Homeschooled Cobber!
This Cobber has recently rediscovered an unfortunate stereotype of a specific group of people. This stereotype is of the shy, quiet, unfashionably-dressed, nerdy, overly Christian, socially awkward, ridiculously smart, incredibly sheltered, parent-approval seeking homeschooler. Well, I am here today to diffuse that stereotype :-) Why? Because I was homeschooled for most of my life, and I can assure you that that is NOT the norm. As this topic has randomly come up in conversation twice this week, I thought I would share my story and how it affects being a Cobber.
My parents decided early on that they would pull me and my brother out of the public-school system and homeschool us. For me this happened right before 1st grade and for my brother before 4th grade. The reason behind this was not anything radical, they just felt called to homeschool us, and that we would receive a better education. Anyway, I wasn’t really too sure about this homeschool thing since I was only 6 or 7, but I figured it couldn’t be that bad since I could stay at home and play with my dog. Boy, was I wrong. I wasn’t prepared to be learning the same thing and more that others were learning, or having as much work as I did. I was homeschooled from 1st through 9th grade. Truth be told, I HATED BEING HOMESCHOOLED! I thought that my parents were too controlling and that they wanted to keep me locked up forever. I was sooo wrong. I went part time to the high school for 9th grade, and went full time 10th through12th and I LOVED IT!! While there I had the opportunity to be involved with gymnastics, choir, theater, AP classes, and National Honor Society.
I mentioned how much I “hated” being homeschooled, but once I entered full time into a public school, and even more so in college, I began to appreciate my homeschooled life. I realized that I had the opportunity to do things that other kids didn’t get to do, and how I I was able to learn in ways that were helpful to me and not geared toward all sorts of learning styles. I still was involved in all sorts of things outside the house like sports, theater, all day personalized field trips, etc. I never have been socially awkward as I learned rather quickly to converse with people of all ages, and feel better off for it. Academically, I felt like I was better prepared for high school and even college! I learned some great life skills that I don’t think that I would’ve necessarily learned in public school. Now as a senior in college, I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.
This all is to say that I was not shy or quiet, I paid attention to fashion rather closely, and I was not socially awkward. I have never been ridiculously smart or extremely sheltered. Seeking my parent’s constant approval was not really at the top of my list, and I’ve always enjoyed learning about people’s faith however it compares or contrasts with my own. And as for being a nerd -well I consider myself one, and others have called me that, but I’m proud of it I guess. I have encountered hundreds of other homeschoolers, and I can assure any sceptics that that stereotype is not the norm.