Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Homeschooling: Real Life


   I don't know how many people know about home schooling- the real home schooling, that is. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about it, so I want to talk about what home schooling was like for me.

   I'm so thankful that God led my parents to home school me before I started school. It was so good for me- I was able to learn at my own pace, I was able to form close bonds with my family, I had more free time to do other things, I was able to learn practical life skills, soooo many benefits to home schooling.

   I love to learn, I find it fascinating that there is soooo much information available, just waiting for me to seize it for myself. I think part of enjoying learning came from being home schooled because learning happened all the time, not just when I had to open a book and study. Life is full of teachable moments and when the whole world is your school, not just being confined to a classroom, the chances of learning something practical are much greater. Learning was fun for me and happened all the time. As long as I remain teachable, I will continue learning as long as I live.

   I learned to read when I was four and I've loved reading ever since. Reading opened up a world of possibilities for me. There were stories of far away places that stretched my imagination, pieces of history in a fascinating plot that made the facts more real and memorable than a textbook, lessons that characters learned that I would analyze and be able to apply to my life. There were biographies of remarkable people that challenged me to do something worthwhile with my life. There is the Bible, God's word given to man that we might know Him and learn how to live a life pleasing to Him. There were textbooks full of information to give me a foundation of knowledge for the rest of my life.

   I may not pursue college, but only because I don't feel it's what I should do. Not because I think I couldn't make it. And if I don't go to college, that doesn't mean my education is finished. I will continue to read and learn new things!

   I was able to spend my time pursuing activities I enjoyed and learning real life skills. I played on a basketball team when I was a freshman in high school at a Christian school and I enjoyed every minute of it. I learned how to play the piano and thanks to a wonderful teacher playing the piano is a pleasure. Now I'm teaching other kids to play, so I was given a skill that I can use for income. I've been helping my mom in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. Cooking for people and seeing them enjoy the food I've prepared makes me happy and is a way for me to care for them. It's a way to be creative and serve people. There are so many things I've learned and so many more still to be learned.

   My parents were able to choose a curriculum that they agreed with so they didn't have to counteract the information I learned, as they might have had to do if I had gone to public school and been falsely taught the material mandated by the government.

  I was taught to think for myself and research information rather than just accepting what someone says to be the truth. I was taught to seek wisdom from the Lord and not from worldly sources.
I was able to be myself, grow at my own pace, ask questions, and so much more! I was able to learn from someone that cared about me. The teacher was able to focus on my needs as opposed to a whole classroom of students all with different needs.

   I was part of a large home school group through my church so I had friends outside my family that were my own age, we went on field trips, we put on plays, we had science fairs, we had so many opportunities to make friends and learn.

  My brother and sisters are all also home schooled and we've had a lot of fun. Sometimes all the "togetherness" is one of the worst parts about being home schooled and I'd sell them off to the highest bidder... but those moments are very few and far between. For the most part, being with them is one of the best things about being home schooled. We've always been close and after we moved to our present location they became my best friends.

   I can't fully cover all of home schooling and do it justice but I hope this has given you a little glimpse of what it was like for me. Home schooling has been a HUGE blessing in my life and I am sooooooo extremely grateful for the Lord's hand in it all. I believe that home schooling has been advantageous in my life and there are so many benefits that come with it. I hope to someday home school my own children!




 Here is a link to a (humorous) video that talks about some of the more common myths of home schoolers: Seven Lies About Homeschoolers.


7 comments:

Lions, Tigers and Fashion OH MY! said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Hope you have a good day! xoxo

Kate @ BROhaha said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Love this :) I wasn't homeschooled, but all of my siblings were for the latter part of their educations {I'm the oldest & only had a couple yeas of highschool left by the time they started.}

You definitely made a lot of good points here - many of the reasons we plan on home schooling our kiddos when they're old enough! {we have a 15-month-old little girl right now}. Anyways, lovely post :)

Catie said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Thanks for following my blog! I was homeschooled too, and we plan to homeschool our kids. It's so great! There are a lot of misconceptions about it, we just have to keep breaking them!

Hannah said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates
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Hannah said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

@Lions, Tigers and Fashion OH MY! Thank you :)

Hannah said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

@Kate
Thank you and good luck in your own homeschooling endeavors :D
~Hannah

Hannah said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

@Catie
Thank you for following me, too!