Not all who home school think that home school's cool.
Maybe you’ve home schooled all your life, and you’re wondering what you’ve been missing at school. Isn’t it time for a change? Or maybe your folks pulled you out of school, and you just can’t seem to get into home schooling. It might work for other people, but not for you.
At one time or another most home-school students have cast a curious, if not longing, glance in the direction of public or private schools. And that’s to be expected. The unknown is always appealing. But let’s be honest—the reasons for home schooling are still just as strong. High school hasn’t changed anything. More often than not, the real reasons students want to go to school aren’t very impressive. Rarely is the motivation for leaving home schooling related to education and preparation for the future.
Okay, coming from a magazine for home-school teens, what other answer are you going to get? Not exactly unbiased you’re thinking. The truth, however, is that New Attitude is a Christian magazine before we’re a home-school magazine. We’re not here to please anyone but God. And we believe home schooling, when it’s an option, is the best way to utilize the teen years for God’s glory. Freed from a constant bombardment of distractions found in institutional schools, you can focus on what’s really important—study, character, and your walk with God. Can you have more fun in school? Definitely. No question about it. But what is this time really all about? Where will you be three or four years from now? What will you have to show for these years?
Don’t buy into the lie that high school is a time to kick back and have a good time. Too many kids find themselves on the other side of graduation unprepared for life and wishing they could start over. But it’s too late.
Home schooling isn’t without hassle. There are problems no matter which road you take. We’ve listed what we believe are the most common. Even though there are others, these are the ones that seem to come up the most. We asked four home-school students to each address one of the problems and give their own suggestions for reaching a solution.
If you have the opportunity to home-school, please don’t take it for granted. If you’re struggling with one or more of the issues discussed here, don’t give up. We hope these articles will help.
Photos by Nate Hilman