{"id":5765,"date":"2023-12-14T19:28:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T00:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/?p=5765"},"modified":"2023-12-14T19:28:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T00:28:33","slug":"homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Military families require grit. It\u2019s especially not an option when special needs kids are in the mix. I homeschooled four children; all four have major hurdles that we have worked to overcome initially through homeschooling. My oldest faces significant health challenges, but academically, there is no impact<\/em>. Should he attend a traditional school, he would require a 504 plan for accommodations. My other three have required speech therapy, occupational therapy, dyslexia interventions, and other therapies to support their learning differences. Even so, they require minimal classroom intervention. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Backstory of Homeschooling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I homeschooled my children for six years. I had the romantic idea that our family would travel the globe in support of Uncle Sam while my children had the benefit of an untraditional upbringing that intertwined our lived experiences with their formal or not-so-formal education. I wanted them to experience culture and history untethered by a typical school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh Boy, Did that Backfire<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I struggled to teach my oldest daughter (kid #2) to read. It just wouldn\u2019t click and I didn\u2019t understand what I was doing wrong. I was ashamed that I couldn\u2019t teach my child something so simple as learning to read \u2013 should be as easy as teaching a kid to ride a bike, right? I also didn\u2019t have a good grasp or understanding of the services and supports that were available to her as a homeschooled kiddo. I do what I typically did and thought outside of the box on a limited budget. Tricare would not cover dyslexia testing. While undiagnosed, she received dyslexia interventions and was soon reading \u2013 I just needed someone who understood to walk with us! I started to learn the value of speaking up, but I was timid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not the Only One<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My other daughter (kid #3) learned to read hesitantly. But she fought me with everything she had and did not want to read. Tears and fighting filled the lessons. Every. Single. Day. I didn\u2019t understand that she needed additional time to process what I was trying to teach her \u2013 something I wouldn\u2019t find out for three more years. I just knew that I felt that I was failing my children and the family dream of enthusiastically studying heritage sites while on our military journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then my youngest son (kid #4) only spoke four words by the age of two. I was terrified. My two daughters needed speech, and my oldest did not have a wide vocabulary by the age of two, but she was able to communicate well. I didn\u2019t know where this was going to lead \u2013 the pediatrician helped me rule out all kinds of diagnoses. Within that same appointment, the medical team ruled out autism, referred us to speech assessment, audiology for hearing tests, and discussed the possibility of apraxia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Came School<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The year 2020 was a hard one for many families. My family struggled through multiple life-altering events, including the death of my father and a family member\u2019s significant mental health event culminating in a hospitalization, on top of the COVID lockdowns. I just couldn\u2019t carry the load anymore. I knew I needed direct support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lockdown limited the number of open schools at our stationed location. I felt like the only mother who would put her children in<\/em><\/strong> school during COVID, but I was that desperate for help and support. I was tired. They were tired. It just wasn\u2019t working so radical change needed to happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It Was Life Changing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our first year at school started out very rough. My oldest daughter was placed in fourth grade and I was open with the school about her limitations. They wanted to pull her back a grade two months in, but I held firm. I had her diagnosed with dyslexia and we received some amazing intervention ideas that worked! By the end of the school year, her grades were high enough that the school didn\u2019t fight moving her up to fifth grade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My youngest daughter couldn\u2019t spell anything and was still struggling with reading. Otherwise, she was acclimating well. I took her for testing the summer after her third grade year and she was also diagnosed with dyslexia, low processing speed, and ADHD. We again received some interventions that have helped her better succeed! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My youngest wasn\u2019t old enough to attend school until my older children had attended for one year. I talked to the school about his speech delays and decided to place him in prekindergarten. You know what? Being around other children helped his speech improve. He started out the year frustrated that others struggled to understand him, but he learned to slow down and in learning that \u2013 his speech improved dramatically! Not enough to graduate from speech, but his intelligibility improved to above 80%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak Out!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Through all of this, I have learned to speak out. In speaking out and seeking help and support, I was met with people who truly cared for my children and for me. The school offered support and a structure both my kids and I needed. I have met family after family with medical challenges like my oldest son. I have engaged with parents who also have dyslexic children, ADHD children, and speech-delayed children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned I am not alone and having true community can be healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Aleha<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/a>Aleha Landry lives in Colorado. After a decade-long stint as a stay-at-home mom, she returned to the workforce. She has a passion for politics and policy, hates to cook (but cooks much due to aforementioned children), and loves to travel. She holds a Bachelor\u2019s of Business Administration from Colorado Christian University. You may visit her website<\/a> and LinkedI<\/a>n<\/a> to learn more about Aleha and can reach her at aleha.landry@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military families require grit. It\u2019s especially not an option when special needs kids are in the mix. I homeschooled four children; all four have major hurdles that we have worked to overcome initially through homeschooling. My oldest faces significant health challenges, but academically, there is no impact. Should he attend a traditional school, he would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[260,118,15,141],"tags":[59,43,58,186,262],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHomeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The PROMISE Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-15T00:28:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-15T00:28:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/image000000.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carly Brinsko\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carly Brinsko\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/\",\"name\":\"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-15T00:28:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-15T00:28:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9964382da803fcf9a4da7bb9bc9e5c93\"},\"description\":\"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ADHD\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/tag\/adhd\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/\",\"name\":\"The PROMISE Act\",\"description\":\"The PROMISE Act which supports military children with disabilities in special education\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9964382da803fcf9a4da7bb9bc9e5c93\",\"name\":\"Carly Brinsko\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417a106688e71030f253455260656c86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417a106688e71030f253455260656c86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carly Brinsko\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/author\/carly\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act","description":"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act","og_description":"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.","og_url":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/","og_site_name":"The PROMISE Act","article_published_time":"2023-12-15T00:28:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-15T00:28:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/image000000.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carly Brinsko","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carly Brinsko","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/","url":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/","name":"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting - The PROMISE Act","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-12-15T00:28:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-15T00:28:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9964382da803fcf9a4da7bb9bc9e5c93"},"description":"Homeschooling challenges to empowered parenting: Healing and community through speaking out and seeking support amid unique education.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/homeschooling-struggles-to-empowered-parenting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ADHD","item":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/tag\/adhd\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Homeschooling Struggles to Empowered Parenting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/","name":"The PROMISE Act","description":"The PROMISE Act which supports military children with disabilities in special education","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9964382da803fcf9a4da7bb9bc9e5c93","name":"Carly Brinsko","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417a106688e71030f253455260656c86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417a106688e71030f253455260656c86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carly Brinsko"},"url":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/author\/carly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5765"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5806,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765\/revisions\/5806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepromiseact.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}