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Home Sweet Homeschool
by Brett Schaeffer, 11.07.03
"My mom's here to help me, but I'm doing it all on my own." |
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No school, no friends — right? Think again. For thousands of homeschooled teens — or "independent learners" — being out of school doesn't mean being out of the social loop. In fact, many homeschoolers actually think it's easier to make friends while learning at home.
Bye-bye Stereotypes
For many of us, the idea of homeschooling conjures up images of shy kids cowering under the direction of mom's living room Algebra session. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Today's homeschooled teens typically set their own schedules, pursue their own interests, and often get a jump-start on college credits by taking classes from local community colleges.
And despite the stereotypes, "homeschool" doesn't equal "no fun, no life." There's no shortage of social activities for most homeschooled teens:
- Ethan, 16, has a job at the local movie theater.
- Krysten, 15, takes acting classes.
- Jeremy, 14, is a gymnast.
Krysten began homeschooling this year, and says she doesn't miss her old middle school's social scene. Between her acting classes and study time with her homeschooled cousin, her calendar is pretty full. Plus, she's excited about developing her own curriculum. "My mom's here to help me, but I'm doing it all on my own," she says.
And being a homeschooler doesn't mean you only meet other homeschoolers. "Most kids I know go to high school," says Daniel, 16, a life-long homeschooler. His high school pals keep Daniel plugged into pop culture and all-important gossip. "They talk about high school stuff — American Idol and who's going out with who," he says.
Life Beyond the Classroom
Sometimes, though, Daniel wants a little more than typical high school talk. He says he finds it hard for some kids in high school to be open to different types of people and ideas — that they can get caught up in labeling groups of people and forming cliques. That's one reason he was happy to meet other homeschoolers at places like the Not-Back-to-School Camp, a summer camp for homeschooled teens.
"A healthy social life requires much more than indifferent daily acquaintanceship with 300 people born the same year you were," says Grace Llewellyn, homeschooling expert and author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook. A healthy social life, Llewellyn says, requires self-esteem and self-awareness — traits she believes come with the sense of independence that homeschooling can encourage.
Independent learning also takes competition out of the equation. It can be difficult to develop the skills you need for a healthy social life in a place centered on competition, says Llewellyn. People fight for the best grades, for the starting quarterback position, for the lead in the play.
It's Not for Everyone
Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone should abandon school. When teens and their parents have the right attitude about it, high school can be an excellent way to socialize and learn. "[School] wouldn't be such an issue if parents and kids didn't perceive it as the only source of learning and the final authority on education," says Llewellyn. She advocates thinking of school as one of many available resources for learning, not the end-all-be-all of knowledge. |
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