This is our second year to homeschool. We started more as a necessity than anything. Brayden was declining and didn't have adquate energy. I'm pretty sure it would have never happened otherwise. I had considered it before but I could tell Matt did not approve of home schooling so we dropped the topic. He had seen examples of how it can go wrong. I, on the other hand, saw examples of how it went right. I met a brother and sister pair at BYU that were 16 and 17. He would pretty much finish school before his mission. I was interested and asked her questions because it fascinated me.
I kept have reoccuring dreams every school year. I was back at school teaching and my kids were with me. In the dream, it freaked me out because that's not professional and you just can't do that. Once I started home schooling and those dreams went away, I told Matt I wonder if those dreams had meaning. I truly feel they did and I truly think home school is for our family. (Not for Bryce at this point but maybe some day.)
Our first year was rough. I remember doing my best to keep it together. Inside I was dying b/c I had two children that were dying. I had to push it aside and focus on Brayden. We started by building our cinder block gardens. They took time and it was a challenge but we love them. Now is fascinated with gardening and it's more "food science" as he experiments with plants that want more sun or less sun, more water or less water. He's diligent to get out to the garden and water and weed. (I read that gardening is good for the immune system and I think that's wonderful. It also gives him responsibility.) Recently he has started making smoothies. He writes a recipe and then experiments with them. They're pretty good. He's quite the entreprenuer as well. He's always looking for ways to make money. He's talked about selling his tomatos from the garden. He's also talked about charging me for piano lessons. hahaha (He usually chooses "fun reads" at the library but recently he chose a book about seeds, engineering and how to train dogs.I love that he's taking the initiative to learn more about his areas of interest.)
We got a diagnosis and started treatment. We did fall behind as we had doctor appointments and we couldn't go full speed because of the energy factor. Brielle chose to homeschool that year after nine weeks of school. She did not complete first grade but wanted to return to school for second.Honestly, I was a little worried because we didn't complete the first grade curriculum. A couple of days ago, she had her awards ceremony and I felt content when she received her A honor roll award. (Ironically, a little girl that's been a bit of a bully, had teased Brielle for getting the A/B honor roll b/c of her award tags on her backpack. I noticed that the little girl got the A/B honor roll at this awards ceremony.) I'm not advocating falling behind but I think kids can learn a lot in a short amount of time. School days are long and I'm not sure they help accomplish this goal.
Brayden recently had an ARD because I requested an evaluation with the intent for him to attend the deaf program. I thought it would be great for him to be able to go with Bryce and to meet other deaf children. I read through twenty-two pages of the evaluation. A couple of things stood out to me and the first thing was he told the tester he plans to attend Brigham Young University. :) The second thing that stood out to me is after each day of testing (two days), he was allowed to pick a treasure out of the treasure chest. On the second day, he told the tester he wanted to pick a fan for his Mom for Mother's Day. (I spoke with a teenager at Brielle's awards ceremony that said she and her Mom agreed they couldn't homeschool because they wouldn't like each other. I told her I feel it's the opposite. If anything, it will make you closer. I truly feel Brayden is closer to me than most kids his age are close to their Moms. She said she has an attitude. I think all kids do and there's head butting whether you homeschool or not.)
The ARD committee had already decided that he would not qualify for the deaf ed program. He simply hears too well and he's too smart. Typically a child is two or three years behind to qualify. While I understand their perspective, I don't understand how they would account for his neuropathy. You can turn a mic up as loud as you want but if there's a "short" in the connection, the message is lost or jumbled. Their suggestion is "visuals". I just don't feel they will meet his needs adequately. I also think kids are mean and he doesn't need to be subjected to that. He already feels different as it is. We are considering looking into Lonestar and their ASL classes. Maybe we'll spend more time with Sister Gurr and sign with her. I did mouth words and then signed. They all looked at me like "huh"? The Cy-Fair rep understood my sign. I find it ridiculous that one of the compensating strategies is lip reading and they expect Brayden to use it as well. They were offering an Itenerant teacher to come for 45 mins every nine weeks (as a min). While I appreciated their offer, I signed a statement of disagreement and opted to continue to homeschool. They said should we change our mind, the accomodations would be ready for implementation.
It was frustrating but we knew if he didn't get into the program, we would homeschool. His testing also showed that he's average and above average. He's a smart kid and although we fell behind (he told the tester that he just started fourth grade a few months ago), he's on or above level. It also shows his improvement with his cochlear implant. He will need continued corrections (he says d-bout for doubt and others when he mispronounces words, but overall, he's doing well.
**As a side, I emailed this article to the auditory specialist in our district and she called and talked to me. She said we can certainly call another ARD but that doesn't mean that he will be allowed into the program.
Something’s Missing In Early Intervention For Deaf Children
05/31/2017 09:41 pm ET | Updated 1 day ago
· During a Language Readiness for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children forum hosted by the Pennsylvania Society for Advancement of the Deaf, it was agreed that early, unrestricted access to language is critical for cognitive and linguistic development.
The attendees at the PSAD forum represented varying organizations with varying approaches on how to serve deaf and hard of hearing children.
American Sign Language, Listening and Spoken Language, hearing aids, cochlear implants, itinerant teachers, interpreters, Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART), mainstreaming, deaf schools, and bilingual education.
Given that any combination of modalities can coexist, PSAD chose not to focus on the argument of whether one is better than the other.
Of more concern is the fact that there are still too many deaf and hard of hearing kids who fall through the cracks with significant language delays. PSAD’s goal, then, is to objectively identify why this happens and address the issue accordingly.
Although PSAD is in the beginning stages of a statewide collaboration for more effective strategies, a quick look over the deaf education landscape already reveals a pressing need.
There aren’t enough deaf people involved in the process.
During the critical language acquisition years of 0-5, there need to be deaf professionals, deaf mentors, and deaf role models involved from the outset. Strangely, they are often excluded when a newborn baby is first identified as deaf.
This needs to change. Common sense dictates that if you want to understand what it’s like to be deaf, ask a deaf person.
An audiologist can tell you the degree of a deaf person’s hearing loss. A doctor or surgeon can give you an in-depth presentation on the anatomy of the ear and how it functions.
But only a deaf person can accurately explain what it means, and what it feels like, to be deaf. This is valuable information that cannot be ignored. Yet it often is.
If you just found out that your child is deaf and if none of the consultants who advise you what to do about it are deaf themselves, there’s a gaping hole in the information you are being provided. It’s best to get the whole story if you want to address the whole child.
Again, it is no longer about whether “this” is better than “that.” It’s about 100 percent accessibility and filling in whatever gaps, as early as possible, that may exist in a child’s journey towards language acquisition.
Parents have a right to know everything from the very beginning. No more waiting until their deaf child has a chance encounter with another deaf person at age 15, finding out they have a lot in common, and then wondering: Why didn’t anyone tell us about this before?
Emerging research has continued to prove that there is no harm (and in fact, there are many benefits) in exposing deaf and hard of hearing children to all of the opportunities that are available for them.
Today, many deaf adults look back on their school days and wish they had those opportunities.
As one of those deaf adults, I remember all too well how I struggled in the mainstream, yet my teachers repeatedly said “He’s doing fine.”
How could they speak like that on my behalf? Without checking with me first? They meant well, but they’re not deaf.
I’m not saying they were wrong. I’m saying they simply didn’t understand. There was no way for them to understand. There’s no way they can understand the world as seen from my point of view. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
As the father of a deaf child who was initially mainstreamed, it hit me hard when I saw his teachers repeating the very same “He’s doing fine.” Unbeknownst to them, this kid who was doing fine would come home and tell me he couldn’t stand being the only deaf kid in his school.
Our stories are just the tip of the iceberg. But if you include us, we can provide valuable information for the next generation of deaf and hard of hearing children.
It’s kind of ironic how inclusion used to be a bad word in the deaf community (its misuse led to deaf children being isolated in the mainstream, away from deaf peers and role models). It’s now exactly what we’re calling for in Early Intervention.
The inclusion of deaf professionals in an area where they have so much to offer.
Now, the kids are doing well despite falling behind and with basic teaching. I mean basic as in, we plan to start Spanish as another language (continue ASL) and start beginning Latin. We can pick and choose areas of interest and this really benefits Brielle because she hates PE. Some would say, doesn't this cost more. It does cost more to purchase curriculum but as far as extra curriculars, no. Other people have their kids in so many other activities AFTER all day school. Mine can participate in piano, dance and sports as a part of it. It helps to keep us from overscheduling. I keep seeing videos where kids don't know how to do the basics. My kids are getting "real world" experiences now. I love BYU's sign that says, "The World is Our Campus."
I also enjoy discussions with the kids. The other morning at breakfast Brielle asked me why we close our prayers "in the name of Jesus Christ" if the prayer is to Heavenly Father. I told her that's a great question. Christ is the mediator, our Savior, and the only way for us to return back to Heavenly Father. While we pray to our Heavenly Father, it is through Christ, that we are redeemed and we can overcome physical and spiritual death. Heavenly Father designed it that way and it shows respect to both of them.
Later I read scriptures with Brayden and we discussed repentence. He said he isn't really sure about the process. I told him that we have to recognize our wrong and (correct) apologize for it. Maybe if he hits his brother, he would need to apologize to him but also to Heavenly Father. We talked about how we've learned about when we serve others, we serve God. Likewise, when we hurt others.... (he filled in)....we hurt God.Exactly!
Homeschool can be hard at times. It's extra hard that Bryce's program doesn't allow school aged children but it can be so wonderful. They don't get as tired either. I'm listening to Thomas Jefferson Education and they talk about the glaze. Glaze is great on donuts but not on kids. It's awful when they come home and their eyes are glazed over. Learning should be fun! It can be hard if you have doctor appointments or places that are hard to go with kids. I'm sure it will get easier as Brayden turns 12 and can help with younger kids. For now, we do the best we can.
There are times I see other Moms with their kids at school and I feel like maybe we're missing something. Maybe my kids are missing awards that they could have earned if they were in school. I came across an article about "Valedictorians" and it gave me more peace. Not to undermine them b/c that's an amazing accomplishment. There are a few, including Matt, on his side of the family. The article talked about how after school, they didn't necessarily stand out from the rest. I remember the boy in my grade that had that honor and he was a member. He got the Hinckley scholarship which is also an honor. He chose a career path with statistics. I remember when the economy tanked and he was unemployed. Those things happen but basically, he was pretty "common" with his job and success.
Maybe I'm deprived of time to clean the house or run errands or go have more "me" time. Then I look at the long days and think how much time I would be robbed of not having them. Brayden is already ten, soon to be eleven in September. I enjoy teaching and that's my degree. What better way to use those skills than on my own children! Do you need a degree to homeschool? No! I've met a number of parents that homeschool their special needs children b/c the schools were failing them. Not failing them as in grades but as in not providing adequate services. Sometimes you can't homeschool some kids. Bryce is that child for me. I hope it changes down the road but I haven't mastered the language and he hasn't mastered his energy. He's thriving in his environment AND he wants to go to school. He got out a week before the other kids and he's already asking about school. It's the right thing for him. Every family has to feel good about their decisions and it can be different for each child. Brielle really wanted to go back to school this last year. I felt a little sad about it but gave her the go ahead. The thing I missed the most was devotionals. I had the idea (inspired) to send friend magazine handouts with her for devotionals in her lunch box. The Lord truly blesses us to know how to reach our children whether we homeschool or not. I will never judge or condemn someone that doesn't homeschool. I'm a firm believer that every parent does the best they can.
