We are a family that homeschools since the COVID pandemic. We realized our only school-aged child at the time, Sophia, did better at home. We had been told she had difficulties reading because she was speaking both Portuguese and English at the same time. We discovered we could teach her. Applying different techniques led us to learn that our daughter had signs of dyslexia. A dyslexia pediatrician specialist confirmed our suspicions. At the public school she had no self-esteem. Her classroom had big boards reporting the progress of every child and everyone could see that she had no progress. At home she is in an appropriate environment to like learning, be curious, and even search and learn by herself. She reads very well today. She loves reading and reads out loud with no shame. She was even chosen from 500 other children to speak in a large church setting in an opportunity that taught her she can become a citizen who helps the community.
Our son, Benjamin has ADD, making it impossible for him to sit for many hours. He is brilliant and gifted with numbers. He loves building, literature and music, especially classical music. He also loves reading, working on writing and spelling, and performing. At the age of six he had a speaking role in a play and never missed a rehearsal. There are so many stories and opportunities that have come from homeschooling.
Our children would really benefit from the Utah Fits All Scholarship. There are other programs out there for homeschoolers that are tempting, but they would prevent us from studying and using the religious curriculum that works best for us and our needs. We had to stop certain education experiences because inflation is increasing and budgets are tight. We are on the Utah Fits All waiting list this year. We didn’t qualify because we are in the second income category. We wonder, if we were poor, would it be better for us? So many more benefits are available, but we’ve been taught to be self-reliant and that’s what we want to teach our kids as well. We pay taxes for public schools and many other programs for the poor, but we are struggling too, you know. We also deserve the Utah Fits All Scholarship for all the right reasons. Please, help us to make this righteous wish come true.
