I wrote this article when I was on my schools newspaper staff. It was the first article I had ever written-and it was featured in the National Edition of the myhighschooljournal.org website. It is from back in January of 2005, but it is still relevent. I will post an update at the end so be sure to read through the entire article.
Homeschool vs. Public School
I had attended public school all of my life until last March, when I was kicked out and had to start homeschooling. I was more than against it. The idea of me being homeschooled was entirely ludicrous. I never knew that my opinion of homeschooling could change so drastically in under a year. Since starting to homeschool, I have realized a lot of things about myself, kids in public school, and the world around me.
The Day. Let’s start where each day starts - the morning. Our local public high school starts at 7:45 a.m. Every day I would get up at 5:00 or 5:30, leave the house around 6:20, and get on the bus at 6:35. I only live four miles from the school, and I still had to get up that early. After I got up, I would take a shower, get dressed, put my hair up, and gather all the stuff that I would need for the day. Eating that early in the day would upset my stomach, so I skipped breakfast. Then, it was off to the bus. Now, with homeschooling, I get up when I want. I usually don’t end up taking a shower until about 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. I don’t care if my hair looks good or not, as long as it is out of my face. Only on days that I go places do I actually care how I look. Why waste the time making myself look extra good when no one is going to see me? Also, because I get up when I want, I don’t have to worry about food making me sick in the morning.
The Learning. In public school, you work at the teacher’s pace, and a lot of the assignments you do are not anything that can hold your attention. You have the same schedule day after day, only changing every quarter or semester (depending on the class). With homeschooling, you work at your own pace, enabling yourself to learn more because you set the standards of how much you take in at once. You can start classes any time of the year, and you can take breaks whenever you want. It is a lot easier to work how you want and at your own pace.
The People. In public school, you are constantly being judged by everyone around you. Everyone says that they don’t judge others, but in reality they do, especially in high school. Something I realized while watching my "friends" in public school was that they tried to start things between people. It was as if they needed to have drama in their lives or they didn’t feel complete or content. With homeschooling, there is no one to judge you, and no way for anyone to start drama between you and someone else just because they feel like they can. Homeschooling allows you to be yourself and to let your inner-self shine. You could do the same in public school, but it rarely happens for fear of self-image.
The Administration. Teachers in public school can be extremely rude, and usually it is next to impossible to change a teacher’s opinion of you. I have had teachers who love me because I challenged them and others who have hated me for the same reason. You can never win. With homeschooling, if you don’t get it, you can ask a parent, or you can contact your teacher at Keystone, all without the worry of someone hating you. If you still don’t understand it, you can skip it and go back later, or do whatever suits you best.
So, as I come to my conclusion, I believe that homeschooling is a better way to get an education than public school. Without all the distractions, one is able to work how they want and when they want. I also believe that students who are homeschooled end up having a better idea of what they want to do in life. Because of our schedules, we can set up time to study things that are not taught in our classes, therefore expanding our knowledge. Looking at how far I have come, given the chance, I would not go back to public school.
Here are some links to better understand: The link to my high school- http://www.keystonehighschool.com -It was a correspondance program.
The link to the article- http://my.highschooljournalism.org/pa/bloomsburg/knhs/article.cfm?eid=2753&aid=37401
The link to the article in the National Edition: http://my.highschooljournalism.org/nationaledition/index.cfm?neid=64
Now-for an update. As I said, that was written in January of 2005, actually-it was written in Decemeber of 2004, and published January 7, 2005. Things have stepped up a bit since then. (You can tell it was written a while ago because my writing skills have very much so increased since then).
I just graduated high school over a week ago-a full year early. I finished 4 1/2 years of high school in 2 1/2 years. (I had to re-start the 1st half of 9th grade). I am 17 years old, will be 18 in 2 weeks. I still believe homeschooling is the way to go, not only because I finished quicker, but I finished smarter as well. With Keystone National High I learned more than I ever would have in our public high school. The teachers at Keystone care about you, they care about your needs, and they help you when you need it. Public school teachers tell you to look at your notes, or read it in the book. Or-on chance-they explain it the same way they did the first time, which is no help at all. I always had good grades in public school-(mostly a's and b's with a random c), and my grades only got better with Keystone. I am now on my way to start life..after I sit around relishing in my accomplishments first. A week after I turn 18 I am moving to Indiana to live with my boyfriend, I will get a job and start college either in February or next summer (I wish for it to be January, but I won't have enough money for the first payment deadline). I have become my own person through homeschooling.
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