I talk a lot about the misconceptions of my education, but is there enough about me? And how's the writing?
When some hear "home schooling," they envision a child chained to their kitchen table with parents shouting the Pythagorean theorem until tears are shed. The student is sheltered, naĂŻve, and unprepared for life. This is our label. This is what we are defined as.
"If you're home schooled, how do you socialize?" The questioner gazes with wide eyes, preparing for my sob story of a sheltered life. Truthfully, I love people. My flexible schedule allows me to explore the world while others sit at desks. I attend concerts, text excessively, and visit my friends. I am just as social as the next teenage girl. Sadly, this lengthy explanation would hold no substance with the perplexed inquirer. I contain a sigh and reply to this question for the thousandth time. "Well, isn't that what we're doing?"
The questions do not stop there. They test some more, prepared to whisk me away to child services for neglect. In their mind, I am stationed on my living room couch, watching the latest SpongeBob episode, the sky growing dimmer as my intellect declines. I must defend my education. This is simple, because school was always a positive experience. Home schooling gave me freedom to learn at my own pace, become an independent worker, and be responsible for my education. Not only am I secure in the adequacy of my education, but I have developed a true love for learning. Perhaps this love sprouted when my mother arranged activities such as the Train Game; a trail of index cards with addition facts along my kitchen floor. Maybe it was The Tower, featuring my third grade self connecting leggo blocks for every question answered correctly, resulting in a skyscraper, that motivated me to study harder. School was always exciting, always fun, and I love it.
Unlike those who attend school, my wide group of friends could not derive from a single place. I was forced to reach out from my small world and explore a variety of groups. As a result, I have friends of all races, personalities, ages, political views, sexual orientations, economic class, and religions. I cannot imagine having friends who were all raised in the same town, knew the same people, and thought the same way. How boring! I love hearing one friend's stance on a subject and then turning to another for an opposing opinion. My friends continue to widen my perspective with every interaction. I owe my curiosity, my open mind, and my flexibility to home schooling.
Okay, yes, I do school in pajamas sometimes. And yes, maybe I am nerdier than your average teenager. But I refuse to allow my stereotype to handicap me. Rather, I use it as motivation to shock people who underestimate my abilities. Through knowledge and experiences I have gained, I am confident that my home education will aid me in making an impact. I am proof that people are not always what they are perceived to be.
When some hear "home schooling," they envision a child chained to their kitchen table with parents shouting the Pythagorean theorem until tears are shed. The student is sheltered, naĂŻve, and unprepared for life. This is our label. This is what we are defined as.
"If you're home schooled, how do you socialize?" The questioner gazes with wide eyes, preparing for my sob story of a sheltered life. Truthfully, I love people. My flexible schedule allows me to explore the world while others sit at desks. I attend concerts, text excessively, and visit my friends. I am just as social as the next teenage girl. Sadly, this lengthy explanation would hold no substance with the perplexed inquirer. I contain a sigh and reply to this question for the thousandth time. "Well, isn't that what we're doing?"
The questions do not stop there. They test some more, prepared to whisk me away to child services for neglect. In their mind, I am stationed on my living room couch, watching the latest SpongeBob episode, the sky growing dimmer as my intellect declines. I must defend my education. This is simple, because school was always a positive experience. Home schooling gave me freedom to learn at my own pace, become an independent worker, and be responsible for my education. Not only am I secure in the adequacy of my education, but I have developed a true love for learning. Perhaps this love sprouted when my mother arranged activities such as the Train Game; a trail of index cards with addition facts along my kitchen floor. Maybe it was The Tower, featuring my third grade self connecting leggo blocks for every question answered correctly, resulting in a skyscraper, that motivated me to study harder. School was always exciting, always fun, and I love it.
Unlike those who attend school, my wide group of friends could not derive from a single place. I was forced to reach out from my small world and explore a variety of groups. As a result, I have friends of all races, personalities, ages, political views, sexual orientations, economic class, and religions. I cannot imagine having friends who were all raised in the same town, knew the same people, and thought the same way. How boring! I love hearing one friend's stance on a subject and then turning to another for an opposing opinion. My friends continue to widen my perspective with every interaction. I owe my curiosity, my open mind, and my flexibility to home schooling.
Okay, yes, I do school in pajamas sometimes. And yes, maybe I am nerdier than your average teenager. But I refuse to allow my stereotype to handicap me. Rather, I use it as motivation to shock people who underestimate my abilities. Through knowledge and experiences I have gained, I am confident that my home education will aid me in making an impact. I am proof that people are not always what they are perceived to be.
