Home Schooled

      Being home schooled for the very first time was one of the best experiences I had in my educational life so far. I was seven-years-old and in the second grade when my mother withdrew my siblings and me out of our prestigious, private Christian school. The price for one child to attend that school was sky high. Sending three children there any longer was out of the question, and my parents defiantly did not want to send us to a public school.

      I had no idea what would it be like to be home schooled. The idea of receiving an education at home sounded strange, but not impossible. My sister, Avia, was devastated by this news. Her life as a social butterfly came to it's gruesome end. As for me and my four-year-old brother, Tim, we did not protest.

In order to attend our “new school”, we needed books and supplies. The first time I entered a home-educator's store, I truly felt like I was at home. The room was dark and there were book shelves lined right next to each other like the buildings in New York City. Being in a jam-packed room was actually comforting. Mother purchased all of the tools we needed to begin our new schooling lifestyle.

       I thought that home schooling was a blast after I started. My new lessons opened a new world of possibilities. The wonders of the ocean, the mysteries of outer space, and stories that were both imaginary and factual entered my mind and danced to different rhythms. At this age, school never interested me until I started learning from my mom. Play and work unified in my head.

       As for Avia, being home schooled was a nightmare. She described the plain, white walls of her bedroom closing in on her. Without her network of companions, she felt as if she were the last person on Earth.

       Home schooling for the very first time will always be a memory dear to my heart. Our field trips fascinated me, my lessons filled me with wonder, and my normally timid nature popped open its ridges, revealing a beautiful flower called my mind. Who knew that I could learn so many things about the world in the comfort of my home.