Learning Differences

Homeschooling journeys are not always smooth. Sometimes we hit road bumps or boulders that bring us to a screeching halt. I have six children and have been homeschooling for twenty-two years. I quickly learned that what works for one child doesn’t always work for the next. The beauty of homeschooling is finding the perfect fit when educating each child. Early on this child required more one-on-one attention academically. My other children did not demand this amount of help. By the time my other children reached fifth to the sixth grade they were well on their way to being independent learners. Unfortunately, this was not the case for this child. Our children start co-op classes for literature and science in seventh grade. Our co-op uses Sonlight curriculum which is quite academically challenging. At this point, I realized that there was a definite problem. Could I blame laziness or the need to buckle down and get work done? When that didn’t work, I began working alongside my child. I soon realized that my child was struggling with this more challenging curriculum. Staying focused was difficult as well. You see, because I was not sitting beside my child, it added to the struggle of completing the required homework during the week. My child was diagnosed with ADD. I came up empty in my search for individuals or places that would take our insurance to perform a complete psycho-educational evaluation. I was frustrated when I discovered that insurance does not cover these evaluations. Out of pocket, the average cost is around $3,000. For most families, this is just not affordable. After almost two years into my search, I found that Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital offers psycho-educational testing through their Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders. The application process is quite long. Your child then has to be accepted. The wait to get in was long, almost 6 ½ months. They also only test children 14 and under. My child got accepted. Fast forward to this 2022-2023 school year. My child faced a boulder that academically caused a total roadblock. Our test date was not until January 2023. I hoped and prayed that we would get the answers we needed. We did! Severe ADHD and a learning deficit which is quite common in children with ADHD. 

Our whole homeschooling trajectory was flipped in multiple directions. I realized homeschooling was going to look totally different. Even though I have been homeschooling for twenty-two years homeschooling is now a bit intimidating. Co-op is on pause in order to get some specialized tutoring. Current curriculum just isn't working so time for change. 

If I had a couple tidbits of advice they would be:

If you suspect your child is dealing with a learning difference follow your mama

gut and seek out a full psycho-educational evaluation. Most places require

no referrals only your thorough observations as their teacher. 

Early intervention is best. 

You are not a failure as a parent or educator. 

Beyond academics observing our children and listening to them gives 

specialists important insight when helping to diagnose learning differences.

 

Immanuel God With Us

Robert Doares is the author and artist of Immanuel God With Us ~ The Life Of Christ In Art, which captures in artwork Christ's life found in the scriptures. Robert began working on paintings about the life of Christ in the 1960s. Nearly twenty years later, the idea of writing a life of Christ series came to him. As the decades passed, a plethora of archaeological and historical material was easily accessible. This was very helpful as Doares worked on his Life of Christ series. Doares made trips to Israel, set out on photographic excursions, researched, and talked to archaeologists in the field. This all gave Doares just what he needed in order to complete the fifty-four drawings and paintings within the pages of what I would call his magnum opus that he dedicated 30 years to complete. He estimated that he spent an average of 400 hours on each piece of artwork. His art collection has been shown at exhibits. Each of Doares' art pieces is 48" by 15". Each art piece is accompanied by text written by Doares.   

I want to share with you some of the magnificent artwork of Robert Doares. 

I apologize in advance as my photographs do no justice to what is in the book.

A few words about the physical book itself. 

Immanuel God With Us ~ The Life Of Christ In Art

is a beautifully designed hardcover book that is 128 pages in length. 

High-quality, acid-free paper is used. 

   

Of the fifty-four pieces of artwork represented in the book, fifty are 
graphite pencil drawings that were done on masonite panel. 
Each drawing has the name of the art piece, original written text by the author,
and scripture references where each scene can be found in the Bible. 
One could spend hours just flipping through the pages of this beautiful book.
The incredible detail in each drawing is surreal. 
I almost felt like I could bring the drawings to life in my 
mind. I could hear people talking, various animals, the rustling of leaves, 
the crashing of waves, and more. I want to point out that my photographs are
the washed out photos and do not show the fine detail of the prints in the book. 
Look at the detail of the rocks, the animals, the foliage. I am not an artist. 
I can truly appreciate the artist's many techniques used 
to create this incredible graphite drawing. 
Walking on the water
The realism of this drawing is incredible. 
There are four paintings in this book and those are 
The Call of Matthew, Blessing the Little Children, 
The Triumphal Entry, and Gethsemane. 
The four paintings represented in this book were oil paintings. 

Such amazing detail. 

Walking on the Water

The realism of this drawing is incredible. 

There are four painting in this book and those are 

The Call of Matthew, Blessing the Little Children, 

The Triumphal Entry, and Gethsemane. 

The four paintings represented in this book were oil paintings. 

Look at the brilliant, vivid colors in this landscape painting. 

The first paragraph for The Triumphal Entry that Doares penned says, 
There was more of heaven than earth in the air that
glorious day when the Holy Spirit swept across the souls
of the multitude. The bliss that filled their worshipful 
hearts is reflected in the billowing clouds, reminding us
of the majestic glory of God presiding over the event.

WOW, weren't those powerful words?
It wasn't until I read Robert Doares' written text that I realized that he had
painted more heaven (clouds and sky) than there was painted earth. 
The crowds' worshipful hearts were a true testimony to God's magnificence 
and presence upon His Son's Triumphal Entry. 

 

I want to share one of the written works of Robert Doares.

The Judas Kiss 
It seems that Satan planned to have Judas betray 
Jesus into the hands of the Sanhedrin. Ordinarily, this
would have resulted in death by stoning. But Jesus had 
repeatedly made it clear that He would be crucified
and that, even then, no one would take His life -- He
would lay - it down Himself.
When the Sanhedrin decided to try Jesus before Pilate,
Satan's plans were foiled. 
The author of confusion and his willing slave drank
deeply from their own cup. And lost. 

Scripture References
Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-46; Luke 22:47-48; John 18:2-5

From the detailed folds on the clothing to the look on Christ's face, even the leaves on 
the trees, these are just a few details I chose to highlight in this drawing. 

In the front of the book is a beautiful Acknowledgments page written by 

Robert Doares. Also included in the beginning of the book is a very informative

two page Publisher's Forward. I often do not read these but I really wanted 

to know more about Robert Doares and this not only gave information 

about Doares but it also gave interesting information about the artwork

found in this book. The more I studied his artwork, the more I wanted to know

about details. I found myself yearning to know more not only 

about his art, but also about how this book was put together.

I was so excited when I found at the end of the book a three page section

entitled, Artistry on Paper: The Making of Immanuel. This gave me some

of the detail that was swimming in my head. 

I absolutely loved this book. This is a book that you want to display 

on your bookshelf or coffee table so that family and guests can see it

and want to look through it. This book would be a wonderful gift. 

You can purchased using this link  at Crossway.

In the front of the book is a beautiful acknowledgement page written by 
Robert Doares. Also included at the beginning of the book is a very informative
two page Publisher's Forward. I often do not read these but I really wanted 
to know more about Robert Doares and this not only gave information 
in addition to providing information about Doares, 
it also gave interesting information about the artwork
found in this book. The more I studied his artwork, the more I wanted to know
about details. I found myself yearning to know more not only 
about his art, but also about how this book was put together.
I was so excited when I found at the end of the book a three page section
entitled, Artistry on Paper: The Making of Immanuel. This gave me some
of the detail that was swimming in my head. 

Closing Thoughts

I absolutely loved this book. This is a book that you want to display 
on your bookshelf or coffee table so that family and guests can see it
and want to look through it. This book would be a wonderful gift. 
You can order Immanuel God With Us at Crossway.

Disclaimer:I received this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

ESV Archaeology Study Bible

Like commentaries it is always good to have multiple perspectives. 

Well, study Bibles are somewhat similar. While Bible versions 

vary on wording it is Bibles such as the ESV Archaeology Study Bible 

that give insight into scriptural text that is so helpful. 

The ESV Archaeology Study Bible is a hardcover, double-column, paragraph format,

cross reference Bible. This Bible features:

Footnotes

Study Notes 

Full-Color Photographs

Maps

Diagrams

Timelines

Book Introductions

and more.

What makes an Archaeological Study Bible so helpful is being able to connect

places read about in the Bible with maps, pictures, and photographs. The study

notes are extremely helpful when reading through the scripture. Often times the 

study notes helps to clarify unfamiliar words, customs, or passages. For example,

"Then those who feared the LORD spoke when one another. The LORD paid

attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before

him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name." Malachi 3:16

The study note for this verse specifically the phrase book of remembrance.

"The concept of God's keeping such a book of man's actions is seen throughout 

the OT (Ex. 32:32; Isa 65:6, Ezek. 13:9). Similarly, gods of Mesopotamia such as

Nabu, the scribe god, were believed to record men's deeds on the Tablet of 

Destinies. Ahura Mazda, the Persian god of the Zoroastrians, is described in 

the Yasna, a holy book of that religion, as recording the deeds of mankind..."

Being somewhat of a visual learner it is helpful to see what something looked

like to make the scripture text come more alive. Reading about the City of Jericho

was very interesting but then actually seeing a structural layout was great. 

I have always found maps in Bibles to be so helpful in tracking journeys,

locations talked about, distances and terrain. Not only are there lots of 

maps throughout the Bible but there are also maps in the back of the Bible too.

Each book starts with an introduction. It will include:

Theme

Author (if known)

Contributions from Archaeology

Outline

Map

Did you know that the book of Ezekiel was written about and to Jews

in Babylonian exile? Also, did you know that the book of Ezekiel catalogues

measurements of buildings that did not and perhaps never will exist? 

This is a photo of Egyptian papyrus-reed boat. I literally spent several days

just looking at the photos and reading the captions about them. 

The study aids and tools found in this Bible are amazing! So many

scholars went into contributing their expertise from editors, study note

contributors, article contributors, archaeology team, proofreaders, designers,

leadership, and I am sure I am leaving some out. 

There are timelines at the beginning of both the OT and the NT. There are also

articles included before each. One of the articles before the OT begins is,

Daily Life In Israel In Old Testament Times by Gerald L. Mattingly. 

The Dead Sea Scrolls by Paul H. Wright is one of the articles before the NT begins. 

I was definitely impressed by the ESV Archaeology Study Bible. This study 

Bible has been so very helpful while doing my daily Bible study. 

I received this in exchange for my honest opinion.