Like many people, I struggle in school. Struggle to pay attention - struggle to understand - struggle to perceive and lock away all the important information - struggle to keep from dozing off... but unlike some people, I do all of my schooling at home.
This day in age, it's really not super uncommon for a kid to be home-schooled. Most would want to be public schooled because their peers are all public-schooled and - I will admit - I have wanted in the past to be enrolled in "real" school. But now, I have learned to appreciate the straightforward, hands-on approach that one takes when being educated at home.
"Don't you get lonely?" "isn't it boring?" "do you even have friends?" "are you even human?!"
Yes. Sometimes, yes. Yes. And, last time I checked, yes.
Being home-schooled is really no different from being public schooled, aside from the fact that a) I'm cooped up in my own house rather than some smelly brick building, b) I don't have to deal with obnoxious people on a daily basis [save my brothers and sister...], c) I can start at any time of the day; I have no schedule, d) It takes me all but three hours to complete the day's assignments, e) I can work ahead while everyone else is suffering falling behind due to snow days, and f) [this is the best one] I can do it all in my pajamas. I don't even have to brush my teeth if I don't feel like it.
I get questions all the time asking "what do you do all day?" "how can you survive being home all the time?" and "are you, like, super sheltered?"
Simple answers:
1. I do whatever I feel, and whatever I'm told.
2. I'm not home all the time. Believe it or not, I am actually involved in other activities aside from house chores and babysitting my siblings. In fact, because I don't have a set schedule for school, my time is so flexible that I could work multiple jobs a day, make loads of money, and still get my schoolwork done [disclaimer: this theory has yet to be tested].
3. No, I am certainly not super sheltered. I have watched a multitude of films and television shows without my parents' consent. I gave my mom a synopsis of Texas Chainsaw Massacre III after I watched it [it's nowhere near as bad as some of the things my eyes have seen]. I don't have a super-early curfew or overbearing parents; the one thing I'm not allowed to do is drive on the road because that's illegal.
And commit murder. I'm pretty sure that's not allowed either.
Another stereotype of the home-schooled children is this: we are all either really smart or really stupid.
C'mon. The same thing can be said about public schoolers, college students, and adults - it has nothing to do with the environment in which you learn. No matter where you go, there will always be stupid people. They are not all home-schoolers and they are not all public-schoolers; they are all humans and that's how mankind works.
Some home-schoolers work exceptionally hard to make straight A's.
Some public-schoolers do the same.
Some home-schoolers are lazy and could care less what kind of grades they get.
Some public-schoolers are the same.
Some home-schoolers are naturally intuitive and have no trouble getting good grades, whether or not they study.
Some public-schoolers are the same.
We're all people - we all live on Earth - we all breathe the same atmosphere - we all live and we all die.
We get good grades and we get bad grades. We have smart days and we have dumb days. We're good at some things and crap at others. The world keeps on revolving.
In conclusion: home-schoolers are lonely and have nothing to do with all that free time on their hands so they blog on forever until their fingers grow numb.
Or at least, this one does.
