So I was watching these videos on YouTube about homeschooling misconceptions, and I think it’s hilarious.

You could say “I’ve been a transfer student” and it would be less weird then “I’m homeschooled.”

I just want to write this to say I’m grateful my parents homeschool me. Now it’s not a project, though it may sound like that, it’s really just life. Which is what’s great about it.

I think being educated at home has given me a better view of what really matters. I’m not caught up in all the drama of who likes who, who’s the nerd, who’s popular, and will I get failed in this class? Seriously, why? I’ve failed once or twice but I don’t lose my self esteem over it. I get to ask the question, why is it so important to be popular? Aren’t we all nerds or geeks in some way? If you aren’t you probably don’t have a life.

Being homeschooled (or Home Ed. for short,) means you can’t run from your problems by the usual means. It’s really not about the schooling itself. It’s why.

I like learning. There, I said it. I like trivia games, word games, and games that require me to think. Honestly, it I went to a regular school I don’t think I’d like learning. I need space, to figure out things myself. One time when I was younger I figured out how to add multiplies of ten, without my mom’s help. I was exhilarated. It was a small thing, but it gave me a confidence that I could figure things out myself and come to a correct conclusion.

There are pitfalls. It’s easy for me to feel smarter than the “average” teenager. Superior brain power people! Of course anyone who’s heard me debate whether Barbie and Ken should be together might have their doubts.

That’s another thing about Home Ed. I ask  the question “Why?” Why do we think this way? Why do people do that? The tagline for this blog is a question and answer. Asking “why?” has given me a perspective I don’t take for granted. I know it has a lot to do with my parents and them taking the time to explain why they believe certain things. Also I read a lot.

On the weighty side, I knew about problems like politics; poverty; spiritual conditions; and  foreign diseases; all earlier than perhaps I needed to know. Yet I have been able to ponder the answers better because of it. My life view has always been pragmatic. I never have believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, or any fairy. St. Nicholas was a real person and parents put money under your pillow and presents under the tree. I get strange looks when I tell people this. I don’t get it. Doesn’t knowing this help you to know your parents better? What is so bad about that? Why do we need to believe fiction? (Not to sound angry or judgmental, it just doesn’t make sense to me. And, hey maybe you never had that problem, just ignore me in that case.)

Less compromise. My mom calls me “Miss justice.” Unfairness makes me a little crazy. No argument or debate is too small or too big…right?

No, I’m not brainwashed, indoctrinated, or otherwise told what to think. I am a Christian and so is my family and they have been all my life. Kids do not believe everything just because their parents tell them it’s true. Come on, give kids a little more credit than that. Kids stop believing their parents if their parents lie to them. Like telling them for years about Santa Clause and then saying “Um, yeah, he’s not real.” Any kid could then reason: “Hey if my parents lied to me about him, why not about God?” I’m not saying it’s just the parent’s fault, I’m saying the opposite. I always knew it was my choice to believe. I’ve considered the different views. Just because they’re my parents doesn’t mean they can’t have it right. Nothing else has ever made a whole lot of sense to me.

The funniest thing about homeschooling is socializing. I’m one of the few homeschoolers I know who has never been in much of a co-op or group (we tried it, but it fell away). So mostly I hang with my siblings and parents; and kids from my church. I’ve seen as much of regular school social life as I ever care to, and I prefer my siblings to a superficial sort of friendship. Not all school relationships are that way, but too many are. Socializing with people you’re around all day is hilarious.

Schooling is about learning when you’re ready and learning well and knowing how to use your knowledge. I highly recommend it, and I will homeschool my kids if at all possible.

Happy learning!