Monday, September 5, 2011

The Inside World of Homeschooling!

"You're homeschooled? Don't you hate it?" *Insert mocking/disgusted face of my peer here.*<br>
This was the typical response of other teenagers when they found out that I did, in fact, school at home. Often it was followed by questions such as "Don't you miss your friends?" "What about sports?" And, so many others! I always replied, "I get to sleep in & I finish my schoolwork in about 3-4 hours...would you hate it?" At which point the expression on the teen's face would transform to envy! The more I described my schooling the more he/she would want to try it himself/herself. <br>
I must say that homeschooling is perfect for me! I like being home. Though I love to watch (GO COLTS!) I don't like to play sports.( I must also insert that there are plenty of possibilities for sports for the homeschooler. It was never an issue for me, however.) I also learn well from reading. For me the time the teacher spent at the front of the room was wasted I needed to read the material in order to comprehend it. This made it a breeze for me because most of the time my mom could assign reading and homework and I could do it on my own. I typically finished within a few hours. This left the rest of my day for me to be a teenager! <br>
After being homeschooled I realized how much time is wasted in conventional schooling. This isn't a slight to teachers, rather it's a waste of their time too, but I realize it can't be avoided! You can't help using more time organizing, transporting, feeding, and doing everything when you have a large class rather than a handful of students. <br>
Also, it's my firm belief that students in conventional schools are spending too much time in school (Aug-May & 8-3) and learning too little. Again, I don't mean this as a slight on teachers, but again, something that can't be helped because of the sheer size of classes. <br>
I attended school from the day after Labor Day to the Fri. before Memorial Day, never before or after! As stated above, I spent only 3-4 hours in class. I didn't have to interrupt my learning to eat lunch. I could eat my lunch while I was finishing up! <br>
I see homeschooling as education streamlined! In my experience it was faster and more efficient. I feel the reason for this is that moms are some of the best teachers in the world. Moms teach their kiddos how to talk, walk, potty, eat, even blow their noses! I know the best way to teach my daughters, because I've been doing it since the day they wear born. Because of our intimate relationship they can't deceive me into believing they've understood a concept that they have not. I know when they are being pushed too hard or not enough! This makes me excited to homeschool them someday. (Of which I fully intend to blog!) <br>
My favorite parts of being homeschooled:<br>
Sleeping late!<br>
Flexible schedules.<BR>
Eating and drinking when I felt hungry or thirsty.<BR>
Growing closer to my siblings.<Br>
Learning at my own pace. (Not moving on until I had mastered the concept.)<br>
Learning to time-manage. (Something I was terrible at before!)<br>
Being with my family.< br>
That last point will be the last thing I touch on in this particular post, though I will be blogging about it again soon.<br>
With all the pressures placed upon today's (and in my case: slightly yesterday's) teen, it was such a help to me to be home with my family more than I had. My relationships with my mother, father and siblings all grew much stronger, the benefits of which I am still reaping. This made my home a safe haven, and my familial relationships built on strong trusts. I truly believe that this was instrumental in all the great things that I experienced as a teenager, and made my high school years, maybe, a little less rocky than what is typical! <br>

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