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Homeschooling the Gifted Child
A Gift of Time and Experience
By Teri Brown
Homeschooling is becoming more commonplace. People now tend to look more interested than horrified when parents say they are homeschooling. Plus, fewer children and parents seem to receive snide comments about skipping school as they wait in line at the museum or the grocery store.
While most homeschoolers are reveling in their newfound acceptance, parents who are teaching their gifted children at home often find themselves doing a lot of explaining.
Jim Dufala from Portland, Ore., removed his 9-year-old son from a school for gifted children to educate him at home.
"To a degree, I have been homeschooling my son since first grade," says Dufala. "The decision to leave public education was very easy, because homeschooling is really a blast!"
Like many parents of gifted children, Dufala found himself supplementing his child's education even though his son was enrolled in a public school specifically designed for gifted children. He figured that he might as well bring his son home and design the learning experiences expressly for Tim's needs.
"In July, Tim and I completed the TV production classes at MCTV (cable access) and just finished our first TV show to be seen in September. Tim now plays in a Marimba Band, does Lego Robotics and is setting up his own sound studio. He is studying Algebra I, Spanish and Mexican/American History."
Dufala and his son have discovered what many homeschooling families already know: By homeschooling you receive the gift of time – time to explore your own interests, time to learn things outside the educational box and time to spend on subjects that you may not understand as easily as others. For the gifted child, this might make the difference between being bored or being engaged.