Alex Purdy,
Student Contributor
Being homeschooled is very different than going to an actual school in many obvious ways. Depending on the individual person it could be a negative or positive thing. Homeschoolers often have a stereotype of being “weird” or “unsociable” but that is far from the truth.
Homeschooled children get to have lots of different experiences and adventures that most students who attend an actual school don’t even think about because they are in a classroom and don’t have the time. Being homeschooled gives kids and adults a lot of great opportunities which includes more family time.
I spoke with two students who were both homeschooled, but had different experiences and views. They were homeschooled at different ages and talked about the transition from being at home to going to a regular school as well as college, and what that entailed for them.
The first student I spoke with name was Brittany who is attending CCBC. She was homeschooled from 10th grade to senior year. She talked about her routine and the places where she went to travel.
She said, “I enjoyed both being homeschooled and going to school with my friends. Even though I was homeschooled I got to meet other people that were homeschooled as well. We had different kinds of clubs and I went to a theatre camp where we would make up plays.”
She also states, “I had a daily routine, after breakfast I would have my classes for two hours of two different subjects, which usually started around nine in the morning. Then I could have a break and eat lunch, and then have class for 3 different subjects which my mom taught. Then by 3pm I would have to go to whatever my activity was for that day which usually was soccer, the drama club, or a craft club.”
Brittany talked about her transition from being homeschooled to being in a college with other people in her classes. She said, “It was hard at first, if I didn’t understand something I couldn’t just ask a question right away, I was very shy. I had to get a tutor for a while to adjust from being one on one with somebody to having a lot of other people in the same room. I did like hearing others opinions and it didn’t take me long to speak up and say mine.”
Brittany also talked about how much she got to travel with her family, and if she attended a public or private school she wouldn’t get to experience that. She said, “I had the best of both worlds, and would not have traded being homeschooled for anything.”
Another student named Angela also talked to me about her experiences with being homeschooled and what was negative and positive about it. She was only in elementary school when she was homeschooled so she told me what she could remember.
She stated, “I would do most of my school work in the morning and part of the afternoon. My mom was my teacher and then would take me to girl scouts after my work was finished. I was always excited for Fridays because that was the day I got to go to the zoo. It was a special camp for homeschoolers but it was throughout the year, not just the summer.”
Angela also told me about where she traveled to and how often. She said, “My family and I would go to so many places. We went to Hawaii a lot and travelled cross country in a motor home so we actually lived on the road for a while. My favorite thing about being homeschooled was definitely traveling and making friends all over the world.”
Angela said her transition from being homeschooled to going to a private school went very well. She said, “Very few people made fun of me, but some kids would assume I was weird just because they knew I had been homeschooled. Since I was so young it didn’t take me long to make friends or fit in, and I also have my friends from when I was homeschooled too. I’m a more sociable person so being in a school with other people my age was definitely a good fit for me.”
It is interesting that they both had a similar experience with traveling and how much they loved it. Traveling and experiencing new things is a big part of learning, and if people get to do it when they are young they are extremely lucky. It is the best way to learn and a big part of getting to know yourself.
As Gandhi said, “There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” Being homeschooled gives kids opportunities that other kids in a school setting don’t get to experience, and it’s the same the other way around. People need to realize just because somebody is homeschooled it doesn’t make them weird or unsociable, it is just a different opportunity they get to experience, and we can all learn from each other.
Articles reflect the views of the author and or those quoted and do not necessarily represent the views of CCBC or the CCBC Connection.
I was never homeschooled. I went to three different schools and the transition between the three of them was hard. I fell that homeschooling would have been better for me when I was in elementary school because I feel like it would have been easier for us to realize I had a learning difference.
So hearing about these two girls experiences with being homeschooled kind of makes me jealous. The reason why is because they seem like they had so much fun and then when they transitioned to going to public school, private school, or college it was hard but they still had their friends that they made from being homeschooled. When I was a kid it took me so long to make friends because I was bullied. But besides me, I am very happy that these girls transition from being homeschooled to being a student in a public, private, or college and they were not made fun of or thought of as weird because of being homeschooled.
I think it is a really great thing to be home schooled because the parent gets to spend more time with their kid and the parent knows what they are being taught. Also, homeschooling is great because a lot of public schools are not great.