This piece was written in 2011, as a draft for a contribution to my university’s publication when I was in my second year. I was 19 years old. It was not published – a later version was – and I decided to put it on my blog instead (which has after all been running a bit dry).
A salute to all homeschoolers!
[start]
I was homeschooled.
And by now I’m familiar with the usual reactions to that statement—it’s the disbelieving “Really??” or the shocked repetition: “You were homeschooled?” or more often than not, the other person didn’t understand me at all, and says, “Say it again?” or “Which school?” And then comes the inevitable question: “Why?”
And I could go on and on about the technicalities here, but I’d rather give you a simple glimpse of life through my—a homeschooler’s—eyes.
Well, first of all, I was homeschooled through all my elementary years; so I have never experienced—well, whatever you experience in elementary school. And I don’t think I’ve ever walked up to anybody and asked “What was kindergarten like?”
For myself—and my perpetual classmate, my twin sister—it was really simple. I don’t even remember studying or really thinking about it—we just learned. Reading came quite naturally, math was fun; science was like story-telling, cursive writing was monotonously amusing, the inside of the ear was an absorbed adventure, and spelling was a game. A new set of encyclopedias (Wikipedia wasn’t the fad yet) excited us. That our hand-drawn maps of the Philippines just wouldn’t come right proportion-wise was frustrating. One morning Mom finally posted a “Lupang Hinirang” on the wall and we stumbled through our national anthem for the first time—and there was that list of pangkasalukuyan, pangnagdaan, and panghinaharap words on manila paper, too.
I suppose that’s my first memory of thinking school might actually be hard.
We did have books — I remember Science books about bones and biomes, and when we had reached Grade 6 and our Filipino book was two grades lower, and Mom set us a chapter in Math each day. At around that time, too, there were piano lessons and swimming lessons… but that was about the extent of the extra-curricular activities. We rejoiced in books and outdoor and indoor play, and spent hours enjoying toys we had created out of crepe paper and tissue tubes. We had a dog, too.
And thus did elementary pass.
First year high school. This would be the first time we’d go to an actual school! It wasn’t a conventional school, but it was a step closer. Shekinah Glory Christian Academy used a self-study curriculum, an A.C.E. schooling method using “PACE’s”. We got along all right—grades-wise. So in my very first school experience, I tried having to wake up and get up early every day; I experienced my first “crush” in the words of the world; I worked with a team for the first time, and discovered two different kinds of teammates: dependable and not dependable. I guess the school was just too small for comfort—everyone was trying to pair up everyone with someone else.
We homeschooled again for 2nd and 3rd year, this time with the PACE’s. Homeschooling takes self-discipline! Studying is at your own pace, your own deadlines. If you’re not ready for this Math test today, you can always postpone it to tomorrow. In fact, our schoolwork spilled over into summer those two years—in spite of our considering ourselves pretty self-disciplined!
-Your social life was dead, You tell me. I know. But not really. This is where family and church come in. Mom is my best guide and mentor. Dad is my fierce protector—a sweet fierce protector. My twin is a constant Ate and confidante; my little sister is the funnest companion I could wish for; and I love them all to bits! My closest friends were all from my church—they still are.
And then, there was Corpus Christi. The last leg of my high school life. Senior year. And “culture shock” (technically not, but the differences were big enough). I was a Senior who felt very much like a Freshman—and probably acted like it. I suppose one ages slowly, in homeschool—some of my classmates were surprised I was older. I did not understand more than a handful of words in Bisaya. I was amazed at the size of the school (I found out later it wasn’t even that big). I was crushed by the unaccustomed deadlines. But I met a wonderful variety of people! Now this was high school!
By the end of the year I could understand basic conversational Bisaya. Breakthrough! And I’d got used to the deadlines and had learned to manage my time so I didn’t stress out every night. I still hadn’t discovered much more about myself extra-curricular-wise, though. That may be one of the advantages of conventional schooling.
Today my college life is mostly about discovering myself and my abilities—which I was supposed to have done in elementary. But my social development’s a bit delayed (according to Psychology’s own Erik Erikson). So that, from my experience, is a glimpse of my homeschooled life.
Maybe I’ve even answered the question “Why?”
So, delighted to make your acquaintance, and…
Yes,
I was homeschooled.
(fin)
random ramblemate 