We made some CHANGES! // Homeschooling Update 2023!

🌸IN THIS VIDEO🌸
-------------
==================================

[angela.braniff]

✨Pssst... If you're a homeschool mama or a prospective one, I have something exciting coming for you 🎉Enrollment is OPEN for my Homeschool Online Course

[ambers]

Behavioral issues here. Food was a huge piece for us. God has really led us and opened our eyes to the needs of our children. I know the pain of dealing with a child who has behavior issues that push you to your absolute end. It’s hard. Praying for peace.

[whitneyglover-umpl]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your personal perspective on having a child with an invisible need. So often being an invisible needs mom isn't talked about. My son was diagnosed with autism a year ago and since he doesn't meet the stereotypical profile of a child with autism, I've found that the responses he gets for just being his beautiful, loving, inclusive self aren't always kind. I appreciate you recognizing the difficulties we face and how overwhelming it can be, and the weight we carry in being the best Mom's we can be for them.

[makayladevereaux]

Homeschooling vids are what I’m here for. Even if they’re far and few in between I cherish your homeschool advice/ideas and styles. Thanks so much!

-homeschool mom of 3 boys

[priscilla.middleton]

Thank you for the encouragement on kids with special needs…not beating ourselves up and it being okay to not homeschool for every single year. I needed to hear that. I enjoy all of your content. I don’t know how you do it all! It’s such a blessing, thank you. 🤍

[Carazona]

Part of the beauty of homeschooling is that they can each go at their own pace and it sounds like you found the perfect place to help support that for Noah. ❤

[Cecilia-fcsg]

I was a gramma of 50 (I'm now 69) before I learned my math difficulties my entire life were due to an actual math disability. I did fine with the very early years of elementary school but once we hit multiplication, I struggled. Once I hit college in my later life, I had learned ways to cope and I made it through college math be putting forth herculean efforts but I did it. I'm nearly in tears being so glad you are approaching Noah's issues early on. He is such a charmer and will do amazing with the extra help!

[ritadyer]

I have tried having designated homeschool areas. I even moved our table to the kitchen to use the dining room for homeschool and put the kids’ desks in there for them and all they needed. But they just ended up fussing. Inevitably, one of them would end up lying at the back door in the floor where the sunshine comes in and is warm.

So then I got new desks and set them each up in their rooms with everything. They used the desks to pile junk on.

I finally sold their desks and they have lap desks now so they have a surface to write on wherever they want to do school. Most of their work is self explanatory so they just need me if they get stuck.

It finally dawned on me one day that part of homeschool was so it wouldn’t feel or be like public school which they know nothing about anyway.

So now I’m trying to go with the flow and as long as they get their assignments finished, I don’t give them time constraints or care where they work at. Some days they just want to be in the room with me. Some days they might want to be together and sometimes they want to be alone or lie at the back door in sun!

I hope you get your diagnosis for your son. I think my 12 year old has auditory processing disorder. He mishears so much! I tried to get him diagnosed when he was younger and they gave him some academic tests and said he was too smart for assistance. I wasn’t trying to get assistance. Just a diagnosis. He passed all his hearing tests.

I knew he was smart enough. Not sure what that had to do with APD.

[racheleldred]

I have a son with dyslexia and can completely relate to this.. the early years were so hard and I definitely felt the guilt once we discovered it. He has been in tutoring via zoom for three years now and I’m just blown away at his progress!! I think it’s so wise to get the help.. in the words of Julie Bogart, “Help helps!”

[bandsam]

From 2 grade into high school I went to a private school for kids with dyslexia and learning disabilities. They gave me confidence, and knew how to teach me the way I needed. I didn’t read until age 8, and because of this school I felt no shame whatsoever. I am very proud whenever I get to tell someone that I have dyslexia. I had the most amazing teachers, they were all passionate and people I respected. That school changed my life, and by my last year I was one of the top three students in my class. I wrote beautiful essays on Shakespeare, and to this day I feel proud about my writing and ability to express myself. We wrote poetry too, and had vocabulary tests every week with 100 words or more. I am so thankful I had that school.

[lmartinez]

Thank you for sharing. We are a family of 6 with 4 children adopted from foster care. My 5th daughter has pretty severe effects from the drug exposure. It's very hard because her only diagnosis is ADHD, but it's SO much more than that. She is currently in school, getting all the testing as well. God has shown me that I have to surrender my desires in regards to their education. You definitely have to have another level of trust.

[montieverett]

My son was diagnosed w autism at 3. I understand the tears but i also see the the drive to raise children w values! You are doing all the right things. We did 3 yrs of therapy. 40 hours a week. It was difficult for all of us. However it was so worth it. He is off to college this year a well rounded, well liked young man. God chose you to be his mom! His life will be rich and successful because of That Godly choice.

[bemo]

Go Noah, go! You are going to accomplish amazing things, just as God intended you to do them 🌟

[Anonymous]

I can relate with wanting…”forward motion.” It’s a struggle but the Lord does provide!

[mvanheck]

I love your vulnerability and willingness to share. My son has Asperger’s/ADHD and we had the opposite effect where public school was causing all of our problems. I was a public school educator and had to make the decision to leave my career and homeschool him. Since then we were able to take him off all of his medicine. He also was suffering from Trichotillomania which completely went away. It was the scariest but the best decision we have ever made.

[chelseapercy]

I understand so well the blurry lines in determining behavior issues that need to be disciplined and addressed vs behavior that is just organic and coming from a very “spectromy” place. It has been the very hardest part of parenting so far. Love to you.

[laurajunebaran]

I was nodding my head to alot of what you said. When you said how it can be harder sometimes when your child has a disability that you cant see, that really resonated with me. My son has a stutter and believed to have some sort of adhd. All I can do is get him whatever help is available. He is in occupational therapy, speech, and a program called "special friends " where they teach him how to control big emotions and playing with others. 💕

[aflor]

I’ll comment on both homeschooling special needs kiddos and the planner. First, my 13 year old is special needs. I made the decision to bring him home finally after 10+ years of special ed and unfortunately loads of battles and advocating to ensure he was getting his needs met. Finally our family could bring him home after receiving proper evaluation (Institutes for the Achievement of Human Performance in Philadelphia) and a very customized plan. So glad you found a good spot for your guy. Regarding the planner - I’m a new HS Mommy - I brought my two girls home only (nearly) two years ago. I use my planner only for HS planning because I can quickly plot out plans and goals and then concretize them in my Google calendar if needed. I do think I enjoy the separation of HS from other parts of life otherwise it feels as though it’s taking over my life (which in practical ways it does/will expand into life and it should). I guess I’m also too tied to my electronic calendar and don’t ever see myself only have paper planners for it all. Maybe you could figure out how to bridge that gap? 😅

[coeja]

I love vertical planners with hourly separations so I can create a rhythm for the day, but not be tied to "times"

[kirstencooper]

I am so proud of you, Angie! I have been around the homeschool world for a while now. I have seen many moms unfortunately, not get their children outside help. I think sometimes they will feel as if it is their own failure and inability to teach their child, when it’s not you are setting an incredible example to so many homeschool moms that sometimes you have to seek help outside of your self for your children’s education when it becomes necessary. Thank you thank you thank you.