This will be long, but I may be able to contribute a unique perspective on this subject.
I am in my late 20’s and was homeschooled from pre-K until I graduated high school. The first time I ever set foot in a classroom was my first day of college. My mother was my primary instructor—she is a Christian fundamentalist and I memorized Bible verses and learned all about how the earth was created in 7 days and is only 2,000 years old. I learned that dinosaurs were made up by people who wanted to test my faith in God. My church growing up didn’t have a single child in public or private school, and most families had more than 6 children. By age 10 I had surpassed my mother’s capabilities in mathematics and science. For much of my childhood, my mother was very ill and was often bedridden for 20+ hours a day. My father had to work double shifts and volunteer for out-of-town assignments to keep up with medical bills. I don’t have many memories of him until I hit my teenage years. It was unheard of in my church for a woman to be unmarried at age 18.
I say all of this because I should have been a failure. I should be uneducated, un-socialized, and barely able to function in modern society. I am not a failure.
I met all the requirements to graduate high school by age 16 and did. I got a job delivering pizzas, worked my tail off for a year and stashed away every penny. The summer I turned 18 I entered college with a scholarship and made the honor roll more often than not. I earned a B.S in Science and was the only student in my class to graduate with honors, and in only 4 years. I graduated debt free and paid cash for my first car. I married at 22 with a college degree and no children-a first in my family. My husband does not suffer from the notion that he has to be in charge just because his reproductive organs are on the outside—we have a true partnership of equals. I just celebrated five years as a law enforcement officer and am working in a forensic laboratory, analyzing drug cases. During my early years on road patrol, my evaluations spoke of how gifted I was at calming down people and de-escalating situations gone bad. My current supervisor wants to transfer me to DNA analysis as soon as the budget allows, and I will take her up on the offer, possibly even earn my Masters. I consider myself an open-minded atheist and love watching science documentaries on evolution and how the universe was formed.
How did this happen?
My parents taught me how to learn, and to love to learn. As much as they tried to instill their beliefs and way of life in me, their primary concern was to teach me how to think critically, how to analyze data and respond with logic. The intention of this was so I would not be led astray by heathen unbelievers, but that kinda backfired
There were many gaps in my education, but they taught me how to fill them when needed. I was taught work ethic, etiquette, responsibility in both life and finances, how to plan for the future and a love of reading. From what I have been able to gather, these are not priorities in public schools. So what if my history was a bit lacking at graduation? I have enough curiosity not only to look it up, but to read further—learn about history in the context of the culture and politics of the time. Learn why it is important, not just that it happened. I do this on my own, with joy and enthusiasm. What I learn, I retain, because I am interested.
I never learned to hate learning!
I am eternally grateful to my parents for homeschooling me and giving me such an amazing head start in life. I have excelled at every job I’ve ever held, whether mundane or technical, and have been promoted quickly and often. I do not shy away from new responsibilities or opportunities. Two years ago when my supervisor needed a better billing system but forgot to put it in the budget, I bought an “Access for Dummies” book. Two weeks later I produced my first program. It is still in use today.
Homeschooling works if done right—even if done wrong in the right circumstances. And please do not think poorly of my mother. Remember when I said I was a math wiz at 10? I could barely read at that age—I had a knack for math, but reading was hard for me. Different kids learn different things at different rates. My mother knew this, and had an innate understanding of my needs. She faces harsh ridicule because of her choices. At 10 something ‘clicked’ for me, and at age 12 I was reading and fully comprehending senior-level textbooks. In public school I would have been labeled with a learning disorder, told I was stupid and stuck with the slow kids. Think I would still love learning under those circumstances? I could not have asked for a more loving, nurturing and consistent parent. She gave her all to me and is the dearest woman I know. It is because of her, of what she gave to me even when she was in pain from a disease that had not yet been named, that I am who I am today.
