A coworker will inevitably say, "Nooooooo, don't tell me you haven't seen that!"
And I'll reply, "Nope! Remember, I was homeschooled?"
I have never, for a moment, regretted being homeschooled. My parents pulled me and my siblings out of the Christian academy I was attending in 3rd grade and they were in 1st and pre-k, respectively. We were all homeschooled until we went to public high school. I can't speak for them, but I can speak for myself: I loved being homeschooled.
1) Contrary to popular opinion, I didn't "miss out" on anything. Well, except losing my innocence too early and being bullied and getting burnt out on school. No one exposed me to things I wasn't ready to handle. I didn't start my period in the middle of class and not have a pad or tampon. I didn't have to change in front of other girls for PE during my sensitive "oh my god why is there hair there" time of puberty.
2) I had friends and a social life. I spent a ton of time with my friends and siblings. I got to volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg. I played rec and travel volleyball. I took a zoology class. I did activities with my church.
 |
| The Randolph House at Colonial Williamsburg, where I portrayed Elizabeth Harrison. It was here that I learned how to play the English guitar and do the minuet. |
3) My schedule was SO flexible! So yes, you might have seen me at Farm Fresh with my mom at 2 p.m., but I was already done with my work for the day. And yes, mom made us do a little bit of school throughout the summer (so guess what? No summer slide [loss of information]). Our family took vacations in April or October when places were empty. We once went to Water Country during a school day after we were done with all our work and rode Big Daddy Falls ride at least seven times in a row because there was literally NO line.
4) I learned life skills. Yeah. Like how to go grocery shopping and stick to your list and compare prices per ounce. And how to interact with adults politely, because I had to do it if I wanted to check out books from the library.
 |
| One of my absolute favorite series growing up was the Encyclopedia Brown books. I'd get so excited when I'd solve a mystery without having to flip to the back of the book! Critical thinking skills for the win. |
5) I learned more in a year of homeschooling than some of my public school counterparts did in their entire elementary career. Not to mention, I entered public high school with a much higher understanding of how to solve my own problems and figure things out than my public schooled counterparts. I will never forget sitting in German I with Frau Holley and feeling so...shocked... that she was having to review parts of speech and subjects vs. objects. Or sitting in algebra class listening to people ask questions that were answered RIGHT in the directions. When I was homeschooled, I had to teach myself. I had to read my Saxon math book, look at the examples, figure out what was going on, and try it. And try it again. And try it one more time. And THEN ask Mom for help if I needed it ;)
Now... I am NOT saying all homeschooling is productive and beneficial and 100% awesome. It's not the right fit for every family. It's not a possibility for every family. And not every child will benefit from homeschooling. Also, I am obviously not bashing public education- I mean, I'm a public school teacher, for crying out loud. I believe there is merit in what I do.
BUT...I will say that my parents made tremendous sacrifices to give us what they believed (and I agree) to be the best education possible. No, we were not wealthy. We were lower middle class, y'all. We would've been "better off" if my mom had worked. But we would've missed out on so many rich opportunities- field trips to museums. Day trips to the pool when it was virtually empty. Bike rides for hours and hours on end. Fishing trips. The things that enrich childhood.
I will also say, and I hope my parents are ok with me sharing this, that neither of my parents has a college degree. But they are two of the most intelligent people I know. (My mom, who claims she "isn't good at writing and English stuff," knows more about grammar than some English majors I've met. Truth). Their lives just took a different path. So for people who think you need to have certain qualifications (like a college degree) to homeschool? I vehemently disagree with you. My parents provided me with a RICH education at home, a house FULL of books, and an emphasis on doing my best at everything I did, both in the classroom and without. I am incredibly thankful for them.
So I may not know the entire Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song. And I can't name all the characters from Saved By the Bell or sing every word of any N'Sync songs.
But I CAN rig a worm on a fishing hook, list hundreds of books I read as a kid, do the minuet, play the English guitar, speak in 18th century English, figure out how to diagram a sentence, bake you a delicious chocolate peppermint cake, and tell you with certainty that my years of puberty were not awkward or painful in any way. And I'm ok with your pop culture references going over my head.
I am a-okay with all my #homeschoolprobs
