A Change In Perspective

So, this is how it really was...

I've mentioned before that I was, indeed, homeschooled during 5th grade and Middle School. Eons ago, my mother pulled me out of Teasley Elementary and for reasons unknown and unexplained to me at the time, she kept me at home. When I started as a Freshman at Campbell High School, everyone was a little bit curious about the whole homeschooling thing. It must have seemed strange to them at the time - it was 1990 and not that many people were homeshooling back then. In fact, most of the other kids that I met were the very stereotypical ones in home-made clothes and such. People had all sorts of assumptions about me. One thing was true among their ideas - I was very sheltered. It wasn't that hard for me to make friends there; but when you're fourteen, things seem difficult anyway. I think I was angry at my parents and I was also struggling in math, which probably was my Mom's doing. I started to really discount the whole homeschooling experience. I made it clear that I was doing very well in all of my other classes despite having been homeschooled - like it was some miracle that I was able to keep up with the work or something. What I left out for my peers were the great learning experiences I had as a homeschooled kid. I left out how my favorite days were spent at the big library in Marietta, just browsing books until I found a subject I wanted to learn about. I left out the part about my Mother practically dragging me out of there because I was so engrossed in the wealth of information available. I left out the fact that I sometimes read three books a week and started Shakespeare in 7th grade. I knew everything there was to know about government and politics because I read the newspaper and discussed things with my parents. I'm not saying that everything was rosy and perfect - we still had our issues, believe me. Still, I haven't been fair. For years I have been leaning back on those old responses to my peer's criticisms. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I'm still letting people like Chad Plunkett shade my story of what homeschool was like. Only now, I don't care anymore. I'm not trying to fit in. I guess I'm just used to being on the defensive. The truth is, it was very good for me. I felt little or no social pressure during those crucial years of development. I was never concerned with who my friends were. When I went on to high school, I found friends in all sorts of groups and did a pretty good job of floating above the clique system.

When I became a parent, I delved deep into the subject of "parenting" and examined my own parents with a microscope. I guess I've never really stopped. Deciding to homeschool Abby has forced me to really examine my feelings on this subject as well. Of course, the day is fast approaching when I will be waist-deep in teaching Abby and all of this speculation and conjecture will cease. Once we've started, I think it will be hard for me to find the time to write much about what's going on. I am glad to have gotten all of this off my mind. Now I must get to the more important work of finalizing lesson plans - and thanks to all of you who left comments and sent me emails about my homeschool plan for the year - your encouragement means a lot!