I Was Homeschooled...

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I was homeschooled. Being a homeschooler has affected me in many ways - some good, some less so.

Let me explain.

When I was 4, my parents decided to homeschool me. Naturally, my three younger siblings followed suit. We grew up as each other's closest friends and playmates, which is something that I think is a positive. And yes, we did have other friends - I think that was the most frequent question people ask when they find out I was homeschooled. "How did you get socialized? Did you ever see any other kids your age?"

Between church and our local co-ops, we had friends. Homeschool co-ops are groups of like-minded families who are homeschooling their children that get together to allow those children to make friends, play sports, and take specialty classes that parents may not be able to teach (or the curriculum doesn't cover). For example, I played volleyball and my younger siblings played soccer. We took karate classes. I took an art class. Some families took music lessons. And of course, there was always the requisite library program that we would visit.

Some homeschool families would teach their children until they reached high school, and then allow them to go to public school to take things like chemistry to help them be better prepared for college or a career. Others, like me, went from K-12 as a homeschooler.

When I lived in Mississippi, a lot of our homeschool parents were professors at Mississippi State University, where I ended up going. These parents would sometimes offer weekly classes in subjects like biology and geometry, which helped the families who wanted to homeschool all the way through.

The reasons for homeschooling are varied, even today. Some families want their children to be educated with a curriculum that aligns with their faith. Some families have students with special needs which, for one reason or another, may not be supported to the degree that they should in a public school classroom. Some families are in the military and feel that homeschooling is easier during the often frequent moves that the family may have to take. Some students experienced bullying or other interpersonal issues that kept them from focusing on their learning. It truly amazes me the variation that I find in different homeschool families when it comes to their reason for homeschooling.

Another question that I often get is how homeschooling is regulated. And the answer is varied. Some states require regular standardized testing to ensure that the students are actually learning. I remember taking a test at the end of fifth grade, proctored by one of the group moms who worked at the local university. Some states don't have any regulations at all, which can be both good and bad. Good, because there are fewer hoops to jump through when it comes to choosing how your children are educated. Bad, because some parents abuse the system and either barely educate their children or don't educate them at all. And some states are somewhere in between.

As I neared graduation, I, as the first to graduate, had to navigate the college admission process. With some advice from other graduated homeschoolers, we put together a transcript to track all of the subjects that I had learned and put them into an official format. And I took the ACT as proof that I could succeed in college (read: take a test). It was a lot of hard work, but I made it with a score high enough to get me a scholarship.

Now, as a homeschooler, I thought I was just like everyone else. After all, I'd spent my life around other homeschoolers. I didn't realize just how this form of education would affect me - not just as a college student, but as an adult.

Some homeschooled families had very strict learning schedules. My mom? Not so much. We had to be up by a certain time each day, and we weren't allowed to be in pajamas all day. I think when I was in middle school, the rule was "awake by 9, starting work by 10." Despite my abhorrence of mornings, I was on time and generally worked on my own until at least 2, with a lunch break, of course. I tended to work ahead of schedule, and would often finish my work several days in advance. Mom wouldn't let me just go a day without work (unless we were going to a homeschool event or field trip), so I still had to complete lessons daily. But finishing them early left me plenty of time to do whatever I wanted, whether that be playing video games, reading, or exploring outside.

This efficiency transferred to college. I was always on top of my assignments, started studying for exams at least a week in advance, and wrote papers a few paragraphs a day rather than waiting until the last minute. I even had time for extracurriculars, participating in both college theatre and community theatre, as well as taking ballroom dancing lessons.

But then there were other things that were likely amplified due to being homeschooled. I'm very introverted, yes, even though I had friends and participated in events. It was fairly normal for the rest of my friends to be more introverted (though my best friend slipped through the cracks somehow!), so I never had to learn how to put on my extroverted hat when the need arose. This showed up the most for me in theatre, where my teachers and directors tried to pull bigger, more extroverted performances from me and I found myself almost unable to do it. Even when it came to interviewing for jobs after graduation, I always felt this sense of fear about not coming across as my quiet, introverted self. It's something I've worked on over the years, but it still takes a lot of effort to be extroverted. (And yes, I know that I'm a teacher and have to be extroverted for the students, but that's different. Don't question it.)

Somehow, I found myself in the public education system, and have been amazed at the differences - and issues - that I've found there. I see that my students have more of a push to work collaboratively, which forces introverts to come out of their shell and learn how to interact with extroverts. I see the struggles that some students have due to bullying, or food insecurity, or homelessness, and my heart goes out to them. I see how many of the systems in the education system are doing more harm than good. But I've also seen students working together, learning more about different families and cultures and creating new friendships based on simaliarities.

I won't say that I wish that I was in public school growing up, because I feel that there is a lot of merit and it worked for me, personally. I also won't say that homeschooling is for everyone, because some students won't learn well in that environment.

What I will say is that being homeschooled has given me a unique perspective on the world around me, especially in school. It helped make me into the person that I am; though there are some flaws, there is always a place for growth.

And that is what matters.