The Top Approach for Homeschool Success with Struggling Learners

By Tracy Criswell It’s a question that has plagued me since starting back with homeschooling our four children: "Am I doing enough?" This summer, our family faced a series of challenges, including three surgeries—my husband’s benign tumor removal, my oldest son’s wisdom teeth extraction, and my oldest daughter’s spinal fusion—along with jury duty, a loss of income since I had to forgo my summer job to care for everyone, and the stress of preparing for a new homeschool year. This has been the toughest start to a homeschool year in our eight years of experience. A Rough Start We decided to start homeschooling the Tuesday after Labor Day. I thought this would give us time to gauge how well my oldest daughter was recovering and help her siblings transition into their dual-enrolled classes at local schools. It seemed like a good plan, but as soon as we started, I felt overwhelmed, and the familiar question resurfaced: "Am I doing enough?" Our days became packed with commitments—three different band practices (my youngest daughter weekly, my youngest son every other morning, and my oldest daughter every day), band lessons every other week, weekly therapy sessions for my middle two children to manage their anxiety, orthodontist visits, psychiatric evaluations for my oldest daughter, vision therapy appointments, doctor visits for anxiety medication, and, of course, homeschooling. One Day at a Time I don’t write lesson plans in advance (except for my oldest son, who is very independent), because I never know what each day will bring. My children have varying abilities and needs, and it’s a constant challenge to meet them all. But this past weekend, I noticed a pattern: every other week is chaotic. This is when band lessons, homeschool visits from our supervising teacher, and medical appointments tend to cluster. I’ve come to accept that on those hectic weeks, I’ll do my best to teach my children, even if that means schooling in the van between appointments. On the calmer weeks, we focus on catching up with any missed work. My husband has been an incredible support. He helps with dinner, listens when I need to talk about how things are going, and occasionally takes the kids to activities, giving me some quiet time to catch up on paperwork. His help has made a big difference. Other Strategies In addition to my husband's support, I’ve found a few other strategies that help keep the "Am I doing enough?" question at bay: Focus on completing three core subjects every day, no matter what. Write down what we accomplish each day for a clear visual of what we’ve done and what still needs attention. Use videos to supplement different subject areas like science, social studies, and literature. Incorporate read-alouds or audiobooks to deepen our understanding of various topics as a family. Take advantage of field trips, library activities, and volunteer opportunities as part of our learning. Practice giving and receiving grace. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from friends and family. More Than Enough At some point, most of us ask ourselves, "Am I doing enough?" The answer is, “Yes, I am.” I am providing a homeschool education tailored to my children’s unique needs and abilities. I’m teaching them life skills and values that will shape how they treat others. Life has seasons, and right now, ours is full of doctor’s appointments, therapy sessions, dual-enrollment classes, tumbling, scouting, 4-H, and more. But through it all, I’ve learned that I’m doing more than enough.

Are you stretching every dollar to make your homeschool budget work? In this episode of Empowering Homeschool Conversations, host Peggy Ployhar sits down with Krisa Winn, a seasoned homeschooling consultant and the new SPED Homeschool Director of Consulting and Partnerships, to explore the key to maximizing your homeschool budget. Discover how working with an educational consultant can be a game-changer for your family—not just in terms of educational outcomes, but also in managing costs. Krisa shares her extensive experience and breaks down the tangible benefits of consulting services, from accessing cost-effective resources to saving time, reducing stress, and boosting productivity, all of which contribute to a more manageable and efficient budget. Learn how utilizing a consultant can actually save your family money by identifying unnecessary expenses and prioritizing what truly matters in your child’s education. Peggy and Krisa also discuss the ripple effect of these services—how the guidance and support from a consultant can free up valuable time for parents, allowing them to focus on what they do best: nurturing their children’s learning and growth. Finally, Krisa sheds light on SPED Homeschool’s vision for making quality, effective consultative services accessible to all homeschooling families, regardless of budget constraints. Whether you're a seasoned homeschooler or just starting out, this episode offers actionable strategies and insights that can transform how you approach your homeschooling finances. Krisa Winn is an educator and sought-after public speaker who has served homeschooling families for more than a decade. As a special needs consultant at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) she worked with thousands of fellow homeschooling parents offering personalized guidance, resources, and practical help to families homeschooling children with special needs. During her 21 years as a classroom teacher, she taught children of all ages, abilities, and circumstances. She has also worked as a private tutor, an early childhood intervention specialist, and an academic language therapist in training. Viewers like you funded similar episodes, and other free resources from SPED Homeschool. To learn how you can support the nonprofit work of SPED Homeschool and this broadcast, visit https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ To find out more about SPED Homeschool, visit our website at https://spedhomeschool.com/ To learn about the other Empowering Homeschool Conversations Co-Hosts and their resources, visit: https://annieyorty.com/ https://www.leilanimelendez.com/ https://elarplearning.com/ https://solimaracademy.com/ Join our mission to empower homeschool families!: https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/