December 09 Edition | Heart of the Matter

That Doesn’t Even LOOK Like Writing

I have said it before and I will say it again… One of the most awesome, most beautiful things about homeschooling is the gift of time. You are out of the rat race. If you have anything to say about it–and of course,...

Focus on Special Needs: December 2009 Magazine

A Few Words From Amy Bayliss It is definitely that time of year again, isn’t it? The leaves cease to thrive, begin withering, and then finally fall to the ground. It would almost be mournful if the outcome wasn’t so amazing....

Blessed Disabilities

My daughter started her sophomore year of homeschooling before we finally learned why school was so difficult for her. We walked out of the third floor office of the learning specialist and neither of us spoke. Instead, we...

Tourette Syndrome: Homeschooling With Tics

We had already begun our homeschooling journey when our younger daughter was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Since she was only four years old at the time, I wasn’t all that concerned. She was still in the land of preschool,...

Building a Foundation for Bilingual Learners

Being bilingual is a special gift, but it’s not a rarity. Did you know that over 60% of people in the world are bilingual? Among Americans, though, that rate is only 25%. Bilingualism brings very definite benefits: cognitive...

The Frustrating Part of Homeschooling

“I can’t do it! I told you I can’t!” your son shouts and then throws down his pencil and pushes the book away from him. He jumps up and knocks over his chair, “I hate this!” he yells. He stomps...

College for Struggling Learners

Learning to Compensate Dealing with learning challenges is difficult, but in high school, it can become seriously concerning. You don’t have to be afraid! With the great student to teacher ratio of homeschooling, and the...

Gifted Education: Stress with Joy

“Let’s get Kevin! He’s a reader!” From the earliest days of kindergarten, my child was labeled by teachers and others. At every birthday party he was called on to read birthday cards. No matter what the spelling...

Hands-On Learning

It seems like such a simple concept. As babies, our children learned everything by touch. They picked things up, put it in their mouths, and rubbed it against their skins. Even board books came with plush and other materials to...

Tailored to Fit

One Size Fits Most. That’s what they call it these days. Gone are the days of t-shirts, hats or other clothing items with “One Size Fits All” written on the tag, or so it seems to me as I browse through the racks. ...