Why I’m glad I was homeschooled

I know being a homeschool mom is tough. Not from personal experience as one (yet), but from seeing the day-to-day frustrations my mom had when homeschooling me and my sister. At times, it was obviously the hardest thing my mom ever did and I am so incredibly thankful for the sacrifices she made to educate her children herself. I am also thankful for my dad for working way harder than he needed to so that his wife could be a stay-at-home mom and care for his girls.

I firmly believe that being homeschooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade gave me the ability to find joy in independent learning, an intense curiosity about the world, and the skills necessary for communicating with a wide age group (yeah, most homeschoolers actually are not socially awkward; most adults simply are not used to kids and young adults having any noticeable level of maturity and conscientiousness). In high school, being homeschooled also gave me the freedom to pursue my academic and extracurricular passions in a way that would not have been feasible were I in a traditional school setting. I fell in love with the world of theatre at the age of thirteen and spent an extraordinary amount of time acting, directing, and doing technical theatre work while keeping up with my studies. I participated in the dual-enrollment program at my local community college in high school and received all A’s, which I think demonstrated to my public school friends that my homeschool grades were not fabricated. I scored well on the SAT and ACT and was accepted into one of the top universities in the country.

Had I not been homeschooled, I think that my story would be very different. It is difficult to succinctly describe why I am glad I was homeschooled, but to put it in the broadest of terms, my parents dedication to my education and my development as a person helped to bring out the best of my potential.

To the moms out there who are struggling to simply get through another seemingly endless day of homeschooling, remember that you have already taken that incredibly brave step of assuming the responsibility of letting your children become the best that they can be. It’s a challenge for all involved, but I promise that it is worth the headaches and heartaches in the end.