Attention!

First off: No, I didn't sleep in until 1:00 pm, and then do school in my PJ’s. I didn't munch on chips and drink soda the whole time, either. You laugh, but you were really wondering deep down inside, weren't you? Actually, I got up at 6:00 am, got dressed and the whole works, and then started school. I ate regular meals and on the whole, lived a pretty scheduled life.

Now that we've got the important stuff out of the way, you probably want to know where I got friends. I go to a fairly large church, so that's where I meet most of them. Because our church is in revival, we are at the worship center almost every night, so there's lots of time for building friendships. Also, I am friends with some of my parents' friends' kids and I meet people at work. I've never felt deprived in that area.

Some of you may be curious about the academic side of homeschooling (surprisingly, that is not what most people are interested in). Our family didn't use a specific program such as A Beka or Alpha Omega, but we pulled from a lot of different sources and sometimes my mom just made up her own courses--especially for classes like literature or composition. My mom didn't give lectures (except when I didn't clean my room), and I had to do most of my schoolwork through reading. This took more effort and discipline on my part than if I could have just sat in a classroom and spaced out if I wanted to. Because we live in Wisconsin, we were not required to take any specific tests by the state. They simply told us how many hours of school we must do, and that is all they were concerned about. My mom did give me tests and grades, though.

Some homeschoolers go to school all through the summer, but our family didn't do it that way. We also got a Christmas and Easter vacation, as well as getting off for holidays like Labor Day. I also got off for my birthday (12/6 -- presents welcome!). And I didn't go to school on Saturdays. One of the things I didn't get off for is snow days--think about it for a minute. And of course I had school even when the public schools had teacher training days, which was frustrating when I was younger and wanted to play with the neighborhood kids.

Lots of people ask me why I was homeschooled. When I was a little kid, my parents looked into all their options, including some private schools, but they were concerned about the anti-Christian values being taught in the public schools, and the negative peer pressure encountered in any school setting, whether public or private. They felt that God wanted them to homeschool me, and the rest is history.

Probably the biggest question I get, especially from kids, is, "Did you like being homeschooled?" Yes, I did. It is all I've ever known, so I don't exactly have anything to compare it to, but I am very happy with it. I didn't have to experience a lot of the pain and ridicule that goes along with being in a "real" school setting. I hear a lot of horror stories from my public school friends, who sometimes call me crying, to tell me about their bad day at school. They always assure me I should be grateful that I was homeschooled.

Another benefit of being homeschooled is that my mom and I are close, and we love to talk to each other. I tell her everything, not because I have to, but because I want to. In fact, sometimes she used to tell me we had to quit talking and get to work. I'm not sure it would be that way if I had been gone all day.

I think that being homeschooled has made me more secure in myself than I would naturally be. Because I know I am loved and accepted at home, I don't worry as much about what other people think (well, maybe it does cross my mind once in a while). Naturally this might not be true for everyone, but I think it is for me.

I believe that God has had a very active hand in shaping my life and preparing me for how He is going to use me in the future. He chose homeschooling as one of the roads to get me where He wants me. For that reason alone, I am glad I have been homeschooled.

I hope I've answered some of your questions about homeschooling. Please keep in mind that every family does things differently, and no homeschool family can truly be called typical. I have only endeavored to let you know how our family has done things. Have any questions I didn't cover? email me and I'll get back to you.