Why I'm glad I was Homeschooled

Kind of an odd title, I know.  In the last 2 years of me writing this blog, I don't think I've ever written a post that was solely dedicated to my experience as a homeschooled student. So now, in my Freshman year of college, I'm going to talk about it.

First, a few major things I liked:

1) Flexible Schedules
Field trip to Meijer? Yes.  Ditching school on the first gorgeous day of the spring? Done that.  School outside? Sure if you can handle the bugs.  And guess what? We still finished our school year in May.

2) All the academic assistance I needed
Since my mom was my teacher (at least until 7th grade, and she still helped me with writing until I was a freshman), she knew what I was learning, and I had access to a lot of personalized help.  As a kid I didn't appreciate it.  But now that I'm in college and professors are only available during limited office hours, I can't always get the help I need.

3) The relationship I developed with my parents.
Because my mom was always home, and we spent so much time together, I learned from a young age that my mom wasn't my enemy.  I remember noting how much my parents dreaded my pending rebellious years, and I made the commitment to myself that I wasn't going to put them through the hell that some kids inflict on their parents.  Keep in mind I most certainly was NOT the model child, but at least I wasn't drinking, doing drugs, having sex, and accruing a criminal record at the age of 16.

Now a couple things I didn't like:

1) Lack of diversity
I was with the same people all day every day.  And I don't care if you're with the same friends or your family every day you WILL get tired of being around them. I guess I would have liked going to school just to get around some different people.

2) Limited opportunities
This isn't true so much anymore, but I remember when I was 14 I got interested in running, but there was no homeschool running clubs or track/ cross country team, so I eventually gave up on it.  When my sister was 14-ish the same thing happened to her, except that in the 2.5 years it took her to get there, there were fully formed track and cross country teams as well as running clubs.  She is currently running in her third track season and holds several school records in long jump and hurdles.  I didn't get those opportunities and if I'd been in public school I might have.

Now, there are some stereotypes that I'd like to dispel really fast.
1:  Homeschoolers are weird social outcasts.
I get this all the time and while there are some pretty weird/messed up homeschoolers out there, not all of them are.  People are always surprised when I tell them I'm homeschooled and I always say something along the lines of, "Yeah see we aren't all weird.  You couldn't even tell that I was homeschooled!"

2:  Homeschoolers are all "good kids"
No.  We're not.  I broke plenty of rules when I was in high school.  I've heard of girls getting pregnant, coming out as gay/transgender (which in that realm is BAD), and doing other things that are considered as rebellious and "outside the acceptable realm of behavior".

Now, getting back to the title of this post:  Why I'm glad I was Homeschooled.

When I was in 7th grade I was enrolled in a "Classical School" that met once a week and was taught by parents who were trained to teach "classically".  I went to this "school" until I was a Junior in high school.  My mom was one of these parents that taught the classes.  The largest class I was ever in was 10 students.  The average size was 5.  I got a lot of personalized instruction because of this.  That was something I mentioned as not being able to get in public school.

In recent years, science has said that the brain is not fully awake and ready to function until 10am.  While my response to that is "suck it up and stop being a pansy", I have to admit that being homeschooled--especially in high school--I often got to sleep until 9 or 10 each morning.  When I was a senior I would sleep until maybe 11.  Getting up at 8 was "the middle of the night" to me.  College has since broken me of those habits, but I did a lot of sleeping in during my high school years.

I was sheltered.  Yes.  I'm saying I'm grateful for this.  See, I was allowed to have a childhood.  I was like any other kid but when I was 12 I didn't know what it even meant to have a sense in fashion let alone what it meant to pick up on sexual connotations.  I was sheltered from media violence.  I didn't even start listening to pop music until I was about 13.  And I think that was for the best.  I didn't have my head filled up with the pop stars singing about broken hearts and lovers in the club. (I mean if I'm to be honest my middle school brain thought about boys enough on its own.)

I turned out to be a "good kid" after all.  I mean yes I still do things that break rules and I don't always do what my parents think is the smartest stuff.  But I've been repeatedly called a "good girl" by a lot of people who know what being "bad" really is.  I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't hook up with strangers, and I never stay out late.  I have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents, and quite honestly, now that I know a little more about the world, I'm so glad I can come home from school and tell my mom or dad about what made me angry, or what I learned about myself, or some compliment I was paid at work.  I'm glad when my dad calls me a name I know he's teasing me and trying to get me to throw a pillow at him or say "oh what-ever!".  When my mom asks me a thousand annoying questions about her computer, I know it's not because she's trying to irritate me, but it's because she knows I'll be able to explain it to her and help her understand.  And I think sometimes I take those things for granted.

I actually wanted my dad's approval and blessing on my relationship with Tucker.  I wanted my parents to get to know him and approve my choice.  (They do, by the way.)  And I know if I go to them and say, (and this has happened) "I got mad at Tucker today..." they know that while I may not like it, they'll find what I did that either instigated or didn't help the situation with him.  And a lot of times I go back to Tucker and say "Well...um... Dad says I handled this wrong... and uh... well... he's right and um... I'm sorry..."

So yes, even though there were a lot of rules I felt were unfair or restrictive or unnecessary, I'm glad that in the end, I was homeschooled and "subjected" to the constant teaching and training of my parents (and a few select individuals).  I'm glad that now that I'm in college, I have a great relationship with them.  And really, that's what I'm most grateful for.