How can I help my struggling student with his online classes? 1. Begin with only one course. We strongly recommend starting the student with only one course, unless he is accustomed to completing large amounts of advanced classwork. 2. Plan to complete each assignment. A structured online class may require a great deal of time for the struggling student, so […]
Tag Archives: special needs
Far and few, far and few Are the lands where the Jumblies live. — Edward Lear Amidst all the academic rigor, children need a little nonsense. Not only do we love to hear our children giggle, nonsense stretches a child’s mind. A little silliness can take them to unexpected, liberating places. We could research scientific […]
Q. I have a young son who has several special-needs issues. He is severely autistic, nonverbal, and significantly developmentally delayed. His cognitive age was just recently rated at 2 years. He is learning to use Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) cards to communicate and does approximated sign language for a few words. What concerns me, […]
Q. How will my special-needs child benefit from literature? A. Some special-needs children enjoy messages conveyed through simple picture books. In Frederick, by Leo Lionni, a little mouse cannot assist his family in the usual manner of hard, physical labor. He is not strong like the others. Instead, in days of distress, Frederick shares his small […]
Q. Our school uses Memoria Press K-8 classical curriculum. Currently we have a child with Down Syndrome in first grade. We are looking for any help you could offer with new modifications to the existing curriculum. A. Children with Down Syndrome can vary widely in ability, but these initial thoughts might spark more ideas of […]
One of the best books I have ever read on classical education is the just-released Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child from Memoria Press. Cheryl Swope’s book not only gives an unusually lucid explanation of what classical education is and how to teach it, whether in a school or at home—it reminds us […]
By Brian Phillips Author of Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child, Cheryl Swope is an advocate of classical Christian education for special-needs and struggling students. The love of history, music, literature, and Latin instilled in her own children has created in Cheryl the desire to share the message that classical education offers benefits to […]
At a time when many of our friends are becoming somewhat reluctant “empty-nesters,” my husband and I are in the process of realizing that we need to continue homeschooling our children even beyond their graduation. At 19, neither of our special-needs twins are able to attend college, yet both want to continue learning. Over time […]
Today I heard my daughter approaching in the darkness, too early for a Saturday morning. I asked her to tell me what happened. “An episode.” With schizophrenia, this means threatening voices and shivering in bed with a paralyzing terror. In the stillness just before dawn, we talked until her fears lifted. She breathed a sigh. “I need to write something down.” […]
As you teach the struggling student and help him with his weaker areas, look for his stronger interests and abilities. Does he love to draw? Does he long to write stories? Does he delve deeply into areas of scientific or historical research? Does he enjoy developing patterns or solving math problems? Does he have a […]