What a year. At this moment, I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that the year is over. I have been home schooled for a year. I succeed. I am more happy than I can say. Recent updates: I received the highest grade in my class on the math final with a 99. I got honors grades in German, and I am writing this month now that I do not have classes. I am including in this post a brief write up of my year. At some point this summer, I think I will go more in depth about this wonderful year, but for now I just want to relax and let it all sink in. I will continue to check in over the summer with reading and what I have been up to.
My Year
The year is drawing to a close, the
weather turning warm and my thoughts drifting
from academics to beaches and from
schooling to strolling outside. While my former classmates sit in school, I am
taking the moment to reflect on a year that has changed my life for the better.
What began as a joke at the kitchen table one night turned to a year of self
discovery and the simple idea that when I put my mind to it, I can do anything.
This year, my family and I made the
decision that I was to take my education into my own hands. In the previous
year, I had adored school, loved my friends and teachers, but was not learning
or being engaged in the class as much as I should have. I quickly grew bored in
the classroom, and I felt for the teachers who tried hard to teach both ends of
the spectrum, but often fell short with students who were passionate about
learning and ready to put in the extra work. When my mother suggested home
schooling, I thought it was absolutely crazy, but wonderful, and I quickly
became excited about a year of learning at my pace, with material that was
right for me.
What began as home schooling soon
morphed into something much bigger. This year has not just been about me
meeting educational requirements, but I feel it has been wonderful in helping
me connect with my world. I have worked with many people in the community of
Andover, relatives, close family, and even several high school teachers that I
may have next year. All along this path, I have continued to find things that
interest me, things that make me passionate about learning and really
connecting with others over our shared interests.
Whenever I tell people about my
home schooling, I jokingly refer to it as, “home-alone schooling,” because I do
a lot of the work by myself. It is not that I am not taught by others, it is
that I take that knowledge and turn it into projects and ideas that I feel
would be helpful and fun. I love taking the initiative and doing things on my
own, and that mind set has really made this year special. Over the course of
the past ten months, I have found so much inside of myself and around me that I
had never thought of before, and that has been the best part of this
experience.
This year, I have traveled alone to
meet my great aunt in North Carolina and study pottery. I have sang Mozart and
had my first dance performance, published articles for the Andover Historical
Society’s blog (
www.andoverhistorical.org/blog),
volunteered with a charming kindergarten class once a week, written poetry,
read autobiographies, entered a national statistics poster competition, had
high school level math and German courses in which I received honors grades all
year, read five Shakespeare plays, written papers, taken pictures, corresponded
with authors about writing and poetry, practiced calligraphy, seen drama
productions, learned about the science of sailing, and done many other things
that make me smile when I look back on the year. Every moment, every new
activity or new book from the library has made me happy, and I love that
getting up in the morning ready to learn is fun.
I have learned that although I am
the only one to answer to if I don’t do the work, I am capable of buckling
down, because answering to myself is not easy. I am a perfectionist who knows
how to be independent, and this year has only fueled the fire of my desire to
learn as much as possible about whatever interests me. This will be a year to
look back on for years to come, and I have loved every second of it. Today, I
am collecting a sample of my work in a portfolio, and I will also include links
to places where I have different projects online. Thank you to everyone who has
allowed this year to be, and to everyone who has made this part of my life so
special.
Claire
