I was seventeen years old when I walked across the stage in my royal blue cap and gown to receive my high school diploma, handed to me by my mom. I was a 2014 graduate, graduating with a diploma of distinction and music honors. It definitely hadn't been easy, especially since I chose to put in the extra work to graduate early, but it was so worth it. Since it is graduation season, I have a few graduation posts coming up in the next few weeks, but for now I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate something that shaped my life as an adult. I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the gift of homeschooling. This is for my mom...to remind you of all the ways you shaped me for now through homeschooling me then. This is for you, the mom who may want to look into homeschooling but isn't all that sure...I hope you find some encouragement here. This is for you, the homeschool graduate who wants to take a moment with me to remember your homeschooling days...what a blessing. This is for you, the current homeschooler who sometimes takes homeschooling for granted (I was right there with you some days during high school)...may this remind you of how exciting it is to be one of those crazy homeschoolers. Here are five ways that homeschooling shaped me as an adult... 1. Homeschooling prepared me for life in the real world. Instead of hearing about the real world, or being taught about the real world, I actually experienced life in the real world. Being homeschooled allowed me the opportunity to take my school anywhere! I learned lessons in things like math, while actually doing real life math problems such as managing finances. I experienced life outside of school...and by doing that, I learned that all of life is a learning lesson. 2. Homeschooling allowed me the freedom to pursue my dreams. The first time I fell in love with writing was when my mom gave me a creative story assignment for school. I learned that I love to write. Since that moment my life has never been the same. Because I was homeschooled, my mom gave me the freedom to shape my schooling around what I loved...writing. I learned grammar and editing through writing my own books. And because of this, I am a twenty-one-year-old adult who has pursued her dreams and published five books. 3. Homeschooling gave me a love for learning. I actually enjoyed school. I was going to say I loved it, but let's not get all crazy homeschooler here (I mean, my mom probably still felt like she was pulling teeth to get me to do math some days). But because homeschooling allowed me freedom in my learning, I did fall in love with it! This has carried over even into my adult life...because you never stop learning. 4. Homeschooling gave me the freedom to learn what was most important. Okay, so this was really my mom. But my mom is the one who homeschooled me, so it works. Knowing your Bible and learning about God and developing a relationship with Him is the most important thing you will ever do in your life. My mom always put Bible lessons at the beginning of all of our school lessons for the day. This taught me an important truth for my adulthood: Jesus should always come first. And homeschooling allowed us to do that. 5. Homeschooling brought me into an awesome community. Ever met an un-socialized homeschoolers? Nope. Especially not this ENFJ, who makes friends with just about everyone she meets. Being homeschooled, I connected with the homeschooling community in my area and also with those who didn't live near me. These people are some of the most intelligent, well-mannered, mature individuals I've ever met. The community I was able to be involved in grew me and gave me friendships that have lasted even into my adult years. What a blessing homeschooling was in my life and I'm so grateful. Also, thanks, Mom. Without you I wouldn't be writing this. If you're a homeschooler, I'd love to hear from you below! What are some lessons being homeschooled taught you that you are most grateful for? Share your thoughts in the comments!
3 Comments
Grace F.
5/21/2018 07:07:38 pm
I am so very blessed to be home-schooled! I have also learned to love learning, although of course there are many days when I don't want to do a single school or learning-related thing. ;) But in general, I am fascinated by things I haven't studied.
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5/22/2018 01:01:01 am
God is so good to have blessed us with Godly Christian parents who have homeschooled us and brought us up in the ways of the Savior!
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Jeanette
5/22/2018 01:01:09 am
Bella, I loved this!!! I was homeschooled from grade 3 to grade 12 and I loved it. I wouldn't have done it any differently.
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