I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.

Every family has an unique educational journey, and this is ours. We began our homeschooling journey 23 years ago when my two oldest children were 8 and 4. At that time, my daughter was in third grade at our local public school that, despite having some great teachers, was rated as a failing school with a D-.

I noticed my daughter struggling with reading and math, even though she was testing at an average level. She became overwhelmed with both her classwork and homework and would take hours to complete simple assignments. I felt lost and was totally unaware that there were options or services that the school should have provided. Frustrated, I decided to pull her out and try homeschooling.

I submitted the letter of intent to the school board and reached out to our county’s homeschool support group, which became an invaluable resource. We met wonderful families, and my children formed lasting friendships.

Our homeschooling experience included exciting field trips, geography fairs, social events, themed parties, and allowed us the freedom to travel on our own schedule. However, I found the curriculum choices disappointing; many materials felt dry and reminiscent of public school, relying heavily on worksheets and workbooks. My children were both homeschooled until tenth grade and then transitioned to our local public high school.

Fast forward to 2014: My oldest child was now independent, and my youngest was a junior in high school. My husband and I felt called to the foster care system. In 2019, we completed our first adoption a beautiful 3-year-old girl who had been with us since birth, followed by a second adoption in 2020 of a lovely 5-year-old girl. Our family grew overnight.

My two amazing girls both have special needs. I had no intention of even trying to homeschool this time around. Kindergarten started at public school-the same school that had failed my daughter 23 years ago. This time, I knew what to ask for and how to advocate for my children. I still faced pushback from the administration, and as I continued to advocate, COVID started. I was doing school at home again, and my girls were beginning to thrive. I loved it and they loved it. I knew this was the direction we were going to take.

This time school looks very different. It doesn’t mimic public school or rely on worksheets. Instead, it is engaging and sensory-friendly. The resources I’ve found have made a profound difference in both the way my children learn and how much they learn, allowing for what I believe is unlimited growth and potential.

I learned so much during those first ten years, but even more in the last three. My goal with Schooling Sparrows is to primarily focus on delivering relevant information on homeschooling for special needs families and to share the resources I’ve discovered that effectively address my children’s unique learning needs. I aim to curate specialized learning materials and provide transparent product reviews of assistive technologies, adaptive learning tools, and sensory-friendly educational resources to support other families navigating home education with unique learners.

"The education of a child is a work of love." -M. Montessori

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