om mani padme hum.

To all those out there thinking stereotypical thoughts about homeschooling, this little bit is for you. (I have nothing against people attending public school so if you’re feeling defensive, stop).

I avoided 12 years of social programming, indoctrination, bullying, competition and test-based teaching by being homeschooled by my mother, who is a mechanical engineer. I learned critical thinking skills instead of test-taking skills, had friends from all age groups (including my younger siblings, we did everything together); played outside non-stop, played sports, took classical violin and voice lessons, took art lessons from a real studio artist friend of my father’s, taught myself guitar and bass, played in a rock band (we performed at multiple venues), raised chickens, raised rabbits, participated in 4-H, kept lizards and fish, learned how to deer hunt/took hunter’s safety, took classes at community college when I was15 and 16, pursued any and all artistic impulses at a constant rate, and was never embarrassed for being a little strange. I dated and believe it or not went to a public school prom every year that I was “in” high school (yeah I had elementary/middle/and high school just like the rest of you). I had tons of friends from the local homeschool scene and the surrounding public schools and I had no trouble getting into and graduating from a Big Ten university (MSU). What’s weirder? Learning that takes place in a free-form creativity-based environment, or learning that takes place within the confines of the German military prison model? ‘Cause that’s what our schools are modeled after, people!! That bell ringing at the end of the period? That’s some straight prison shit.