Undergraduate /
The Perks of Being a Homeschooler (topic of your choice commonapp!) [6]
what do you get from this essay as far as who I am? what kind of personality do I convey? and how's the writing? thanks!
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When some hear home-schooling, they either envision a pajama-wearing child chained to their kitchen table with parents shouting the Pythagorean Theorem until the child sheds tears, or an incredibly dense student who fabricates their education in pursuit of video games. This is our label. This is how we are portrayed.
My parents did not home-school me to shield me from the world, but to emerge as a prominent member of it. Neither of my parents earned a college degree, so they desired that I could have more opportunities. When I reached enrollment age, they decided I needed greater challenges, therefore, my mom kept me home and taught me herself.
As I grew, school was not only a time to learn, but a time to reflect. I received individual attention and instruction that enabled me to mold my inner voice. I understood more than the subject I studied; I comprehended its impact on me. I determined what I wanted, what I needed, and what I lacked. I may not have been surrounded by twenty children in my classroom, but I did become acquainted with myself. I became slightly introspective and increasingly independent.
That is not to say I am a loner. In fact, I love people. Without students inhabiting the halls of my school, I harnessed my extroverted side to make friends. As I actively sought friendships, I exercised my flexible schedule to pursue a variety of my interests. I immersed myself in various extra curricular activities, collecting a vibrant community of friends. As a result, I have friends of all races, political views, and economic backgrounds who continuously widen my perspective with every interaction. I owe my adaptability, and my social life, to opportunities home-schooling presented me.
Some people, however, do not understand my unconventional education. In their mind, I am stationed on my living room sofa watching recent Spongebob episodes, the sky growing dimmer as my intellect declines. In reality, my living room much resembles a classroom, adorned with educational charts and posters on every centimeter of its walls. I motivated myself to progress my education rather than relying on another for my success. Games my mom arranged such as the Tower--featuring my third grade self connecting leggo blocks for every correct answer, resulting in a skyscraper--led to my passion for learning. School was always exciting, always fun, and I loved it.
Okay, I will admit, sometimes I do school in my pajamas; but I also attend concerts. I observe pop culture. I talk to my friends on the phone. I am no more obscure than the average teenage girl. Rather than allowing the "home-school" label to handicap me, I challenge it, using homeschooling to extensively utilize my abilities. Although a new and very scary chapter of my life approaches, I serve as evidence that homeschooling can create a powerful urge to make an impact. I am evidence that labels can be overturned. I am evidence that people are not always what they are perceived to be.
