Home education and tutoring were the pervasive methods of education in America until Horace Mann introduced public schools in 1837. In 1905 John Dewey strongly advocated for progressive education, which holds the belief that education should reflect society’s opinions. Public schools steeped in progressive education spread across the US. As with every system, it found criticism along the way; but, it wasn’t until the 1950’s when progressive education began to crash.

John Holt responded to this crash in his 1964 book, “How Children Fail” and again in 1967 with, “How Children Learn.” Social and political counterculture of the 1960’s and 1970’s was moving towards anti-establishments. Holt’s school reform message of children having complete freedom to choose how and what they want to learn was best received by parents in the 1970’s wanting a more pure down home lifestyle without government involvement. Many contacts from parents prompted Holt to begin speaking to homeschoolers and assisting them in riding the Underground Railroad. “The Children’s Underground Railroad like all movements of social protest and change, must begin small; it will grow larger as more children ride it,” Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things Better, John Holt 1976, according to Patrick Farenga (1999). Holt went on to publish Growing without Schooling, a newsletter designed to connect those who were homeschooling both legally and illegally. The Unschooling Method, promoting independent learning and learning by doing, was born and prospered among the political left in this new homeschool movement.

Raymond Moore, with the U.S. Department of Education in the 1970’s offered an alternative to Unschooling. He and his wife Dorothy introduced, Delayed Schooling, through such books as, Home Grown Kids, Home Spun Schools: Teaching Children at Home – What Parents Are Doing and How They Are Doing It, and eventually with Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child’s Education. Moore’s message found favor with conservative Christians. Christians were leaving the public schools for religious reasons believing God gave the parents the responsibility to educate their children, not public institutions.

This message touched J. Michael Smith and Michael P. Farris, and together they founded the Home School Legal Defense Association in 1983. Homeschool father’s themselves; their mission was to legalize homeschooling across the nation. In 1989 only three states remained, by 1993 what was once underground was now legal in all 50 states. Christian support groups spread on a grassroots level and began changing the structure of home education.

The Christian movement in the early 1990’s tended to be more organized than the Unschoolers of the 1970’s freedom counterculture and intermingling of the two were often met with opposition. Still, Biblically based home education soon dominated as the main motivation. The Christians sought a more organized approach; yet something that would be conducive to the home environment. It was about this time that the Charlotte Mason Method was beginning to see resurgence. Then in the mid to late 1990’s dissatisfaction with the public education rose to the forefront once again.

Currently, the US Department of Education claims there are approximately 1 million children being homeschooled. Brain Ray, of the National Home Education Research Institute, claims this number to be closer to 2 million and has grown 30% in the last four years. Homeschool is still on the rise, it has been estimated that it will grow 15% per year and diversity in the population is expected to increase. Research indicates homeschool families tend to be white, religious, 2 parent households with 3 or more children, average income, and with higher levels of education.

With a mix of freedom, Christian perspectives, and the desire to provide the best education possible it is no surprise of the variety of methods that are crossing our thresholds. Yet, I was surprised at Rachel Biddlecome’s extensive historical list of methods; Classical, Unit Studies, Traditional, Charlotte Mason, Moore Formula, Unschooling, Waldorf, Montessori, Guided Exploration, Unguided Exploration, Constructionism, Lifestyles of Learning, Principle Approach, Robinson Method, and my personal favorite, the Eclectic.

The Eclectic approach seems to be the most predominate. Homeschoolers are now combining aspects of many different methods that have been introduced over the years. While the Eclectic method will not look the same in any two homes; homeschool parents must become knowledgeable of the other methods in existence, in order to choose those that are the best fit for their children. With knowledge of the methods through the ages, and awareness of our homeschool history, we begin to understand one another’s differences and become more tolerant of each other.

Barbara Martin resides in Oklahoma, where she has homeschooled her two boys for 4 years. Barbara holds a Master’s Degree in a Sociological discipline and is skilled in group dynamics, personal and family development, and facilitating support groups.

Christine clearly defines the differences between disabilities and discipline issues, between personality types and learning styles. She talks about managing stress, grief and discouragement as well as sections on siblings, and planning programs to help the challenging learner. The book is full of hard earned wisdom and advice and a ton of encouragement as she relates the struggles and successes of teaching her own “challenging child.” She also includes stories and quotes from around the nation by homeschooling moms of these special children.

I have a “challenging child” of my own and I felt like a complete failure in homeschooling her, to the point of considering sending her away from home for her education. However, after reading Christine’s book, I was able to put my finger on areas I had not considered before. Things such as what type of personality she has (and how that clashes with mine), what type of attention and/or processing disorder she tends toward, and what to do to help her learn and relate to the world in the least stressful way possible. It also helped me see her in a new light. Instead of seeing a strong-willed, rebellious child, I now see her as a child who processes things differently and I have found ways to teach her more effectively. It has given me more grace towards her and allowed her to be the person God has designed her to be.

I was lost as to what to do about my challenging child until I read this book. Now, I have eyes to see, a heart to understand, and a clear path to follow. Where there was only defeat in the past, I am confident we will soon be able to declare victory! Thank you, thank you Christine Field!

Reviewed by Deborah Wuehler, Devotional & Enewsletter Editor, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

The parent of a learning disabled child who searches for private services can become overwhelmed at the choices available. There are multiple theories and therapies which all promise to address your need. How do we choose? How do we sort out which will be truly beneficial to this particular child with this particular difficulty? It’s not easy. We must be wise and discerning. We must do our homework.
The Old Schoolhouse wants to help you sort out the views and the vendors in this arena. While we can’t diagnose your child or give a specific learning prescription, we can endeavor to introduce you over the months to some ideas and possibilities.

Several ads in magazines for Essential Learning Institute piqued my curiosity. They stated that they could help parents deal with their child’s special needs in the home setting. Eager to know more, I contacted them and spoke with Robert Salzman, founder of the company, and Mrs. Faye Westover, Educational Service Director of ELI, and this issue in Resource Room we invite you into our discussion.

TOS: Mr. Salzman, why was your company started?

Mr. Salzman: Essential Learning Institute was founded to help small Christian and private schools and homeschooling families gain access to quality learning disability programs at affordable prices. Most programs available to smaller schools and homeschoolers can be very expensive, costing between ten to fifteen thousand dollars. Either the programs are administered over several years or special schools are established with high additional annual tuitions. Often these programs are no more effective than the special education programs in most school districts. In 1990 Essential Learning Institute decided to invest in several of the best computer-based sensory integration training programs available and set up delivery systems that allowed the individual school or family to access these programs on an individualized basis, thus spreading the cost over many students and lowering the price per client.

Over the years we saw pain and frustration in students and their families as a result of learning problems. Parents tried everything from vitamins and eye training to expensive tutorial programs, usually to no avail. From the moment we started ELI we saw and experienced incredible success both within our Clinic and in our home therapy programs. As an Educational Consultant to private and Christian schools and homeschooling families, I am familiar with virtually everything in the educational marketplace. Tragically, schools and families today are in even worse straits then they were when we began almost 13 years ago. The same educational programs are being administered using the same, ineffective methods as in the past and the LD and at risk student numbers increase every year (54%). This is what caused us to get involved and to keep on through the years. There is nothing more satisfying than to see a child who thought he couldn't do it, or felt he was dumb or stupid, suddenly find himself reading and learning and succeeding. Seeing students who had given up on themselves, unable to even look the teacher in the eye, now functioning at grade level with the whole world before them is very satisfying! There is nothing like it! We have thirteen successful years working with children, young people and, yes, even adults (25% of our clients are over 18—some as old as 64).

TOS: That is exciting, as more and more homeschoolers are choosing to educate their special needs children at home. Others lack the confidence to do so. What does ELI offer homeschoolers to help them tackle this task?

Mrs. Westover: Our program will allow us to correct the areas of struggle, as well as place the student at the skill level where they can best perform, prescribe a full curriculum from now until graduation, maintain report cards and transcripts as they complete the program, and award an accredited diploma once they complete the requirements for graduation. Our curriculum is designed for independent study and is easily administered. It is an outstanding curriculum that prepares students to succeed after graduation, whether they attend a university or enter the workforce.

TOS: We understand that a learning disability is often a processing difficulty, whether visual processing or auditory processing or both. Can you briefly describe each of these deficits?

Mrs. Westover: To process information, one must first of all make sense of what they see or hear, then process it properly, next store it in memory, and later be able to retrieve it when necessary. Visual processing basically means that the student has difficulty processing what he/she sees and storing it in memory. Auditory processing means that the student has difficulty processing what he/she hears and storing it in memory.

TOS: And these are some of the issues addressed in your program, which involves Sensory Integration Therapy. Can you give us a layman’s definition of Sensory Integration Therapy?

Mrs. Westover: Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) is a series of neurological exercises that interlink the visual, auditory, and motor pathways in the brain in order to aid the implanting of information. In its simplest form, SIT stimulates the brain in one sensory mode, asks for a recall of information from memory using a second sensory mode, and then asks for a response using a third sensory mode. By going through this simple, multi-modality task, correctly sequenced and timed, the brain proceeds to interlock the sensory pathways or “patterns” of neural connections.

The connections that take place during learning increase, and within a matter of minutes following training, new connections are in place. These connections are the basis for memory retention of any skill. Repetition of the skill reinforces it and places it more firmly into long-term memory. SIT provides massive multi-sensory stimulation through simple interlinking sequences to affect this learning process. In this way, the brain is provided with so many positively reinforced and correct neurological stimuli that it proceeds to select proper learning pathways. Learning then takes place easily and fluidly.

TOS: How long does this take - the amount of time per day as well as the expected duration of therapy?

Mrs. Westover: The student works for 45 minutes to 1 hour per day, 4 consecutive days per week, for 9 months or a minimum of 130 sessions.

TOS: Are there certain types of disability for which this therapy is most appropriate? What kinds of kids would NOT benefit from this?

Mrs. Westover: We deal with about 95% of all learning difficulties including visual and auditory processing, ADD, ADHD, and dyslexia. Students with autism, aspergers, and ODD are enrolled with discretion.

TOS: You also offer complete curriculum for students in your program. Can you tell us about that?

Mrs. Westover: In addition to the sensory integration therapy, we have many different individualized curriculums available including self-instructional textbooks, interactive CDs, and online curriculum. The self-paced, individualized curriculum usually works best for struggling students because it assures mastery before proceeding to higher levels. It has been carefully compiled to introduce children to concrete and abstract reasoning skills at appropriate age levels. Vocabulary has been meticulously chosen to spiral from simple to complex, and from concrete to abstract. Character traits such as honesty, kindness, and loyalty are woven throughout the curriculum.

Parents can be assured of 1) a solid, back to basics education, 2) a course of study individualized to meet a child’s specific needs and learning capabilities, 3) a program incorporating character-building and wisdom principles, and 4) a curriculum using advanced computer technology to help ensure the finest education possible in today’s high-tech society.

Because every struggling student has individual needs, following a proper assessment, we select from a variety of curriculum. We generally choose an individualized, self instructional, mastery based curriculum such as the Accelerated Christian Education, Inc. publications. We also have a number of other vendors we pick and choose from.

TOS: I want to thank you both for sharing with our readers about your program. Your website, www.ldhope.com, is full of informative articles about learning disabilities, as well as complete coverage of your program and pricing.

This is one approach to dealing with learning disabilities in the home. Parents of differently-abled children have many resources from which to choose. Over the months in this Resource Room feature of The Old Schoolhouse, we hope to bring you solid information on what is available to help you make an informed choice. The presence of a particular company or approach in this column does not mean it is endorsed or recommended by TOS. The course of therapy is an individualized decision for parents and must be entered into with great thought, research and prayer. Our goal is to equip you with information to help you make informed choices.

Until next time, press on.... and happy researching!—Christine

To contact Essential Learning Institute, call 800-285-9089, or write for a packet of information to: ELI, 334 2nd St., Catasauqua PA 18032. Their email address is eli@polyweb.net and they are on the web at http://www.ldhope.com.

Christine Field is the author of Homeschooling the Challenging Child and many other homeschooling and adoption resources. Her website is: www.HomeFieldAdvantage.org

• Family Christian Stores - one $10 gift card! (no purchase necessary!)
• Alpha Omega/Power-Glide - Interactive foreign language CD-ROM. ($25 value)
• Accelerated Christian Education (ACE)/School of Tomorrow - Interactive CD-ROM Bible Study Course ($35 value)
• Bob's Red Mill -5 Grain Cereal ($7.50 value)
• Barker Creek's Draw Write Now - One thick penmanship/art/unit study book. Publisher's choice. ($13.00 value)
• Hold That Thought - Sampler of timelines creation, notebooking ($14.95 value)
• Rod & Staff by Milestone Ministries - One beautiful a capella cd of 18 hymns, plus choice of age-appropriate Rod and Staff sample workbook ($12 value)
• Lasting Lessons - One Lasting Lessons Award-winning Mini-Fun Themes unique Unit Study. Publisher's choice. ($10 value)
• b. dazzle, inc. - One Award-winning Scramble Squares(R) Puzzle, brain teaser! ($10.95 value)
  
  
• Treasure Box Press - Sam's Science Adventures! Mini-Science Adventure Kit ($10 value)
• BarCharts - QuickStudy Laminated Study Guides (English Grammar and Math Review, plus a Chef's Math Guide!)($19.95 value)
• Act Advantage - Educational DVDs, CD-ROMs, and Videos. FREE one-year membership! ($25 value)
• Greek 'n' Stuff - Publisher's choice of one book or pronunciation CD in the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! or Latin's Not So Tough! series. ($13 value)
• Marmee's Kitchen - One Family-Table-Courtesies parchment ($6.95 value)
• Homeway Press - Sampler collection of All-Time-Favorite Living Books ($10 value)
• TEACH Magazine - Six-month subscription: To Encourage and Challenge Homeschoolers and Homemakers ($10 value)
• Hunter Systems' Homeschool Minder - An all-in-one affordable homeschool management system on CD-ROM. ($10.95 value)
• Bright Minds, The Critical Thinking Company - At Home. - One Mind Benders workbook ($14.95 value)
• Family Books at Home/DK Books - Four fun P.B. Bear Books! ($33 value)

You get ALL NINETEEN of the above gifts, postage paid! But only to the first 5,000 respondents. Hurry, last year we sold out in approximately FIVE WEEKS!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is approx 200 pages, full color, gloss, and packed with support and fun! Contests and a multitude of product reviews abound, as do excellent columns like Creation Answers with AiG's Ken Ham, Resource Room for special needs homeschooling with Christine Field, Diana Waring's HisStory column, our Finishing the Race (High School) department, and Show and Tell – where readers share their own detailed methods and curriculum choices. And don't forget our lengthy Teachers' Lounge where homeschool parents hang out and talk homeschooling! Jenefer Igarashi chats each issue as well, and Dr. Ruth Beechick drops in from time to time. Keep up with mainstream news with Zan Tyler and Amelia Harper. It truly is "a homeschool convention wrapped up in a journal!"

Already, packages are selling out quickly. As of May 2nd, 2,000 are GONE already. Price for the two year subscription is only $39 total. And you'll pay nothing for the 19 gifts! The companies will pay the shipping of your gifts, too! That's it! Enjoy!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Call 1-888-718-HOME or 1-530-889-1698 or 1-530-823-0447 for further details on how gifts will arrive or to pay by credit card (phones ring frequently so if you don't get a live operator, leave a voice mail message for a call-back). Or visit our site: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com. Paypal address is Publisher@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com to secure your spot today. $39 total. Be within the first 5,000! Already, an estimated 2,000 are GONE. Less than 3,000 left!

*This promotion is for new TOS subscribers, only. Other gifts apply for renewing subscribers, but please wait until you receive a renewal letter with your magazine issue so you can take advantage of the gifts pertaining to that cycle. Support group leaders ONLY are permitted to renew early and receive all 19 gifts since they often represent/introduce new resources to homeschool families. Leaders may advertise their support group information at no charge on the magazine's website. Just ask! (subject to agreement with TOS Statement of Faith if group is faith-based)

Also, the first 200 leaders who request a free back issue will receive one, postage paid - no strings attached.

US Subscribers only. All 50 states. In Canada or UK? Your promo is coming soon! January, 2006.

Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers is a curriculum for teaching teenagers to live as morally and financially responsible adults. For a free project from the book, go to http://www.cardamompublishers.com/free-life-prep-project-01.htm While you’re there, be sure to check out Cardamom Publishers’ “The Imperfect Homeschooler” Web site for articles that will encourage you on your homeschooling journey.

Support Group Leaders ONLY: We would like to invite you to join our Yahoo! Group to discuss issues related to leadership and share fresh and new ideas to keep your group moving forward. Send a blank email to: TOSHSN_Leadership_Group-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe. We value your privacy. Never will we give out, sell or share your email in any way.

Sam's Science Adventures, offer hands-on science in a one of a kind treasure box. Your treasure box will be filled with everything you need to begin your adventure as soon as you open the box! No lesson planning, shopping for supplies or rushing to the library required! Simply open your treasure box and let the adventure begin.