The Home Schooling Dilemma

I have a diverse educational background. I attended public school through fourth grade and all of high school. In between, my mother home schooled me and my siblings. I love and admire her so much for home schooling me. I was not an easy child to raise, and my mother was eternally patient. At the time, I resented her for teaching me at home. I desperately wanted to fit in, and I was convinced that my peers were judging me because I didn’t go to public school. Kids can be cruel, but let’s be honest; I was a bit of a drama queen.

I remember one afternoon—I was probably thirteen—I was throwing a teenage tantrum about it. I begged my mother to just let me go to school because I just wanted to be “normal.” She looked at me and asked if I was seriously more concerned about other people’s opinions than I was about bettering myself. I still remember how disappointed she looked when I repeated my desperate teenage desire to “fit in.”

I’m so glad she stuck it out.

I gained so much from my home school education. I complained and complained, but I became an active learner. Instead of taking the easy way and letting someone else be in charge of my education, I took charge. When I did go back to public school in high school, I was a different type of learner. I wanted to do well. I learned from my assignments and got good grades because I wanted to; Because I knew I could.

Every kid is different. My two youngest siblings love home school. They prefer the home environment over the pressure-cooker social situation in public school. I craved that social environment.

It’s not for everyone, but I think for parents who are financially and emotionally able to do so, home school is a great option. It allows children to develop personal responsibility, pro-activity, and a sky’s-the-limit attitude for life.