morphology to your students
• the best accommodations for students with dyslexia
• how to balance accommodations with remediation

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 Course 6
Executive Function: Teach Your Child to Organize Their Thoughts,
Personal Space and Time

Do you have a child who is hopelessly unorganized? Can never find their
backpack, folders or soccer cleats? Oftentimes these kids are not just
disorganized with their belongings but also with their thoughts. There is a
name for this type of disorganization – executive function – or in this case a
lack of executive function skills.

In this class, you will learn:

• what executive function is

• how executive function weaknesses can affect organizational skills
• lots of strategies to teach your unorganized child to grow in this
area

Visit the Classes Page at HomeschoolingWithDyslexia.com for more

information and to sign up.

Get educated so you can educate your child.

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