[dropcap style="font-size: 70px; color: #9b9b9b;"] I [/dropcap] don’t understand why homeschooling gets such a bad rap in the food allergy community. Yes, it’s unfair that many think it should be the only form of education for those with special needs, like those with food allergies. To be honest, at the beginning of our food allergy journey, that’s how I felt.
It was difficult to fathom the idea of sending my incredibly allergic little lady into a school cafeteria day after day. This naturally sparked my curiosity about homeschooling. I began researching what homeschooling was all about when Maya was only one. I had strong views of what a good education looked like and was fueled by my distaste for my own education in the public school system.
I found all sorts of methods for education at home and the more I learned the more I believed it was the right path for our family. I researched for years just to make sure.
I found all sorts of mehods for education at home and the more I learned the more I believed it was the right path for our family. The freedom and flexibility in curriculum and our days is incredibly appealing to me. Our days are not dictated by the local school system. We can learn at our own pace. If one kiddo needs a little extra time on a subject it’s no problem to slow down because the other kiddo can move more quickly if they wish.
Why I Though We Should Home School:
- The freedom and flexibility in curriculum and scheduling is incredibly appealing to me.
- Our days are not dictated by the local school system.
- We can learn at our own pace.
- If one kiddo needs a little extra time on a subject it’s no problem to slow down because the other kiddo can move more quickly if they wish.
- We can cover material as thoroughly as we need to and follow wild tangents to learn as much as possible if we want.
- The added bonus of keeping my children safe was a definite bonus, but only that, not the main point.
I knew I wanted to home school our children and was very lucky to have a husband that supported my ideas .
We ‘schooled’ all the time through our daily lives. Maya had an alphabet place mat, we read a LOT with all of our nebulizer treatments, and we had the traditional alphabet magnets. Teaching the alphabet, numbers, phonics and such came naturally to both of us so the transition to actually sitting down to do schoolwork was not a big jump.
After years of research we began our homeschooling journey in earnest 2 years ago. Maya and Jesse both started second grade at the beginning of 2012 and Joshua is working on preschool material so he can ‘do school too’.
The flexibility in schedules was extremely important last year with all of Maya’s doctor’s appointments and her frequent assortment of procedures. My husband also has a varied work schedule so we are able to meld our school days around the days he has off.
All of this to say if you are dealing with food allergies, please don’t automatically discount homeschooling. It’s a valid option that you need to thoroughly evaluate before you decide it’s taboo.
The decision to home school is very personal and most definitely not for everyone, but please don’t take it off the table completely.
My son is almost two years old and has allergies to eggs, nuts and shellfish. I’ve researched local 2 year old programs but I’m seriously considering keeping him home for a while longer and possibly even homeschooling if his allergies worsen. Can you offer any links to online resources for homeschooling? Thank you for your post!
I will put together a list Charlena
The resources out there for homeschooling are seemingly limitless. The approaches are so varied. It’s a very individual experience. I’d suggest starting with HSLDA. http://www.hslda.org/
I’ve homeschooled for 10 years, but have only had children with food allergies for 5 years. My twins are 5 and have a laundry list of allergies. I’ve often wondered if God was grooming me for what was to come when we made the difficult choice to begin our homeschool journey then. Now I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t even imagine dropping my 4 (age ranges from 17 years old to 5 years old) children off at school.
I can’t imagine it either Launa. 10 years? That’s awesome! You know what, I’ve often thought the same thing when I think about all God has brought me through to get here. It’s amazing what we see in retrospect, isn’t it?
I, too, am seriously considering homeschooling. Yes, I was first drawn to the idea out of concern for keeping my daughter safe, but it has really drawn me in, on its own merits. So many more people homeschool than in the past and people are *slowing* realizing that it’s not an odd thing to do and children won’t come out “unsocialized” or weird. There are plenty of homeschooling groups, so people can homeschool “together” and do joint field trips, etc. I have a couple of years to decide, but it’s definitely a viable option!
Good for you for looking closely at all your options Selena! That’s exactly what happened to me
Once I started learning about homeschooling I was hooked and haven’t looked back. I’m so glad it’s becoming more mainstream now.
Funny, I never actually thought about homeschooling. Perhaps, 15 years ago it wasn’t the topic as it is today. I guess in a way I did do homeschooling with Michael. He was often off from school or he couldn’t concentrate well at school due to his eczema so I would do alot of review with him at home. I purchased grade level activity books that we would go over after school. It eventually set itself up for homework time. This way I could keep track of how well he was understanding the basics. I know, as I have worked in the school system as a Special Education Intervenor, how important those basics are to learning. I wanted to make sure that Michael had a strong base. By Grade 6, everything came together for him…his skin started to show signs of clearing, he was sleeping better at night, he could focus at school and he had a fantastic teacher to bout! He had acquired the skills for success…I was never so proud as when he graduated in honours from Grade 8! I’m not sure I could have done it full-time…I commend you for your efforts.
To be honest Susan, it requires a LOT more effort than I realized, and we’re only 2 years in. You’re such a wonderful mother, Susan. I’m glad you stopped by
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