Cheryl Swope's Blog, page 4

Teaching Writing to Children with Special Needs

When we teach children with special needs, we need to move quickly!

Attention spans wane. Motivation falls.

We need efficient teaching resources that serve double-duty!

Our Aesop Copybook gives you all of these benefits:

Literature (Aesop’s Fables)
Handwriting practice (New American Cursive)
Writing models for classical imitation – view samples
Moral lessons
Structured writing with word boxes to assist spelling and reflecting

See also our Simply Classical Spelling and Writing series.

Read why Aesop is a Good Beginning for any child!

NCHE Summit on Teaching Exceptional Children

This weekend I will gather with homeschooling parents of children with special needs in North Carolina for the NCHE Summit on Teaching Exceptional Children. This will be a small conference. As much as I love the energy and sheer numbers of a large convention, I enjoy the intimacy of small conferences. With a few moments of quiet time to look into a mother’s eyes, feel her heart, and know her struggles, my joy in the small conference comes in connecting to a mother one-on-one, individualizing help for her child, and knowing she is leaving that conference equipped to carry on.

This gathering is designed to encourage parents, but I know in advance that the homeschoolers will encourage me. From my speaking platform I often look into faces of concerned, wearily devoted parents who strive to understand, accept, and strengthen a child with autism or adhd, dyslexia or dysgraphia, intellectual disability or medical conditions. Often, but not always, these children are adopted. Often, but not always, the parents show me pictures of their struggling children. Tears often accompany these conferences, but we share hope.

Just by joining us in a gathering of homeschoolers, they have hope.An increasing number of parents choose homeschooling specifically to address their children’s learning differences or learning challenges in ways unmatched by many traditional special education programs. The one-on-one approach instantly elevates the ability of the homeschooling parent.

We will bring catalogs to share the good news that a curriculum exists for schools and for homeschools, designed just for children with special needs! We retain the wonder, beauty, and imagination of art, music, science, and a good story while addressing the needs of children who struggle to learn. Join us on Instagram @_simplyclassical_ for photos of children who benefit from the Simply Classical Curriculum and from the dedicated parents who teach them.

I love one-day conferences, as they afford me the ability to meet with families, share multiple sessions, and return home with only two nights away from my own adult children with special needs, Michael and Michelle. This is in contrast to the multi-day conferences where I am away four nights at a time. My hard-working husband, who keeps our children and manages all meals and medications so I can travel, appreciates one-day conferences too!

Often before these conferences I prepare my talks, rest my body, swim a few laps to relax, and pray. I pray for the families I will meet. I pray for wisdom to help them. I pray for the children reached by these families. If you are so inclined, join me in praying for them too.

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart,

All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Cheryl

cherylswope@memoriapress.com

 

 

Writers’ Quiet Space

Assigned to read an entire manuscript in a weekend, we discovered much more than just the words given to us.

My daughter and I received the delightful but daunting request to read an author-friend’s 294-page manuscript.

I agreed to write a thorough review, and Michelle said yes to creating an original poem to be placed in the back of the book. We set aside one weekend to complete our tasks.

If you have ever felt the need for quiet, read what happened next. You may unapologetically find some “Thought Space” for yourself!

Educating Children with Special Needs

Our Simply Classical Curriculum begins at the beginning with stories, oral language, and readiness.

We believe ALL children can benefit from the delight, beauty, and wonder of a good story!

From ages 2 through high school, our Simply Classical Curriculum provides everything you need to teach every subject every year. More levels release annually.

Currently available with free online placement tests for each level:

Readiness A, B, C

Primary 1, 2, 3

Grammar 4, 5, 6

Read why we believe a classical education — The Liberating Arts — can benefit more children than we once thought possible:

Some parents and educators have the misconception that classical education is only for “smart kids.” It is easy to understand why someone might think this way. Latin at age eight? Homer by fourteen? With such standards, one might reason, surely classical education is only for born geniuses—the brightest and best of our children. But what about those children who are not born geniuses? What about those who, far from being intellectually gifted, are living with cognitive challenges, language disorders, or physical disabilities? Does classical education have anything to offer them? Can a classical education benefit any child? …

Why Teach Cursive? Why Teach Handwriting At All?

Brain imaging allows for interesting studies.

When Indiana University professor Karin James pondered the purpose of teaching writing, she conducted an experiment with young children. Half had been taught only to visually recognize letters. Half had been taught also to write them. After just four weeks, brain scans showed enormous spikes in brain activity related to reading in the second group of children. Mere recognition and even “typing seems to be different than handwriting,” she concluded. “You’re actually creating those forms with your hands. That seems to be making a difference.

No wonder Memoria Press founder Cheryl Lowe called handwriting “the original hands-on learning!”

In our debut issue of the Simply Classical Journal, Handwriting Expert Iris Hatfield shares her Top 10 Reasons to Learn Cursive. See if you are persuaded!

We offer a variety of programs to help you teach. When you order, be sure to request the Individual Simply Classical Lesson Plans if your student needs a multi-modal approach to learning.

Creator of New American Cursive Iris Hatfield writes, “Developing an attractive, legible handwriting style certainly has great aesthetic value, but it also has numerous mental, physical, social, and practical benefits.” 

See those Top Ten Benefits.

Happy writing!

Cheryl

“Because words pass away as soon as they strike upon the air, and last no longer than their sound, men have by means of letters formed signs of words. Thus the sounds of the voice are made visible to the eye, not of course as sounds, but by means of certain signs.” — Augustine, On Christian Doctrine

 

Aging Cheerfully

My grandma danced when she turned 100. To many her life was quiet and unassuming, but to me her life was Nothing Ordinary.

I now envision my grandma dancing in heaven, no longer blind, but still dancing. She often told me she “never expected to live so long on this old earth,” but she knew her longevity was a gift of the God who sustained and strengthened her come what may.

I miss her daily and keep one of my favorite photos of her tucked in my nightstand drawer where I see it every night. I have not yet finished the nearly 50 years of diaries she left me, because I savor them.

My grandma prayed for me and although she suffered many hardships along the way, she lived with abiding joy. As I share in one of my chapters for He Restores My Soul, I was most certainly blessed to have such a grandma.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Ps. 30:11-12

Lois Eleanor Tremaine Hollerorth, who lived 100 years, 6 months, and 16 days

February 14, 1912 – August 30, 2012

+ + +

 

Shining Like the Stars Forever and Ever

 

On this, the anniversary of my father-in-law’s death, I remember my daughter’s words in the last months of his long life.

In the book Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child, I share how my two children, despite their significant special needs, benefit from a classical Christian education which not only strengthens their minds, but also impacts their souls.

One recent event underscored what this kind of education can do for our children, and what it can do for the people in our children’s lives.

My children’s 90-year-old grandfather had been hospitalized for weeks. We were concerned that though he had been quite distraught at times, he had not received consistent spiritual comfort. So my daughter brought him the Sunday morning readings from Holy Scripture.

In the hospital’s gathering room, she began reading loudly and clearly to him from Isaiah 12:1-3:

I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.

Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

He listened. He heard. She continued with the New Testament passage.

His shoulders still drooping in the metal wheelchair, Pop grew quiet at the sound of the words. Then he surprised us by asking to see a copy of the readings. He straightened his body. Lifting his head, he reread the Isaiah verses out loud. Peace softened his worn face, and joy warmed his gray eyes. He smiled—a wonderful moment for all of us.

We still grieved while watching our loved one decline in mind and body, but that day my daughter Michelle, despite her own challenges, reminded us of this:

Those who are wise shall shine

Like the brightness of the firmament,

And those who turn many to righteousness

Like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

Originally Published in The Classical Teacher Summer 2016 edition.

Dr. Joseph A. Swope, 1926-2016

 

Teach your own children with special needs: Simply Classical Curriculum from Memoria Press

Subscribe to our free twice-a-year print magazine/catalog: Simply Classical Journal from Memoria Press

Teach Social Skills to Children with (or without) Special Needs

Myself & Others: Lessons in Social Understanding, Habits, & Manners

14-week mini-programs for improving social skills for any student ages 4-13.

We teach through classic children’s literature, visual cue cards, and daily lessons.

For younger children or children with significant special needs, begin with the Book One Core Set. Book One offers 14 weeks of brief lessons, no writing, and covers the first several chapters of the classic Winnie-the-Pooh collection. Proceed to the Book Two Core Set which lengthens daily lessons, adds some fine-motor components, and finishes remaining chapters.
For older children, begin in the Book Three Core Set. Book Three provides 14 weeks of Aesop’s Fables, an Aesop Copybook, and covers the first chapters of Healthy, Happy, Habits. Proceed to the Book Four Core Set which lengthens daily lessons, teaches through children’s literature, and finishes the remaining chapters.

Families or classrooms with multiple ages often begin at the beginning of Myself & Others with older children as helper/readers. In this way the older students may become assistant teachers. Older children may help with demonstrating hand signals, holding the cue cards, or role playing practice sessions.

If you need to add some structure, delight, and encouragement to your days, learn more here! 

 

Myself & Others is a Simply Classical resource published by Memoria Press.

Cheryl Swope Speaking Events

Join me for encouragement, information, and conversation at the wonderful upcoming events hosted in these cities:

Los Angeles area June 13-15, 2019

Philadelphia June 23, 2019

Louisville July 8-10, 2019

Chicago July 16-18, 2019

Details:

* Los Angeles area – Great Homeschool Convention in Ontario, California

* Philadelphia – Templeton Honors College within Eastern University – guest lecturer in morning classes and public evening lecture

* Louisville – Memoria Press conferences for homeschoolers and classroom teachers

* Chicago – CCLE national conference for homeschoolers and classroom teachers

I love meeting fellow advocates of the classical education movement. I enjoy helping anyone interested in learning how to reclaim the education that is ours as human beings. Come by the Memoria Press booth or attend any of my Simply Classical sessions and say hello! (Photo by Jordan Schrader of Memoria Press)

“Even if we fail to reach it, those whose aspirations are highest will attain to greater heights than those who abandon themselves to premature despair of ever reaching the goal and halt at the very foot of the ascent.” — Quintilian

 

Hero of Faith Series

Looking for a good summer series? My daughter Michelle enjoyed these CPH books throughout her childhood. She recently reviewed three books from the series of eight.

Michelle begins with one of her favorite personal heroes, C. F. W. Walther, whose DVD biography and soundtrack she enjoys immensely.

Hero of Faith Series: C.F.W. Walther

“Walther was always sickly from a young man to an old man bent and grey. He followed his Lord, and when he married his wife in turn followed him. Walther preached what he taught and sailed to America in 1839. This book tells his story and is more heady, meaning more thinking is required, than some of the others in the series. I myself read it when I was 8 years old and thought it a bit too much, but I’d venture that children 9, 10, and older will enjoy it.”

Hero of Faith Series: Dorothea Craemer

“This is the story of a brave young lady who left home and country of Germany to the deep unknown of the United States. She cared for people along her journey, and a pastor noticed. He asked her to marry him. She spent her days cooking, cleaning, and nursing while following her Lord in prayer. It is fitting that this Christian woman left this earth to go to God in such a manner as kneeling in prayer by her bed. Very highly recommended.”

Hero of Faith Series: Martin Luther

“Martin Luther started life with a strict family and a burdened conscience. When a storm came up while traveling he swore his life to God. This book may seem childish at times, like the idea of bringing him here from the past, but it conveys the story and makes it rather enjoyable. Suitable for younger children.”

Find the entire series from Concordia Publishing House.