Most people give me the strangest look when I tell them that I only went to public school for my senior year of high school. Moving to different states every few years and not living in counties with the best schools was part of the reason for my being homeschooled. I personally hated being homeschooled; I begged my parents each year to let me go to a “real” school, but every year my request was denied until senior year came along.
Even though I hated homeschooling, looking back, I now view it as a blessing in disguise. For most of my elementary years, my mom played the role of teacher, principal, and parent. Eventually, I switched over to a private school with an online homeschool program called A Beka Academy. It is a real school in Pensacola, Florida, and they record their classes each day and then make them available online for streaming. I did all the work that their students did, I just did it from my own bedroom and laptop instead of a classroom setting. I would wake up around 7 A.M. and finish around noon. I would finish my homework right afterwards and have my afternoon and evenings free. My mom would take pictures of me and my brothers at the beginning of each year for our school pictures. I took piano lessons to substitute for the missed extracurriculars.
Some good things that I think benefit me from being homeschooled include the feeling that I received a better education than a regular public school education would’ve provided. I was able to focus better without distractions from other people. I developed a good work ethic because to a certain extent, I was the only one who was going to make sure that my work was going to get done. There weren’t teachers around to make sure that I was turning my work in on time every second of the day.
There were also a few downsides to homeschooling as well. I wasn’t able to take any AP classes, and there weren’t many honors classes offered either. The honors classes that were offered were ridiculously hard. I wasn’t able to receive any awards, join the National Honors Society or any other public school clubs. I wasn’t able to participate in any sports or band because I was technically enrolled in A Beka Academy. It was more difficult for me to make friends because I didn’t have school as a common ground to meet people.
Eventually I convinced my parents to let me go to “a real” school for my senior year. I was excited but nervous. I had never been to an actual school before, and I was going to be jumping in at the last possible second. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Luckily, I had met some people in my neighborhood that went to that school during my junior year, and they were especially helpful while I was there. As a military kid, I was also very familiar with change and being the new kid in the group. My time there wasn’t too difficult, and I really enjoyed it. It was a lot easier than homeschooling, and it was nice to have some fun, participate in extracurriculars, and take some AP classes as well. All in all, both were a good experience for me.
I think being homeschooled set me up for success in college. I have a lot of motivation to get my work done, and I know how to manage my time more effectively. For online work, I can get it done easily. I work hard at what I do because of my homeschooling past. As much as I hated it, I’m thankful for the experience.
HC xoxo,
Alyssa Harmon
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