THE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING HOMESCHOOLED
THE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING HOMESCHOOLED
“School makes me sad.” “School makes me angry.” “School makes me depressed” are all popular Google searches. Clearly there must be something wrong with our system of teaching that makes so many kids and teens feel this way.
I was homeschooled all throughout high school and honestly can’t say enough good things about it. But I thought I’d try, here are some of the great things about being homeschooled.
You can avoid cliques and instead connect with people of all ages
I think it’s fair to say that bullying exists in probably every school. When you’re homeschooled you aren’t stuck seeing the same people everyday. You can focus on yourself and your interests and don’t have to dread the latest gossip and social scene of schools. You can, of course, still be social, but you get to decide who you hang out with. If you want to hang out with people you knew from school, you can still message them and make plans, but now no one is forcing you to hang around particular people. When you are homeschooled it becomes much more of your choice who you hang around. And you don’t have to worry as much about peer pressure and negative influences of other kids.
You’re able to stay up and sleep in as late as you want
A lot of people complain school starts too early. When you start the day tired it’s harder to pay attention in class. And sleep deprivation commonly causes depression and anxiety. When you homeschool, you get to start the day whenever works best for you. And you don’t have to be rushed out the door.
Less standardized testing
Standardized testing often causes teens stress and they rarely ever retain the information after they memorize it. When you are homeschooled you can learn at your own pace and there is much less testing.
No forced schedule
When you’re homeschooled you get to decide what you focus on everyday. You don’t have to time that for this hour you will be doing this, and then onto the next class. If you want to spend more or less time working on something, you can. Or if there’s something you really don’t feel like doing, you don’t have to do it that day and can wait until you’re more in the mood to do it.
When you’re homeschooled you can make your schedule personalized for you each day. There’s so much more freedom.
The focus is on you
No more having to raise your hand among a bunch of other kids. Now if you have a question, the focus is only on you and no other distractions. This way, you can learn a lot faster.
You don’t have to sit behind a desk or stay inside
Having to sit inside for most of the day can have negative effects on a person’s mental health, and being able to spend time outside is an important thing. When you are homeschooled you can spend more time outside getting fresh air and you can even work outside. You can work really anywhere you want, even on the couch.
You get to spend the time learning and doing what you want
You get to decide your curriculum. And you can focus on whatever special interests you have. Instead of asking kids “what do you want to be when you get older?” we should start asking “what do you want to be now?” One of the reasons kids and teens are so frustrated at school is because it feels like their life is being put on hold. A lot of very successful people were homeschooled since they were able to have more time to focus on doing what they really wanted to do. And if you’re a parent homeschooling your kid, you can decide to teach them about what you think they should know, instead of having a government system teach them what every other kid is learning too.
More time with the family
Homeschooling means you get to spend more time with your family, whether that’s your parents or siblings. Parents who homeschool their kids get to watch them learn and see where their head is at, and that is very special! Though parents don’t have to be the ones to homeschool their kids, since there are also tutors and other options.
Creativity can breathe
School does not seem to have been invented for the creative types, putting much importance on math and science and taking more creative subjects such as art and music as “extra curricular activities” or “electives.”
We are taught in school that the more creative pursuits don’t matter as much. They aren’t as intelligent. The activities that are more fun like PE, are seen as play and not work.
We are taught working hard is behind a desk and not when you’re having fun, and the stuff we find fun is not real work. This prepares us for adult life in the worst way. So many people grow up doing jobs they hate and give up the things they actually enjoy.
When you are homeschooled you can put focus on those creative interests of yours.
Art and creativity advance the world in a way just as important as math or science, yet creative people feel stifled at school. Being homeschooled creative people can design a curriculum that works for them and how they learn.
Lunch time can be whenever
You don’t have to eat cafeteria food. You can eat straight from your kitchen, and whenever you’re hungry. Not during a scheduled time. School teaches you what has been discovered before and not new ideas Being homeschooled and indulging in self education you have time to think for yourself and come up with original thoughts.
There’s so many different reasons to homeschool. These are just a few I came up with.
Five days a week is a large portion of your life. When you can spend it doing what you enjoy and learning your way, it’s a pretty good choice.
by Lotus Kay
This article originally appeared in Natural Parent Magazine.
Lotus Kay is a nineteen-year old author and writer who has been published in media outlets such as Thrive Global, American Vegan Magazine, Green Child Magazine, New Leaves, Light of Consciousness, and Voya: Voice of Youth Advocates. She is a recipient of a grant from Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots program for her work creating an educational campaign called Bears for Cares to help children around the world understand the state of wildlife and endangered species by gifting educational children's books and eco-friendly stuffed animals. She is the author of the children's books More Beautiful Than Heaven and Billie the Octopus both in collaboration with Bears for Cares to educate kids on the importance and beauty of nature, and motivate them to help protect the Earth and our ocean. Her new books, out this fall, include Thanksgiving for the Turkeys which presents a new way of thinking about food choices and Thanksgiving through a turkey’s eyes, and Jenny the Chimpanzee which reminds us of how interconnected and similar we are to our fellow animals friends. A portion of the proceeds of the books and toys support the Roots & Shoots program. You can find out more at www.bearsforcares.com.
Other writings by Lotus:
Finding The Bright Side Of COVID-19 (with a poem) This Moment in our World can Seem Dark, but there is Light in all This.
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