DEEP DIVE: Homeschooling a Child with ADHD

Andrea Fife was 36 when her doctor confirmed what everyone apparently already knew: she had ADHD. Her oldest son was diagnosed at 8. Her youngest showed a completely different presentation—also ADHD. Understanding these different presentations changed how she approached parenting entirely.

Most people think ADHD is about not having enough attention. They're wrong. It's about not having control over where your attention goes. It's like having 50 channels on the TV and someone else controlling the remote. The prefrontal cortex—the part that controls executive function—is where the real issue lives.

Kids with ADHD are on average 30% behind their peers in executive function. A 12-year-old has the executive function of an 8-year-old. By 18, heading to college, they still have the executive function of someone just starting middle school. 

So when your ADHD kid hyperfocuses for six hours on Minecraft but can't focus six minutes on math homework, you might stop and consider that it's not laziness. It's their neurology.  

The silver lining: homeschooling becomes a superpower the moment you realize nothing is locked in. If it's not working, you can change it.

Read the full article on supporting ADHD learners at home

PODCAST HIGHLIGHT: Find Your North Star

Thirty years ago, Ken Danford read a book that convinced him teens who leave school turn out fine. So he quit teaching and started North Star.

When a struggling student comes to Ken, he asks them a provocative question: "Have you considered not going?"

For many, this is their first time hearing that such a possibility exists.

Next, Ken offers them a kind of guided off-ramp into their own dream-version of homeschooling + real-world learning, via his Liberated Learners network. The network now includes campuses in New York, Virginia, Oregon, Texas and the UK.

Across the world, kids and their parents are realizing that they have more options than they realize. 

Watch the clip | Explore North Star | Liberated Learners Network

LINKS WE'RE HOVERING OVER

Viral Teacher Builds 2.4M Followers — Gabe Dannenbring's classroom moments reached 1.6M TikTok followers with videos like "Things my middle schoolers made fun of me for today" (Rick Hess, AEI)

High School Student Building $1B Skincare Brand — At public school, teachers called it a "little business." Ella Gremont laughed it off and joined AlphaX instead. Now she's won pitch competitions, secured real investment, and is 16 years old. Austin Scholar's article breaks down exactly what she did differently—and what parents miss.

Documentary on Design Went Viral (1M Views in a Week) — "How Did The World Get So Ugly?" is 15 minutes of pure observation about modern design, culture, and why everything feels broken.

My Top 10 Homeschool Curriculum Choices for Elementary — An actual breakdown from someone who's lived it—which materials foster real love of learning, which ones fit your budget, and why relationships matter more than curriculum perfection. (Humility & Doxology)

High-Impact Tutoring Works (When It's Done Right) — Small groups. Real relationships. Alignment with actual goals. Liz Cohen's research shows it works for pandemic learning loss—if funding doesn't get cut. A rare article about what actually matters in tutoring. (The 74 Million)

Elementary Homework Has Zero (!!) Academic Benefit — Decades of cognitive science backs this finding up. So why do schools assign it? Jon England investigates what homework actually does—and what it replaces. (Libertas Institute)

TOOLS WE'RE BOOKMARKING

SALE: Daylight Kids Bundle — A screen that doesn't flicker or emit the blue light that wires kids up. Works as tablet, e-reader, notetaker, or light laptop replacement. Ideal for the kid who gets tantrums from screen time. 

Primer — This app adapts to what your kid knows before moving them forward. Covers hundreds of topics in multiple languages. (Google Play)

No Yell November — Coach Meg Thomas's 30-day challenge for members. (note: it's about regulating your nervous system, not controlling your kids.) 

Focus Timer Videos — Free visual countdown timers set to calm music with gentle alarms. The middle school teacher behind the YouTube channel keeps adding them based on what families request. (Full library) 

Habitica — Gamify your to-do list. Level up and earn rewards. Perfect for ADHD brains that need novelty and challenge to engage. Try the free version! (via Andrea Fife)

Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer — One parent bought this thinking it was for "creativity." Kid now designs and paints models 1-2 hours daily instead of scrolling. (Reddit)

Audiobook + Physical Book Combo — For ADHD learners: let them listen and read simultaneously. Reduces cognitive load. Maintains retention. Audible, Libby, library copies. Works. (via Andrea Fife)

Discovery Mind-Blown Skeleton Model — A kid-tested curriculum win. Hands-on anatomy model turned a textbook chore into something kids actually ask to do more of. (Reddit discussion) 

Autumn Rhythms & Gratitude Guide — Cassie Shepherd's full curriculum breakdown and seasonal rhythm guide for November. Plus curriculum recommendations and October update. (Home-Centered Learning)

Thankful Tree Printables — Two layouts for November gratitude practice. Get the 24x36 engineer print at Staples for $4-5. Simple. Customizable. Works. (Home-Centered Learning)

Free Fall Wordsearch — Free printable wordsearch plus tips on how to incorporate it into your day. (Abeka)

AUDIO CORNER

Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong — A generation of educators believed something about reading instruction that was proven wrong decades ago. This podcast exposes how one bad idea spread through schools and what's being done to fix it. (APM Reports)

Why People Get Weird When You Say You Homeschool — You're just buying groceries and suddenly defending your entire educational philosophy. A short episode from Christy Faith on the psychology behind why people react this way—and how to handle it gracefully. (Christy Faith)

The Truth About ADHD Medication in Schools — Ben Somers, founder of Recess.gg, shares what it's like living with ADHD in traditional school and why he built a learning app that puts friendship first. (OpenEd Podcast)

A Public School Administrator Reveals The Truth About Homeschooling — From a man on the inside of the traditional system: does homeschooling create learning gaps? (OpenEd Podcast)

Your Kid's Screen Was Built Like a Slot Machine — Anjan Katta, founder of Daylight Computer, on why devices are designed to be addictive—and why he built something different. (OpenEd Podcast)

BEST OF REDDIT

The Real Gaps Homeschooling Creates — An actual homeschooler who went Ivy League lists the five gaps they experienced as a result of not going to traditional schools.

Spanish for Heritage Learners — Parents sharing real solutions for teaching Spanish to kids from heritage families where the language got lost. Honest discussion, practical recommendations. (Reddit r/homeschool)

Academically Competitive Homeschooling — How do you demonstrate your homeschooled kid is academically excellent to the world? Parents brainstorm real answers. 

Mission Accomplished: When Your Education Philosophy Becomes Reality — One parent's whole philosophy: give kids a sense of place in history, an appreciation of beauty, a love of learning. (You'll smile at what her kid said in response.)