Lea Ann Garfias, of the Whatever State I Am blog, has been running a series of posts called, “Ask the Grad.” In each post of the series she features a homeschool grad, including an article written by them about their homeschooling experience. I’ve really enjoyed reading the posts by and about other homeschool grads and appreciate Lea Ann graciously featuring me this week. You can read my latest article, Homeschooling for Life on her blog. Here’s a brief excerpt:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Those enduring words penned by Charles Dickens in the middle of the 19th century encapsulate perfectly how I feel about my homeschool experience. My best memories are replete with mischievous escapades with my five younger siblings, middle-of-the-year family vacations, freedom to pursue areas of interest, volunteering in the community, outings with other homeschool families, attending the annual convention, and family discussions around the dinner table. My worst memories bring to mind frustrations over difficult math assignments, squabbling with my sisters over who had to take the first piano lesson, my Dad’s imposed physical fitness regimen, and feeling weird in circles of public-schooled peers. But you know what? This is the stuff of life… >>read more
Jenny says
Great post. I was a bit taken back by your Amazon reviewer’s comment: “this is not a book about homeschooling.” Does it have to be just because the author’s a homeschool grad?
Sure, there are readers (especially parents looking for advice or confirmation) who will be disappointed. But I think it’s wonderful that you can write about your childhood and not have homeschooling take center stage every moment. Homeschooling is definitely a part of us, but we don’t have to let it define us.