Looking back on my life I view my homeschooling as a blessing and the path I'm on today would be impossible without it. I am now about to start my first week of College, at Concordia University Irvine, the school of my dreams.
How did I get here? Simple. Dedicated parents. My mom was super scared when she started, but my dad, a public school teacher, thought it was for the best. They both have worked extremely hard to get us a great education and it is now paying off. My sister and I are two young people who are well socialized, inquisitive, and haven't been around most of the drama that revolves around high school. My sister knows what she wants to be, a American Sign Language Interpreter, probably in a school setting. I am less sure, but I'm more in the boat of narrowing down possibilities and not trying to find new ones. Science and Theology are my two passions, and if I don't find a way of double-majoring in Chemistry&Biblical Languages, I will find a way to integrate the two.
But to the purpose of this blog.
As I have been through the system my whole life, I think (hope?) that what I have to say regarding this topic is of use to you.
Academic Choices (4)
- Take Classes at a Local Co-op. I have taken several Science classes, a Constitutional Law class, two Writing classes, and a Videography class. They are a great way to meet new friends and also help for parents who may not be able to teach certain subjects.
- Junior and Senior Year take classes at a Community College. This past year I took Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus classes at my local college. It not only helped me in math (for some reason math is a huge struggle for homeschoolers, and often the dreaded subject that needs to be finish over summer each year) but it also introduced me to the dynamics of college classes. I even got to experience college cafeteria food. I also was able to help a few students the semester I took an on-campus class. It is also free units! For me it won't really count because as a Chemistry major I have to take up to Calc 3 anyway, but in other cases I have friends who completed a whole year of Gen Ed classes before they graduated high school.
- Make Language Classes a priority. I have, in my short time on this Earth, spent time taking Latin, Spanish, and Greek classes. Latin was through a homeschool curriculum in Jr. High, back when all I cared about was Pokemon, Cryptography, and Sherlock Holmes. I vaguely remember some vocabulary and that's about it. Then Spanish was my chosen language to meet California's High School education requirements. I used Rosetta Stone, and I must say that a structured class/tutor is a much better idea. I had a hard time, mostly due to my lack of self motivation in a class I cared little about. Sure I did my homework, but that was merely a hoop to jump through. When it came time to actually use Spanish, in Ecuador, I was hopeless beyond a few sentences! Now, self motivated, I am starting the study of Koine Greek.
- Make up at least one class in your high school career. My Junior Year I made up a Fly Fishing Class with my mom's help. I taught myself how to tie flies and built a fly rod with the help of one of my Youth Group leaders Zach. I also got several fly fishing trips in and caught a few native fish (harder to catch than planted fish). It was fun to immerse myself into Fly Fishing culture, the blogs, books, and magazines all made me feel like a seasoned fisherman with my share of stories and wisdom. Find something you're passionate about and make it happen. Find books, online classes (Coursera), blogs, magazines, and local mentors/tutors to learn a new skill or subject. The big thing is to document it. I have a bunch of the Flies I tied, my fly rod, and lots of pictures.
Socializing: An Introvert's Guide (3)
- Relationships take work. Making friends as a homeschooler is hard. That being said, the friends you do make often mean more to you and are rarely surface level. These are people you fight for to hang out with. And I'm fairly certain it doesn't get easier or less awkward to make friends as an adult. In fact, I may be better adjusted than my public school counterparts because I have been around a wider age group. I've had to make friends with older people, younger people, and with people my own age. And I can tell you it's great to have those skills... Because once you leave High School, guess what? Age matters a lot less. You aren't stuck in a bubble of people your age.
- Find a few best friends. I value quality over quantity in regards to friends. I have a group of guys I've been through a lot with, and we are Brothers. There's something about Philia (Brotherly Love, Grk.) that you can't really capture on paper. As someone who doesn't have brothers, those guys are the closest thing to that. Build a group of guys (or gals!) like that.
- Make friends with old people. And by old I mean married with kids. I have several awesome relationships with men in my church's Youth Group. They provide guidance and counsel for conversations that are harder to have with parents or when you need to vent about home life... Not that I've ever had to do that... ;)
Misc... (3)
- Enjoy the time you have. Explore your options and enjoy the time of your life where you can literally spend all day reading a book. I know it sounds stupid, but it's true.
- Travel. I have been on two missions trips during the Summers before my Junior and Senior years. The first was to Ecuador where we served with Youth World in Misiwajii (spelling???) and Quito. It really changed me. I really began to study my Bible, and a lot of my relationships changed. I can say that was a marked moment when I made a large jump in maturity. The second was to New York with CSM. Both times one of the things I enjoyed, along with the community and service, was being in a completely different environment and getting used to a different culture. I plan on going on a semester abroad in college and definitely finding a career that either gives me time to travel or integrates travel into it. The big reason though, for YOU to travel is that it broadens your horizons and changes how you view the world. In a missions context especially, it messes with how you view America (as an American, substitute your country here if you aren't from America) and Christianity. I grew up with a rather self righteous view that America's job was to evangelize the pagans of all other nations. It was extremely humbling to be in a small church in Quito and hear how they were sending missionaries to Columbia to spread the Gospel! Even if all you do is volunteer to plan the family vacation, travel to new places when possible. You won't regret it.
- And finally... Thank your parents. On the bad days they question their decisions, and they need to be told how much you love them and support their choice to homeschool you.
Also, check out this TED Talk. It's awesome. Nuff' said.
Soli Deo Gloria,
- Jonah