I found this in a magazine (SUSIE magazine, which is an awesome Christian magazine for teen girls) and I could totally relate, so I thought I'd repost it. I plan to use these tips in the next schoolyear. I hope you can use these to your benefit!
Do you wait all weekend for your dad to help you with a hard math lesson? Are you afraid you won’t be able to keep up with college classes? Do you feel really far behind when friends talk about what they’re studying? Have you just plain freaked and whisper-screamed, “Will I make it out in the world?” It’s not just homeschoolers asking this. So what’s a girl to do?
Schoolstylers and Freestylers
What’s your homeschool like? Some are “schoolstylers:” They have regular school hours, recess, vacation breaks, curriculum and may co-op with their church or local school for some classes. A schoolstyler will likely know how good their grades are and may feel more connected with private and public school friends, sports and activities.
Others are “freestylers;” for these guys, school never stops! It may start at 8 a.m. reading history in the living room, continue through a picnic lunch with bug observation and finish doing math with dinner prep. They don’t necessarily have a curriculum, but they use lots of reading books and life skills, keeping text books for research. Freestylers are likely to have had an emphasis on things they liked, with a base in all the other subjects.
Choosing Curiosity
A schoolstyler might say, “I’m so far behind! Things take me longer to understand than the curriculum allows. And no one really explains things to me!”
“I feel like no one is teaching me anything! I should be doing algebra, not learning to make dye from walnuts,” one freestyler told me. “And I want to see people and participate in sports!”
You may not identify completely with one or the other, but one thing unites all students: We have a choice. Not where we go or who teaches us perhaps, but we can choose to learn … or not.
Develop a positive curiosity, sisters. It’ll take you a long way in any school or life situation! If you choose to learn, you’ll need about a pound of Internet/library research, with a cup of what-makes-that-go, a tablespoon of patience and a teaspoon of resourcefulness.
Your parents may not explain something clearly, the book may be confusing or the concept could be difficult for you. Read another book, research it, ask a grandparent, family member or friend for help, find out about tutoring, local classes and teams, reach out to a neighbor kid. There are almost limitless resources, but you have to use them!
Up to the Test
For the girls who like numbers, here’s some hard evidence on how well homeschoolers do in life. There are always exceptions, but the positive percentage is huge. Dr. Brian Ray, with the National Home Education Research Institute (www.nheri.org), has done many studies through the years on thousands of homeschoolers. He has written books full of SAT scores, ACT scores, percentiles, college statistics and even studies on how adults who were homeschooled have done. The Home School Legal Defense Association (www.hslda.org) also has a lot of information and helpful articles. In plain English, homeschoolers pass the test, from good grades in junior high to well-adjusted, critical-thinking adults. So be reassured; you have a great chance of doing really well.
And Then There’s Me ...
I know how you feel, sisters. I was a freestyler, loosely following a unit study with lots of options. We didn’t always start school at the same time, and if my midwife mom was gone to a birthing, I was teaching my younger siblings. How could I learn like that? Mom had followed my skills and focused my education on composition, literature and reading. I was terrified that I wouldn’t know everything I needed to by graduation.
Two of the great things my mom gave me were curiosity and resources; Einstein’s Relativity, a budgeting workbook, one on taxes and one on savings, a book on electricity and magnets, etc. The last two years of high school, I really kicked myself into action and used them.
After graduation, I followed a course with a correspondence college for writing children’s literature while helping my mom with twins. I worked as a receptionist. Yet I still wondered if I’d make it when I had my own household.
Then I married and moved to France. Talk about big changes and big responsibility! I’d be going to the university to learn French for two semesters. Could I handle being in a classroom for the first time in my life? I’d had the same church and homeschool friends since … well … forever. Did I know how to make friends?
I bought all the recommended books, did all the exercises, sat in the front row, spent time in the library and even invited myself to lunch with people who became close friends. Yet I was still surprised when I graduated at the top of my class. My husband was awestruck; he said he’d never learned to work and study like I did.
A lot of what I learned in high school is just floating around in my very mushy gray matter. But the foundations are there for life. I’ve learned and asked for help in a lot of things since then. I’m grateful to my parents and my teachers, but I know a good bit of effort came from me, too.
Out in the World
I’m not going to say, “Of course you’ll be fine,” or some other glib statement. But these principles are true in any school situation; once you’ve developed a love of learning and an appetite for curiosity, you’ll find that knowledge is a lifelong pursuit. There’s way too much out there for you to know everything, and you’ll always have some things you’re better at and others that are a struggle.
I can tell you for sure that the biggest tool to equip ourselves for life is the Bible. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-7).
Make this your prayer in school and in life: “Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your Word” (Psalm 119:73-74).
Jenna Quentin writes for magazines, websites and blogs. She is currently working on a Christian fantasy novel which is set in France, where she lives and eats pastries. Jenna is an evangelical, carrot-juice-drinking, homeschooled hippy and the mom of two tinies.
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