Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Being realistic about your student’s strengths and weaknesses can be a tremendous asset in homeschooling a struggling learner. But could it cause you to sell your child short? Today on Home School Heartbeat, Mike Smith addresses this issue with special needs consultant Faith Berens.

Mike Smith:
Faith, parents who are homeschooling a struggling learner or a special needs student in high school may be tempted not to worry about whether their child’s transcript is good enough for college. Why should parents consider this, even if they don’t think their child will be able to handle college work?

Faith Berens:
Well, we certainly do not want to sell our children short. And parents of struggling learners should not automatically rule out college, because their student has a mild to severe learning challenge, such as dyslexia. I always encourage families who have children with learning disabilities, and especially those who are gifted with LD, to plan their child’s high school program with college in mind.

So, if the student chooses to attend college in the future, he will need to obtain at least a general college preparatory diploma, which should include about 24 to 28 credits. Other options are junior colleges, and universities specifically for students with disabilities. And community college is a great stepping stone to a four-year university or college, particularly for struggling students.

And finally, never underestimate the power of personal motivation. So aim high, and keep good records of the students’ academic coursework, as well as their extracurricular activities.

Mike:
These are excellent considerations, Faith! And personally, thank you for your work to help our members at HSLDA with their struggling learners. Until next time, I’m Mike Smith.