Homeschooling — Another Option

Hi, l'm 16 years old, my friends call me Laurie. I'm your normal female teenager. I like to read, write, hang out with my friends, talk on the phone, and listen to music. Most of that info you can usually drag out of any female teen. I don't like loud parties, I don't take drugs, or drink alcohol, or smoke - these things don't excite me. What does excite me, though, is playing sports. I like to play volleyball, softball, and basketball. I also play quarterback when the people in my neighborhood get together for a game of touch football. I am told that I get chosen for the quarterback's position because I have a great throwing arm.

There is one thing about me that is different, (especially compared to most of my friends) and that is the way I receive my education. I am homeschooled. I have been homeschooled by my parents since the beginning of seventh grade it's been five years now. My grade level is currently equivalent to that of a junior in high school.

Do you know what to be homeschooled means? Or, what it is?

When you are homeschooled, you are taught inside the walls of your own home by a private tutor, or as in my case by my parents.

There are different types of homeschooling programs just as there are different types of traditional schools. For example, one group, which I call "Christian homechoolers" follow a strict schedule and work their religious beliefs into their schoolwork. The families in this group buy into a curriculum that requires their kids to follow a rigorous schedule. I know some kids who are educated this way and they work from 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM. My girlfriends that go to public school don't even go for 8 hours out of the day unless they are enrolled in extra curricular activities.

I call myself an "unschooler" because I don't follow a schedule and my parents haven't bought into a curriculum. I am not pressured to study something that doesn't interest me. I study what interests me at my own pace.

"Unschoolers" do have the option of buying into a curriculum, but the kids don't have to follow it rigorously everyday. They, too, are allowed to learn at their own pace.

A normal day for me begins as follows: I usually wake up about 8 AM, have my breakfast and do my chores - then it's time to pull out my study materials. These are textbooks that I have picked up at various locations. During my regular school day, I study literature, algebra, English and speech. I also practice my flute. My parents allow me to pick the subjects I want in the order I want to study.

I'm usually done by I PM. I then get to hang out and play basketball or whatever sport happens to be in season. But every now and then, I might have to mow the lawn or help clean the house.

Being homeschooled doesn't mean I have to miss out on things that are happening in public schools. Most states require public schools to let homeschoolers join any classes or sports they offer. Here in Colorado, the high school star quarterback on the football team was homeschooled. And if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend who attends public school, you can go to dances or proms.

When my parents first told me I was going to be homeschooled, I got rebellious. After all, my friends would all be going to junior high, why not me? I tried talking my parents Out of their decision, but their response was always the same. They were firm.

I thought that if I were homeschooled I wouldn't have any friends. I couldn't have been more wrong. I have made a lot of friends who are also homeschooled. Being homeschooled also allowed me to get my first job at the age of 12. It was a regular baby-sitting/cleaning job twice a week. I feel if I'd been in public school, I would not have had that opportunity.

It has been five years since I last attended public school, and I will begin my junior year this fall. Though I have always had this dream of attending school for my senior year, I don't think I will try to change my parents' decision to homeschool me, at least for now. In the beginning, I had thought I wanted to attend public school my senior year because I thought I would miss the prom and the other social aspects of the last year of high school. But, as I said before, as long as you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who goes to public school, you don't have to miss dances, football games, or band concerts, so maybe I will be able to attend my junior or senior prom.

Most kids that I meet think that my being "unschooled" puts me behind other juniors. To tell you the truth, kids who are homeschooled have been tested and many have turned out to be two grades ahead of their peers.

I study the same subjects as the other juniors in my town; the only things I don't study are biology and chemistry because I can't stand these subjects.

I have found being homeschooled has given me more freedom to work and to be able to volunteer at two different places for three years. I do a variety of volunteer jobs at my local public library and I answer phones and help tourists at the Chamber of Commerce.

I hope I've convinced you that being "unschooled" or homeschooled really isn't that bad. After reading this article, I hope you will be able to relate better to anyone that you may meet who has chosen one of these untraditional ways of getting an education.

Sixteen-year old Laurie was born in Inchon City, South Korea and moved to the United Stases the age of three when she was adopted. She lives in Colorado, with her parents and younger brother. After completing requirements to earn a high school diploma, Laurie plans to pursue a career in elementary education.

Editor's Note: A homeschooled student, 13 year old David Beihl from Saluda, South Carolina, was the winner of the 1999 U.S. National Geography Bee.

By Laurie W.,
Montrose, Colorado

* Reprinted from Positive Teens Magazine Volume 2 Issue 1, Jan/Feb 1999

{ Back to Having Our Say }