When you begin to homeschool, you face a lot of backlash towards even proposing such an idea. Many people fear and look down upon homeschooling because it’s an abstract way to pursue an education. But I’m here to convey that homeschooling is a very effective method of education. Most kids who are homeschooled turn out happier and healthier in every aspect. I made the decision in an effort to learn useful things, to escape a stressful and toxic school environment, and to pursue better people. The National Home Education Research Institute states that “Research facts on homeschooling show that the home-educated are doing well, typically above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development.” Furthermore, according to a new Harvard study, “Homeschoolers Turn Out Happy, Well-Adjusted, and Engaged”, and stating furthermore, “Homeschooled children fared better than children who attended public schools in many categories.” Many sources confirm the true benefits of homeschooling.
The first reason I left was that I sought to escape unnecessary stress. School was giving me a ton of work all the time, layering projects atop homework assignments. All this work made me very stressed, and according to CMBM.org, “When we live in a prolonged state of activation, chronic stress and burnout occurs, and our health can suffer.” This was exactly what was happening. My health, both mental and physical, was deteriorating under the pressure being dealt out to me. At the time, I had no idea what was causing such problems, but now that I’ve resigned as a student, I have noticed weight regulation, healthier looking skin and hair and I’ve felt happier in my new state of mind. Now I am completing a healthy amount of high quality work with a gentle amount of positive stress.
Secondly, I needed to learn useful things. School was teaching me unhelpful things like trade in southern Asia and the qualities of water and how to write a review of a restaurant in Spanish – all quite an irrelevant range of study for someone with interests such as mine. In fact, most people only use about 37% of what they learned in school, and forget everything else. At a certain point, I decided to take my education into my own hands and chisel it right down to what I needed to know and wanted to learn. After all, we aren’t meant to become clones and work in offices the rest of our lives. It doesn’t count as a life if you didn’t enjoy it. When you realize that and do something about it, life becomes brighter and the future seems full of opportunity. You can’t let others put out your light.
Lastly, I needed to be around better people. I had been adopted, so to speak, in the late seventh grade, by a sizely mob of nice people I called friends. I learned quickly that they had been through a lot, and made it their business to inform everyone of their trauma. They were nice at the time, and allowed me to be connected to something. I felt happy and protected by my new friends and we spent eighth grade together and had a great year. When I entered ninth grade, they began to change. They were more angsty and full of hatred than last year. Now they had it in for everyone who differed from them, and shut people down if they disagreed with the group views. Some were allowed in, but nobody was allowed out. These friends of mine were still growing in numbers though, and I could see that they were extremely negative. All they ever did was complain and hate on everything; even each other. I felt invisible and unloved in their presence. These friends who claimed to love and care so much couldn’t be bothered to act like it. According to Joinonelove.org, The ten signs of an unhealthy relationship are intensity, possessiveness, manipulation, isolation, sabotage, belittling, guilting, volatility, deflecting responsibility and betrayal. I was currently experiencing seven of the ten signs. There wasn’t much I could do to escape. I had been trying to make friends all year, a few people who I felt okay with talking to during classes. But every morning, this angry mob invited me in and surrounded me. I began to feel almost as sad as they did on the inside, and I felt my personality being buried deep within me. And when they complained, I would suggest things they could do to fix said problems. They took this as a threat, and never dared to reach out of the grave they were digging every day. I felt like the only one still alive, and in a school full of zombies, you get preyed upon. I left because I saw no escape from the angry swell that had been drowning me for almost two years now. With homeschooling, I’m able to choose who I spend time with and when, and I haven’t felt alone at all, despite my apparent isolation. With my now thriving mental health, I am able to socialize and enjoy my life at the same time, unlike ever before.
Now that I’m free, I have noticed myself healing. I can sleep full hours and feel rested and at peace every morning. I am at liberty to read wherever and whenever I want, and never have I found so much joy in a book as I do now. I can explore my mental complexities and learn more about emotions, living healthily, and loving myself. I’ve slowed down and found that everything is so much better now that I’ve started to see my education with the eyes of one who actually cares. Curiosity and wonder and joy compel me to learn more and find out what I’m capable of, and if you ask me, that’s more important than any grade I could ever receive.
Works Cited
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. “Trauma & Chronic Stress Relief.” The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, 3 June 2009, https://cmbm.org/what-we-do/trauma-chronic-stress-mind-body-medicine/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2AeVTgrNrQoCAaBOtbXn0wfp_WIrUcPh0la8udth_QoGncUSvPe3SQaAjmkEALw_wcB. Accessed 15 March 2024.
McDonald, Kerry. “New Harvard Study: Homeschoolers Turn Out Happy, Well-Adjusted, and Engaged.” FEE stories, Wednesday, 17 November 2021, https://fee.org/articles/new-harvard-study-homeschoolers-turn-out-happy-well-adjusted-and-engaged/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2AM8m46UJug7mpe1dTOKgqVt0WjoyyNVXq2NEiaD8ynwn_GqY7t7cUaAnJZEALw_wcB. Accessed 15 March 2024.
One Love. “One Love.” Wikipedia, https://www.joinonelove.org/signs-unhealthy-relationship/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw48-vBhBbEiwAzqrZVMLKcBwkQg3L-4eyNrgFN0Gb5Ifpx_8k9kWDHNqnqbQO4HYvcChFQhoC8pAQAvD_BwE. Accessed 19 March 2024.
Ray, Brian D. “Research Facts on Homeschooling – National Home Education Research Institute.” National Home Education Research Institute, National Home Education Research Institute, 9 February 2024, https://www.nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/. Accessed 15 March 2024.
