Joe:
Your book focuses on frugality, but I noticed an emphasis on ADD and learning disabilities, which are also of interest to our audience. How did you come to focus on this aspect of homeschooling?

Judith:
Parents often look into homeschooling because their kids don't quite "fit" at school. About 2 to 3% of kids have ADD, according to estimates we've read. I don't know what percentage of school children are diagnosed with Learning Disabilities, but I'd guess it's a small, perhaps similar, statistic. However, about half of the parents who contact us to explore homeschooling have a child diagnosed with either ADD, a learning disability, or both. That's a m-u-c-h larger proportion than we expected!

The over-representation makes sense, though, since these kids are often bright, but don't learn well by sitting quietly at a desk. Also, they tend not to be ready for "seat work" at an early age. (Think Thomas Edison, whose teacher said he was too "addle-brained" to learn. His mother hotly disagreed and taught her young son at home, allowing him to set up a laboratory in the basement!) Also, some of these parents find that the "ADD" or "LD" labels are irrelevant once the kids are out of the school environment and their joy of learning is revived. Who says sitting still is "normal"--especially for little boys?

I also have a personal interest in ADD.
Although I don't have a diagnosis, I have some memory and organization problems which could be a result of ADD or a learning disability. I joined CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) because the strategies help, with or without a label. Their web site is http://www.chadd.org/ . The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA), http://www.ldanatl.org/ , is another helpful organization. Both CHADD and LDA sponsor workshops, conferences, and newsletters, and offer ways to network with other parents in your area.

For some parents, homeschooling is a second choice because they can't afford a private school with a special ed program. (That was how my family got started.) With homeschooling, every child can have a customized curriculum, and that makes it ideal for kids who march to a different drummer. "Special ed" doesn't have to cost more, either. Kids can munch their math in the kitchen and sail their science in the bathtub. If necessary, you can give your children an outstanding education using little more than a library card, scavenged materials, and an imagination.

Joe:
You mentioned that one of your children elected to go to high school for two years. How did you feel about this? Were there any pros or cons to this decision?

Judith:
When my daughter decided to attend high school for her sophomore and junior year, my husband and I were not too crazy about the idea. I remember my husband's comment when she brought home an 'A' on a test was, "Well, at least you've learned how to takes tests." My daughter said, "Dad, MOST parents would be pleased if their children brought home 'A's!" and she was right, so we faced up to accepting the path she had chosen.

I think she felt a need to try school, to see if she "measured up," try out the social scene, experiment with life. She was a joy to the teachers (most of the time) the first year. The second year, she got pretty jaded about the whole thing, and seemed to lose a lot of her love of learning. She also had health problems throughout that complicated both school and homeschooling.

I'm glad she made the decision to homeschool for her senior year. I'm a little jealous of some of the families whose teens stayed home. I think she missed out on what might have been the coolest homeschool years! But I'd probably let her go again under the same circumstances.

Joe:
Would you consider yourself an "unschooler" or do you like a more structured program?

See the answer to this question

Meet the Author
Janie Bowman
author of Think Fast! : The ADD Experience
hosted by Sue Spataro
interview, essay and FREE excerpt
She is the Sysop of the ADD and School at Home Forums on CompuServe 1993 to present. She is the Co-editor, with Thom Hartmann and Susan Burgess, of Think Fast! The ADD Experience, based on information from the ADD Forum on CompuServe. She discusses the vast increase in numbers of children with the ADD/ADHD diagnosis and looks at some of the major theories discusses by ADD authors. Also featured is an essay by Janie entiled, "The Gifts of Homeschooling."

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Home Schooling Children With Special Needs
by Sharon Hensley

|It is estimated that 10% of American families have children with special learning needs. Sharon Hensley gives her readers a fresh perspective in facing the challenges of home schooling children with special needs. Parents will appreciate her first hand experience dealing with the frustrations and joys of raising and teaching children with special needs.