Before I start sharing specifics about homeschooling unique learners – or tutoring them if you are a tutor, I want to assure you that I I can help you with whatever your situation may be. Here’s my story. It kind of weaves between professional and personal, but that’s part of what makes me a unique teacher too!
I have been teaching for over 30 years. I started my teaching career in a newer Christian school, teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. I became familiar with curriculum choices, attended school board meetings, developed our school’s curriculum guide (similar to state standards in recent years), served on a state accreditation team, and supervised student teachers. However, I was concerned about my students who were bright, but still struggled in reading, writing, or math. I worked alongside the public school special ed teacher to provide help for my students. The materials at that time worked on visual processing and didn’t seem to make a difference! So I knew there had to be more to know about how kids with learning disabilities learn.
I got my Masters of Education degree from the University of Minnesota. At that time, the special education field was in a philosophical shift from training brain skills to explicit, direct instruction. If you are a parent, you may have seen these words on your child’s IEP. My mentor at the U of MN was Stan Deno, an early researcher in curriculum-based measures. I learned not only how to use CBM, but the components that go into assessment design and administration. My masters thesis topic was educational consultation.
I started working at Groves Academy, an independent school for kids with learning differences. I saw how the specific instructional techniques I had learned helped kids flourish in their academic skills and confidence! I was the Head of Lower and Middle School and led the program for grades 1 through 8 during the school year and for summer school. We integrated multisensory instruction, CBT, music, art, and collaborative projects for an amazing and emotionally safe learning environment. We were honored by winning the national Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award!
During that time, however, I also got married and struggled personally with anxiety and too much stress. We dealt with five years of infertility! I started a new position as a learning specialist for a college preparatory school and opened my private practice as an academic therapist. As my own private student enrollment grew, I was working with a student with bipolar disorder whose mom decided to homeschool him, where I took his more difficult subjects. For the first time, this unique learner was able to make great strides in his academics and emotional regulation! I went with this mom to a homeschool convention for the first time and was amazed! I had been taking graduate courses in brain-based learning and multiple intelligences. I saw homeschool families doing exactly what I was studying about brain-based learning. Their enthusiasm for learning and innovation of teaching was exciting! The next year I dragged my husband to the homeschool convention. He was totally supportive. But it took us four more years before having our own kids, but my private practice was growing. Somehow, my students and I have a special bond of trust, and they make amazing progress! I’m not fancy. I’m not trendy. But I care deeply about my students and have confidence that they all CAN learn – even those with more severe special needs.
Once our three kids were born, we decided to move to Montana where we could afford to live on one income in order to homeschool. We had such a supportive circle of homeschool friends and close-knit community! But getting homeschool materials was difficult. So I opened a retail homeschool & teacher store to serve our community and provide specialized materials for unique learners. Our homeschool journey was challenging, yet so rewarding! When our kids were in high school, we adopted a foster child with special learning needs. He has gone between public school and homeschool depending on his needs each year.
As expected, our bio kids all graduated from homeschool. One is now in Australia. She wanted adventure and became an au pair. Our second graduated with a BA in digital design and a minor in dance. Our third has been exploring various options in the aeronautics field, going between working and college. Our adopted guy is about to enter high school. I’m so proud of each one of them! They know who they are as learners, can access any information they want to know, are hard workers, and have strong character traits.
During these final years of homeschooling, I completed the coursework for a Ph.D. in Psychology: Integrating Technology, Learning, and Psychology. I independently researched today’s homeschoolers and parenting. We moved to Arizona to start a cognitive training center, Brighter Path, but decided to take my services back to a home base. I hold an AZ teacher license with level one fingerprint clearance. Currently, I still do academic and cognitive therapy, as well as assessments directly with students. I frequently consult with homeschool parents about their unique learners. Finally, I am updating many of the games, graphic organizers, forms, and other resources I’ve made for my own students. You can find all of my resources on my TPT store, And I’m adding more every week! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Unique-Learners-Sue-Hegg
Tutors, I have your back too. Since doing remote academic therapy during COVID-19, I have made a lot of things for remote instruction. I’ll add blog posts to share with you resources and practices I’ve learned to keep instruction as efficient and effective as possible. If you have specific questions about teaching techniques or materials, feel free to contact me. I’m always happy to network! We want our students with special needs to learn to read, writing, do math, and think!
Feel free to comment or sent me emails with questions or requests for topics. Join the Unique Learners Facebook group or find us on Instagram to join our community! We’re all in this learning journey together!
Happy learning!
Sue Hegg
