Learning: The Event of a Lifetime

Have you ever had that concert or event where you're so excited that you just need to run toward that event? For me, that event was actually my daily elementary school classes. My schedule was very fast-paced and each lesson had so much depth and breadth, that I felt my hunger for knowledge was being satiated. However, we always transitioned to the next subject so quickly that when I got a glimpse of what was on the menu next, I was already craving what would be served to the table next! My lessons were always interactive and always interesting. Occasionally, I would be assigned a book that I didn’t care about, but my teacher always had other activities for me to move on to so I could shift my attention back to that book soon enough.

You see, I was a child diagnosed with ADHD in the early 90s, a time when most people misunderstood the neuro-exceptionality to the point where they believed it was a complete fabrication--an excuse made for children who didn’t act “the right way.” But my teacher understood. She kept my environment consistently structured. However, she was always ready to remove distractions from that environment if necessary (such as a pen with a sliding puzzle). She gave me breaks when I needed them, but still trained me to shift my attention on the things that were important so I could still get my work done in a timely manner. My classes were so productive that I was actually able to end my classwork and homework at 1:00PM and spend the remaining 2-3 hours of the school day outside playing in recess.

This teacher was my mother. My school was called “Legacy Learning Academy” which was her adaptation of a Personal Private Schooling approach to homeschooling. My mother made the decision to homeschool me because of her concern about the slow decay of the public schools in our area as well as her concern that a teacher would be able to handle my overly excitable nature when trying to manage 20-28 other children.

Looking back several decades later as seasoned educator, I can honestly say that the public and charter schools often struggle to serve and support neurodivergent learners. Students with ADHD and on the Autism Spectrum often get lost in the vast sea of students while schools only meet the bare minimum legal requirements for "supporting these students. I have had to console so many of these neurodivergent students and their parents as they tell me in tears that they don't know how to "be like the other kids."

But that's just the point--the term neurodivergent means that your mind functions and processes academic and socio-emotional information differently from the "typical" and "mainstream" minds. That's why we call mainstream minds neurotypical. There is nothing wrong with either type of mind. We are all human beings whose minds run on software with different operating systems. We are different colors of paint on a canvas. And as my mother and K-5 schoolteacher showed me, we are all equally capable of great success, despite our differences.

That's why there has been a rise in homeschooling. While many families did not experience success in 2020 when the everyone nation was forced into homeschooling, the families that did experience success are beginning to spread the word. More parents are beginning to see that one possibility of unlocking the full potential of their neurodivergent child is to have them fully supported from the home. There are so many different ways to homeschool now that parents can still maintain a steady job by working from home and still ensure their child has the education they need. Between the newfound appreciation for what true homeschooling can offer and the numerous private schools that specialize in supporting neurodivergent learners, we can spread the word as a team. It is the team of educators, parents, and learning enthusiasts in each local community that can truly make learning come alive for our next generation as it did for me so many years ago. Together we can create a new age where learning is valued and loved in this nation more than ever.