The following article expands on highlights and insights from one of our Expert Series events, which are exclusive for Young Scholars and their parents.
Authored by: Lisa A. Jobe, JD
Summary
Changing educational paths, particularly transitioning to homeschooling, is common for profoundly gifted/twice-exceptional learners. Our children’s asynchronicity, needs for advanced content, or talent potential combined with learning differences, are often difficult for even the most supportive classroom educators to meet. This is perhaps why, “It’s said that nearly 90 percent of exceptionally and profoundly gifted children are at least partially homeschooled (Hoagies, 2020).
“Homeschooling” is, for many families, an umbrella term that takes an à la carte approach to the best of all educational options. Families have the ability to create “niche environments” specifically tailored to their unique learners. The options of local and virtual classes, individualized teachers and mentors, enrichment activities, social connections, and other learning resources are immense. There are now many ways to make homeschooling work for every family without overwhelming busy parents.
Some PG learners homeschool throughout the completion of their K-12 journeys, while others homeschool “for a season,” then transition back to traditional schooling.
Advanced homeschoolers often utilize dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, internships, and other post-high school level opportunities to augment their learning. Many also choose early entrance to community college as a stepping stone before university paths.
Parents often wonder whether homeschooling closes doors of opportunity, though these concerns have been proven to be unfounded. Anecdotal experiences of profoundly gifted college graduates and other young adults who homeschooled as youth demonstrate resounding personal successes. It is common for homeschooled learners to attend elite universities, go on to graduate school, become professionals in the arts, and pursue other passions. These young adults commonly share that homeschooling prepares them well for their next paths.
Homeschooling provides a gift of time for our learners to discover strengths and interests, explore passions, develop talents, and retain (or regain) a natural love of learning. Yet, the idea of homeschooling can be overwhelming, so where do parents begin? This and many other common questions, including how to transition back to traditional education, are answered in our expert series presentation.
Hoagies Gifted Education Page. (December 1, 2020) Home Schooling the Gifted Child. https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/home_sc.htm
General Tips
1. Imagine the Ideal Education for Your Learner. What would that look like? Do they gravitate towards hands-on or collaborative learning, creative projects, working one-on-one with a parent or other adult, perhaps with a private instructor? How do they best show what they’ve learned? What are their strengths and interests, and what are they eager to learn about? What types of social connections interest them? As you and your learner think about what their ideal learning might look like, also envision your short and long-term goals for their education and how their learning needs can balance with other family demands
2. Begin Building Homeschool Support Networks. Begin connecting with other homeschool families. Facebook parent groups are a common way to find other families in local areas and to find commonality with larger parent audiences. Serving Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG) parent cohorts frequently form to offer collaborative support with others sharing common parenting journeys. Co-ops, microschool and “drop off” programs, and meetup groups are common in most regions. Nature centers, museums, and theaters often have homeschool programs, as well.
3. Build Up Your Learner’s Social Network. For those considering homeschooling, social connections are a common concern. Sports, scouts, theater, youth groups, even the local neighborhood or family cousins can provide meaningful peer connections. If your child isn’t already in an after-school activity that provides this social avenue, consider joining one before their transition. The ongoing relationships formed in these spaces, along with the routine of regularly engaging with peers, can provide social stability until your child’s social networks expand.
Foster Current Friendships. Likewise, if your learner has friends whom they enjoy seeing in their current school environment, continue to foster those relationships. As you make your transition, schedule playdates or hangouts that they can look forward to. It is important for many youth to see that they can maintain those friendships beyond school.
4. Begin Building Educational and Other Professional Supports. Homeschooling does not necessitate “doing it on your own” or giving up educational support. In California and several other states, families have the option of using a public charter school with credentialed teachers to direct their paths, though those often require tighter adherence to grade-level designations and state standards. Private educational consultants with expert knowledge in gifted-2e learning offer deeper support and serve as valuable advisors, mentors, and coaches throughout the journey. A few also offer assessments, transcripts, and other administrative assistance. Umbrella homeschool programs also exist for families who seek more structured administrative support, particularly with meeting state requirements. There are also several options for one-on-one and group classes, virtual co-ops, and other online enrichment opportunities specifically tailored for gifted homeschoolers.
What other support might your family need? Many homeschool families are able to continue to access educational therapists and mental health providers for their 2e learners through their public school district; others utilize private providers. Busy families may seek a babysitter or “mother’s helper” to entertain younger siblings while working with their learners. High school and college students can also help with overseeing learning or helping with transportation.
5. Take Your Time Finding the Right Learning Resources For Your Learner. Before you go out and replicate school textbooks, take some time to find out what type of learning works best for your learner. Traditional workbooks may be efficient for large group teaching, but there are many more interesting and authentic ways to learn. Many students prefer experiencing “living history” through field trips, cooking and crafts, and documentaries; hands-on science also creates much more meaningful learning for most. Throw an authentic Victorian tea party; grow a garden; hatch butterflies or baby chicks; mummify an apple. Working with a homeschool coach or exploring homeschool discussion boards will help you discover learning resources to explore with your student.
6. Announcing the Transition. How do you let your current teachers and friends know about your decision to change? If the relationships are positive, letting the teacher and friends know a few weeks before the transition works well. Use positive language that leaves doors open, thanking teachers for their support and perhaps indicating that this is just a trial period to provide your child more time to explore areas of interest. If possible, transition at a natural break, such as a holiday or summer vacation.
7. Build In Downtime. Finally, build in some downtime after you leave to “deschool,” which provides yourself as well as your learner time to decompress and switch mindsets. Do not be afraid of a few weeks that may look “academically unproductive”- this is important processing time, particularly for any children who are coming out of a negative school experience. Kids who had a particularly tough time in traditional school environments may need longer “deschooling” periods to heal.
When beginning to recharge, start with those subjects they enjoy the most, encouraging their buy-in of how they want to learn and providing choices where you can. Homeschooling does not need to look like school: they can sleep in, read while hanging upside down off the couch, do math at a coffee shop, have playdates in the middle of the day, and take breaks whenever they need. This is all consistent with learning and excelling in healthy and joyful ways.
Resources
Educational and Parent Support for PG-2e Homeschoolers:
1. Sequoia Gifted and Creative, LLC & Sequoia Gifted Academywww.SequoiaGifted.com
Educational consulting and coaching; CogAT, IOWA, and Suite of Tools strength-based assessments; individualized ELA/History/curated micro-classes for PG/2e learners; and private “umbrella school” administrative support for homeschool families.
2. SENG Community Support Groups for Parents of HG/PG Homeschoolers
Interest Form: https://forms.gle/ozxMCsHmaW9XgZGr5
3. Rivendell Academy of Freemont
5. DYS Specific:
“Homeschooling” and “Unschooling” FaceBook Subgroups
Homeschool Parent Support Group Monthly Chats
6. Gifted Homeschoolers’ Forum
Online Homeschool Classes:
- Sequoia Gifted and Creative (curated micro-classes in ELA/History)
- GHF Gifted/2e Virtual Co-Op
- Online G3
- Athenas
- Learning Outside the Box
- Young Scholars Academy
and many more…You are not alone! Please feel free to reach out any time at lisa.sequoiagifted@gmail.com.
Speaker Bio:
Lisa Jobe is an educator, consultant and advocate providing support for profoundly gifted/2e learners and their families. Lisa pivoted from her corporate law career to homeschool her PG sons, and has now devoted the past 16 years to advocating within the national gifted community. She has served on numerous boards and advisory groups, including NAGC’s Member Advisory Group and GHF’s Board of Directors, where she leads the first virtual co-op for gifted/2e families. She is also a SENG parent group facilitator and has co-led the DYS homeschool parent support group for several years.
Lisa is co-founder of Sequoia Gifted and Creative, which serves gifted/2e families nationally with individualized learning and advocacy support, both in traditional school and homeschool environments. Sequoia Gifted has now had the privilege of journeying with more than 95 PG families.
Lisa is also completing doctoral studies at Bridges Graduate School, where her focus is on the unique needs of PG/2e learners. She is currently researching why gifted families frequently change school environments, even where gifted programs exist.
Please feel free to reach out to Lisa anytime at lisa.sequoiagifted@gmail.com.
Permission Statement
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.
Comments