My 15-year-old self |
Happy Wednesday! I have been reading through the feedback you shared on my “Ask Ellie” post. Quite a few readers requested more information about my personal life, and several asked if I was homeschooled as a child. Well, let me tell you!
From Kindergarten through my sophomore year of high school, I attended public school. My parents were always intrigued by the idea of homeschooling but never seriously considered it because our local school system was considered to be excellent. My brother, who is three years older than myself, and I had both had a solid group of school friends and were plugged in at church, so my parents saw no need to change our routine.
I enjoyed school through eighth grade, but in freshman year, things changed. Contrary to what I had been expecting, my classmates seemed to have grown less mature over the summer (maybe due to hormones?).
For that reason, the teachers were often forced to spend the first 10-15 minutes of class dealing with ornery students. Combined with bus rides and lengthy passing periods, a lot of time was wasted each day. There had to be a more efficient way to learn!
After researching different options, I realized that home education was exactly the solution I had been looking for. I presented my case to my parents, and they agreed. Below is a journal entry I wrote on my last day of public school.
Summer is here, and I am officially done with my sophomore year. Yahoo! I have been in public
school for 11 years, but I don’t plan on going back next year. I am convinced that homeschooling my last two
year of high school will turn out to be the best decision of my academic life.
This summer, I will be working 16 hours a week for an interior designer.
Her office is in need of an overhaul, so she has hired me to clean it
up. (I absolutely love organizing and cleaning.) I have also been hired by my orthodontist as an office assistant for 6 hours a week. With the flexibility of homeschooling, I will be able to continue working several hours a week during the school year.
required an extra ounce of diligence and self-discipline, but the journey was edifying and exhilarating, and I ended up learning so much more than I would have in public school. I was also blessed to have a stay-at-home mom who was able to oversee my studies.