LD and Home Schooling Life of My Friend Ben's

※日本語バージョンは、同じ写真を貼った記事をご覧ください。

Hi everyone, I am a language teacher for Special needs students. (I teach English and Japanese.)

Today I want to share the interview to my friend Ben, who have learning disabilities and learned through home schooling in America.

Home schooling is a style of learning not going to school and educated mainly by parents.

Learning disabilities is a type of disabilities which shows difficulties of reading, writing, listening, speaking, calculating or deducing but different from mental retardation. In Ben’s case, he needs more time to read or write than the people who don't have LD.


1. What are the benefits of your home schooling life?


The greatest benefit is that I was able to learn through the way that matches myself.

If you're interested in touching wooden blocks, you are definitely able to learn how to count with the blocks. It's difficult at school.

And you can use more time to learn the things you don't understand.

At school there is a limit of time but in home schooling, No.

I have a brother who might have ADHD.

He was allowed to move around in our house if it wasn't dangerous.

But at school, usually students who have ADHD have to take medication.

2. Have you thought that you would like to experience school education?


I have several times.

I wanted to meet more people and to know what the school was actually like.

But I joined in the school trip which was offered by school program, I was able to know about school a little.

I am satisfied with my life of home schooling.

3. Do you think that there is a connection between the facts that you have LD and that your parents have chosen home schooling?


I think there isn’t.

Because I was taught in home schooling style before both my parents and I noticed that I had LD.

My older brother/sister were also taught in home schooling.

Probably my parents thought that school education was not always best to everyone.

I have 6 brothers/sisters so it might have costed too much if we all went to school, I guess.

4. What is your dream? And what are you doing to achieve it?


I am interested in research about reptiles.

Especially for the reptiles in danger of extinction.

But I am considering coming back to Japan.

I now know how attractive Japan is.

If I come back to Japan, I think it's a good idea to get teaching license.

And to get the license I need to afford the tuition.

I cannot rely on my parents more, because I grew up in a big family.

So first of all I have to graduate my University and get a job. Then I'll get the license and come to Japan again.


5. Would you like to educate your own child through home schooling?


I would love to, but it deeply depends on who I am going to marry.

If possible I can do the home schooling first and if my child decides to go to school by himself/herself, I will support with joy.

6. Do you think it could be more difficult for you to learn Japanese than for people who don't have LD?


I think it is.

Especially writing and reading are difficult.

Japanese language has 3 types of letters, Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

Also sometimes I forget what the speaker says during conversation.

So my teachers should be very patient.

You are a good teacher because you are patient.

I appreciate if you help me through the techniques like writing what you are saying or saying what you are writing, so that I can connect the pronunciation and spelling in my brain.

7. What language do you want to learn except for Japanese and English? And why?


Spanish.

My father speaks Spanish so that's why.

I grew up in the place close to Mexico, so I will be able to communicate with more people there.

8. What do you think about Japan?


I love Japan.

Japan has a lot of beautiful nature and in cities I found that everywhere is very clean.

People in Japan are kind and patient.

I don't speak Japanese but nobody gets angry at me.

They are polite, caring and respecting each other.

I understand that they always support each other.

And they are filled with their smile.

9. What are the positive effects of having LD?


I can see the world from the view of different ways.

I can be patient.

I am good at encouraging people around me.

I can understand the feelings of people different from me.

I can listen carefully not to miss the important information.

I can assist people so called “weak people”.

10. What do you want to say to the young Japanese people who have LD?


I understand you.

You are special and precious.

If you don't give up, you’ll succeed for sure.

It means you can also learn English because I can learn Japanese.

You are loved, so believe that you can do it.

That's all for the interview.
Before closing, I would like to say that I am very surprised because he is doing his best to learn Japanese even though he has LD.

If I were him, I might have given up learning foreign languages.

I am encouraged by Ben's motivation and personality.

Thank you very much for being my friend, Ben!

Question from my Twitter followers:
Which ability do you think you usually rely on when you communicate?

Listening and speaking.

*I have the same idea. In my opinion, Ben is very good at listening and speaking. His pronunciation is amazingly good even though he is a beginner of Japanese language.