Post1: Background Information

Something about the snow has inspired this new love for writing. Maybe its the fact that I've been trapped inside all day. It's possible. Or maybe its the mystique of the softly falling flakes on my windowpane, beckoning me to use a long-forgotten skill. It has been a while, unfortunately. Too long. The throes of everyday life have enthralled me to the point that I cannot remember the last time I picked up a pen and paper and just poured out my heart to no one. Or in a different sense, put my fingers to the keys and spilled my soul into a post. I guess in this fast-paced culture I live in, taking the time to account for the day events is out of the question?.. It is such a remedy to the complications of daily life, writing is; a passive but doubtlessly effective way to release one's deepest fears, aspirations, and thoughts without the nag of ridicule and negativity, unless self-induced. The pen is a haven for the wondering mind, the paper a sanctuary for the restless soul. Regardless of this newfound zeal, I realize now that I have placed a pretty arduous task placed upon my shoulders. I love to write, but it is not a discipline to which much time or effort has been devoted. The reason I have chosen to write down the next stage of my life in detail is this: I believe the next few months are going to be some of the most important of my life. I want to be able to clearly look back years from now and be able to see the person I was before and after the coming experiences. Before I go any further, I should probably share what I am expecting to happen to me and why I believe it will be so dynamic. I'll give some background information on myself before I get to that though.

I home school, and have my entire life save kindergarten. I went to Christian kindergarten, but that really doesn't count for anything because kindergarten is basically the same everywhere. It went well, and I have good memories of naps time, snack time, and the learning the alphabet. On the first day of class in first grade I was absolutely terrified of my teacher and cried and pleaded that my mother bring me home. For some reason, my teacher scared me to death. I have no idea why; I cant rationalize in the least why I felt the way that I did. Nonetheless, she terrified me and I did not want to be there. Actually, she adopted twins from China, so she really must have been a great and caring person. I couldn't see that at the time unfortunately. My mom knew other families in our community that home schooled their children and liked what she saw, and decided to give it a whirl. I was so incredibly excited to not have to go back to school. I felt such relief. Well, I've stayed at home ever since. Over the years, home schooling has fallen in and out of my esteem. Like anything and everything in life, home schooling has its ups and downs; good days and well, not so good days. Overall, I feel that this style of personalized, self-directed education has been really good for the kind of person that I am. I'm curious. I love to learn and ask lots of questions, of myself and of the world around me. I immensely enjoy the way home schooling has allowed me to evade many of the woes associated with peer pressure. Home schooling has given me the opportunity to study whatever interests me in whatever capacity I choose. More than ever before, in these following months I will take advantage of learning unconventionally. I think that is really awesome. In school, there are certain classes you are able choose from and that's all there is. Sure, there may be electives, but that's it. With home schooling, you can learn about anything and everything you want! Just find a textbook online, ask an retired expert to come over once a week, take a community college class and dive in. How cool is that?

The social aspect, which seems to be the biggest concern of the non-home schooling community hasn't been too much of an issue. I get a plethora of questions about what I "do for fun" or "how I make friends" every time I tell someone that I home school. For the first time last night at work, I even got a "come out from under your rock!" Here are some a handful home school kids get the most. Actually, I'll give you a list of the Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions to Home School Students from personal experience:

1. Do you get to sleep in every single day?
2. Your parents actually teach you?
3. You do school with your siblings?
4. How do you make friends?
5. Can you wear your pajamas all day long?!
6. Do you go to prom?
7. Do you get sick of being at home all day, everyday?
8. Are you like, really smart?
9. Do you drink or go to parties?
10. Does it bother you that you don't have a social life?

There are lots more that I have been asked over the years, but I would say those above are the most frequent. It cracks me up that the world has this preconceived notion that all home school students wear their pants up to their belly buttons, pull their socks up to their knees, wear mom jeans, and only own sweaters. Be honest, what picture pops instantly into your mind when you hear the word "home school kid" ? A social pariah, right? Its cool, I actually think in some ways we have given ourselves that stereotype by being anti-social and a bit shy. And if you just so happen to know someone who is home schooled and is normal, good for you! But let me tell you this: all home school students are not the same. The way there are jocks, the popular kids, nerds, the techies, and freaks at your school, the same holds true for home school students. Not one of us is exactly alike. Another thing that makes me smile is that no one can tell that I home school. Because I don't find the mold of "home school kid" and can hold a conversation with someone outside of my family for more than five minutes, I tend to fool people. I have a lot of fun debunking the myths that people believe about home school students. I'll just take a minute to answer the questions I'm often asked. Before I do though, I'll tell you this: my answers will vary from other home school students. How I answer these questions is unique to me. At the same time though, some will cross personalities and parents and apply to all who home school. Lets go!

1. Do you get to sleep in late every single day?
No. Unfortunately, I do not. I get up later than my friends who go to regular high school, but I don't get to sleep in until noon everyday. On most days, I try to be up in between 7:00-9:00 AM. Dependant upon what I have going on during the day will get up earlier or later though. Some kids I know have parents who let them sleep in until whenever they feel like and start their schoolwork after that. That kind of structure doesn't work for me because I don't like to be doing work until 8 o'clock at night.

2. Your parents actually teach you?
Yes. My dad works full-time, but my mom stays home and teaches myself and my three younger sisters. Before my mom had us, she was a public school teacher of middle school science in Delaware. She has her degree in education, which makes her more than qualified to give myself and my sisters a good education. Over the years as I've gotten older, I have taught myself and gone outside of the house for classes that cover harder high school level courses. When you're younger though, your parents are your primary educators. In most cases, the dads go to work and are less involved their children's education and the mom does most of the teaching. That's always the way it has been for me.

3. You Do School With Your Siblings?
Yes, I do. When families have a lot of kids like mine, most parents I know teach everyone at the kitchen table the same material and assign the appropriate work to the different ages. The older students will get an essay to write or papers work on and the younger kids might get a coloring page. But the older you get, the less help you need and I now work independently at my computer or at my desk in my room. Its really common that all the children will sit together and learn together and help one another out.

4. How Do You Make Friends?
This is probably one of the most vexing and exasperating questions I am asked. I make friends the same way everyone else does: I talk to people. I may not make friends by going to school and meeting people there, but regardless, the way public schooled students make friends applies to home schooled students as well. I play sports (intramural and high school), go to youth group, go to church, have a part-time job, volunteer, hang out with neighbors, go to classes with other home schooled kids, take community college classes, go to clubs, and travel. As long as you're friendly and outgoing, you make friends the same way even if you don't go to school everyday.

5. Can You Wear Your Pajamas All Day Long?!
Hmmm. Well, I guess I could if I wanted to, but I personally choose not to stay in my pajamas. Some people I know enjoy the freedom of not having to get dressed everyday and take advantage of wearing their PJs all day. I don't like feeling like a grimy bum though and prefer to shower and start off my day fresh. When I was little, my mom made me get dressed every morning, make my bed, and get ready as if I was going to school so my attitude would be in the right place to absorb whatever I needed to learn for the day. But then again, it all depends on your parents!

6. Do You Go to Prom?
No. Home school organizations sometimes put on proms so students can get dressed up and feel like regular kids. Some of my friends have gone to proms with their friends when invited, but I haven't ever gone. I guess not hearing about how "awesome" prom is year after year has effected my view of the occasion. I really don't understand all the hype, and while it is fun to get dressed up and dance, I don't get why all the hopes and dreams of public high school students are vested in that night. I guess that would be my only question for you: why is the prom so incredibly meaningful?

7. Do You Get Sick of Being at Home All Day, Everyday?
Yes. There are days when I wish that I had something I know I had to do everyday. But really, I don't stay at home all the time. I go to classes, work, run errands, and make plans for the weekend. I'm sure once I get my license, I will never have to feel like this again. While part of feeling 'stuck at home' could be attributed to being taught at home, I think age also plays a role.

8. Are You Like, Really Smart?
Maybe! Honestly, I've never been to public school so I can't compare my grades to that of my friends because I just don't know the nature and level of the work they are assigned. I do know that I started college when I was fifteen and have twenty five credits towards my freshman year of college. I go to Bucks County Community College and take classes as if I were a freshman. Classes my first semester were four days a week, and the second semester I was there three days a week. In that way, I do get "out of the house" because classes are with other people ages 18+ at the main campus. Pretty sweet, huh? Actually, the community college option is open to home schooled and public schooled students alike, as long as you're at least fifteen. Math is, and has always been, a struggle for me. I feel as though my brain is not wired to think mathematically. I also feel as though mathematics are a foreign language at times, which is frustrating. I've kept on plugging away at the subject over the years, but it is the one area of my academic career in which I have experienced repeated failure no matter how much time, effort, and energy I exert trying to figure it out. I guess being smart is relative then. Yes, I am smart. However, that does not mean that I excel in all subjects.

9. Do You Drink or Go to Parties?
No, I do not drink, but yes I do go to parties. I know even if I did go to public school, I still wouldn't choose to drink. I think that drinking is really detrimental to your health, and can potentially lead down a path I really don't want to go down. I have wanted to try it, in all honestly, but made a personal decision to stay away from drinking. I don't think its worth the cost, whether it be drunk and getting in a car accident, a hangover, or making a stupid decision while I was under the influence. Also, my grandfather recently suffered 2 massive strokes and died after leading a life of obsessive drinking. That alone was enough to make me not want to get into drinking. In addition, its against the law. Why risk it? Why not just wait until you're 21? I purposefully don't place myself in situations where I would feel the pressure to try drinking As for parties, yeah I do hang out with my friends and go to parties! I may be home schooled, but I'm still a teenager.

10. Does It Bother You That You Don't Have a Life?
What does that question even mean? Define "life" for me, would you? The dictionary states the meaning of "life" as follows: the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally. I'm breathing right now, so I must be considered alive. I hang out with my friends, go to classes at college, go to the movies, go out to eat, go to youth group, go on retreats, volunteer, travel around the world, visit friends and family in other states, talk to friends on Facebook, Skype and on the phone, go to work. . . Are only those who go to public school able to say they have "lives" ? I understand that some students who are home schooled don't go out often; that's a totally valid observation. However, I think having a life is a lot more than going to school everyday. This is the only one of the question that hurts. All the others are fine, but I really think living is a lot more than spending nine hours a day in school. A lot of my friends who go to public school don't even want to be there. I enjoy my life, love to learn, and have awesome friends. I just don't understand why school is life. I know that a lot of people find their security in the friends and social position they hold at school. Maybe that's what the question really asks, "how do you go without the personal social benefits that school gives?" I don't compare myself to others; I don't look at a person and think they're popular or unpopular based on the way they look on the outside. Maybe that's why I don't care whether or not I go to school and have people think of me as socially acceptable. I'm confident in who I am, and don't need to constantly surround myself with others to feel that I have a life. I think home schooling has given me a chance to have many, many life experiences that public schooling would not have allowed. Examples would be going to Rwanda, Kenya, Congo and Israel during the school year, being a full-time 16-year old college student, and making friends from around the world. I think I have a wonderful life, and home schooling has only made it better.

I'm sure there are more questions than those above that I've been asked over the years, but these are the ones that stuck out the most in my mind. I love answering questions about home schooling because so many people are misinformed. Home schoolers are definitely the minority, with roughly 1.5 children in the United States.