Homeschool: More Responses

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These two responses come from a sister/brother duo, both of who seek ardently after God's heart. The first set of answers is from a young woman who is pursuing a degree in Secondary education, although for the time being she feels led not to utilize it in the public school system. The second set is from her younger brother, J.C., who I have come to know in the last several months & am deeply honored to know. I am really excited to have the male perspective factored in!
1. What is your age & the length of time you have been homeschooled?
Is it bad that I already have to stop and think about how old I am? I’m 23, and was homeschooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
2. Name of any curriculum you have used & your opinion of it
When Mom and Dad started homeschooling me, they used Bob Jones University curriculum, but around 5th grade (I think), Mom realized that I wasn’t being challenged. The next year we tried Switched on Schoolhouse, which I despised. In 7th grade, we started with A Beka Academy’s video program and stayed with that the rest of my school years. Mom has continued using it with my 6 siblings.

I cannot thank my parents enough for using A Beka. I loved that it challenged me and I was no longer bored like I had been with BJU and SOS. The workbooks (especially grammar, which is ironic and I’ll explain why in a minute) were tedious sometimes; but as I’ve gotten older and gone through my college career, I’ve grown to appreciate how much better prepared I am than most of my classmates. The ironic part of their grammar is that I am now an English major; I will give A Beka’s wonderful video teachers the credit for kindling this love for all things grammar and literature! A Beka’s approach to the classics (Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic) is to give the student ample explanation and practice. As a pre-service teacher who has spent a lot of time in the system, this is one of the biggest flaws I see in our public (and private) education; students have tons of information thrown at them, but it’s all done in the name of standardized testing rather than teaching students how to take control of their own learning, then applying their new knowledge towards becoming critically literate adults who can better society and work towards the Kingdom. It is for this reason that I do not plan to teach once I graduate in May, unless the Lord says, “You want to do this.” This is a topic that I could write an essay on (I am an English major, after all!) but I’ll stop there.

One of the downfalls of their curriculum is that it tends to be overly indoctrinated in some areas, but when something didn’t quite line up with what I knew the Bible said or what my parents had taught me, I asked my mom and dad about it; it wasn’t a big deal, usually. Other general things that I liked about their video program and curriculum:
o Being able to see a teacher and classroom
o Having a teacher that can explain the different topics (very helpful once high-school hit!)
o As much as I hated doing it then—the daily Bible lessons and weekly verse memorization. I love being able to recall those verses and lessons as an adult.
o Graduating with an accredited diploma, rather than a GED typical of most home-school situations.
3. What are some pros & cons of homeschooling . . .your true opinions.
You mean there are cons to homeschooling? J Pros that I see include: 1) Flexibility, yet having accountability from the Academy. 2) Not being subjected to the sub-par
environment that comes from most public schools. 3) An education that taught me not only how to learn, but how to apply my knowledge. 4) The opportunity to experience education outside of the school-building (see #1). 5) I think the other pros have or will come out as I answer these questions.

The only con that I can think of is the lack of scholarships available to homeschooled students, but once I got through that first year of college, my grades were strong enough that I haven’t gone another year without some sort of grant or scholarship. I honestly can’t think of any other cons. I loved being around my parents and my siblings, enjoyed having more one-on-one attention than most students get, and had fun playing outside during rainy days and having snowball fights. I also liked having the rare opportunity of having my grandmother teach me sometimes!
4. Do you feel awkward in social situations due to being educated at home?
Not at all. I am confident in my ability to speak in front of people and to relate to people of all ages. Looking back, I was always comfortable speaking to and being around adults, and I think this is due to the fact that I wasn’t around so many kids all of the time. Any awkwardness that comes is due to the fact that I really don’t like being around large groups of people and it tires me to be social. I once thought that was because I was homeschooled, but I’ve since learned that it is simply my personality.
5. Do you feel as though you lack (or suffer from) social interaction: friendships, sports, proms, & etc?
I played softball through the local high school, basketball through the YMCA, and volleyball through the local homeschool group. I wasn’t really interested in the dances, and I had such an awesome group of friends from church and the different sports arenas that I don’t think I lacked at all! I live in Fort Wayne now, and I know that the groups around here actually have formals that students can attend, but there is a dress code enforced, and parents have a pretty large role in it.
6. Do you feel as though your parents were equipped or adequate to teach you?
Oh my goodness, yes. My mother recently completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing through an online program with IWU and finished with a 3.99 GPA, all while working and homeschooling the rest of my siblings. And my dad is another one of the smartest people I know; he’s the one I went to when I needed help with English and History, and he’s the one Mom sent me to when my attitude about math and Bible had worn her out. J
7. Parents (mostly moms) fear their ability to command their children's attention or respect. Was this a problem in your experience?
See the above statement. I think one of the best things about homeschooling is that parents are better able to stay consistent with disciplining, especially when it comes to a teenage girl’s attitude. My dad and mom did a great job of being the teacher and principal and my mommy and daddy, so I felt the consequences when I wasn’t being respectful. My mother might tell you differently, but my lack of attention was
primarily in my younger years when I wasn’t being challenged and, subsequently, was very bored. I have seen this pattern even in college courses, though, and I’ve noticed that it’s pretty typical for students who aren’t being challenged.
8. Do you regret your parents decision to homeschool you?
Besides teaching me about Jesus, my parent’s decision to homeschool was the best thing that they have done for me. Homeschooling allowed my mother to see that I needed something more difficult and to meet that need.

9. Did homeschooling in any way provoke rebellion or a desire to turn away from your faith?
Not at all. If anything, it gave me more time to strengthen my foundation and grow in faith. Now, that isn’t to say that I haven’t struggled with my faith or didn’t rebel from what I knew was right; but my decisions have nothing to do being homeschooled, but rather my own stupidity.
10. Would you consider homeschooling your current/future children?
Most definitely. One of the first questions I asked my boyfriend before we started dating was about his preferences in education for his children; he answered “homeschooling” before he knew I was a homeschooler!

As I’ve gone through college, one of the questions that my professors will ask me when I meet for individual conferences is, “Where did you go to school?” When I tell them that I was homeschooled, they always receive it positively and enthusiastically. I’ve had many tell me that if they could do it over again, they would homeschool their own children. Two have even mentioned that they would rather teach a homeschooled student than any other student because they tend to be better prepared for college courses, more disciplined, and more respectful. Many of my fellow Education majors have said that they will homeschool their own kids, rather than send them to the school systems.
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1. What is your age & the length of time you have been homeschooled
22 and I was homeschooled for 12 years.
2. Name of any curriculum you have used & your opinion of it
Before high school my parents switch the curriculum around a little bit I have used Bob Jones, and Saxon. When entering high school my parents switched me to Abeka Academy (distance education) which allowed me to graduate with a real high school diploma. I have also completed 3 years of college and had no trouble adjusting.

3. What are some pros & cons of homeschooling...your true opinions
Pros: Growing up without the negative influence of the secular world. My parents were able to morally prepare me for it before I had to fully experience the filth that is in our public school system. Cons: I have not experienced any draw backs to homeschooling. I hear what kids are learning about in public school and it breaks my heart that they are being lied to. That they are being taught that truth is relative, that abortion is acceptable, and that homosexual lifestyle is okay.

4. Do you feel akward in social situations due to being educated at home?
hahahahahahahaha This is one question that i have heard over and over again from skeptics and if they really knew me they would not even ask the question to begin with. I have no problem interacting with complete strangers.

5. Do you feel as though you lack (or suffer from) social interaction: friendships, sports, proms, & etc?

Before high school i played baseball,football, and basketball. While in high school I played basketball in a local homeschool league. As far as dancing goes the extent of my dancing skills is playing just dance on the wii:) so I have really had no desire to go to dances.

6. Do you feel as though your parents were equipped or adequate to teach you?
My parents are both very intelligent people and I have never doubted their ability to teach.

7. Parents (mostly moms) fear their ability to command their children's attention or respect. Was this a problem in your experience?

No my parents handle it as a parental unit, if parents want respect and attention then they need to teach their children discipline.

8. Do you regret your parents decision to homeschool you?
Never! I thank God that I have parents who listen to him and teach their children to do the same.

9. Did homeschooling in any way provoke rebellion or a desire to turn away from your faith?

If anything provoke me to rebellion (though I never rebelled to any great extent) it was the influence of my "friends" from the public school system. And I have never had any desire to turn away from God.

10. Would you consider homeschooling your current/future children?
Yes without a doubt! I pray that God blesses me with a wife with the same desire.