Homeschooling and the High School Experience: A Reflection

Am a homeschooler currently in my Junior year, and sometimes I think about how my life would have been like if I actually attended school in person. Did I really miss out on something so great?

It depends on the quality of your homeschooling.

When you find out quickly that your homeschooling isn’t up to standard, you may feel like you’re not getting the full experience. However, some parents keep their children ignorant, and it's important to ensure that their education is on par with their peers.

Being in high school and believing in Santa can seem like a prime example of missing out. But sometimes, the things you think you're missing are just a different set of experiences. Put any one of those kids in a group of homeschoolers, and they too would probably feel like they missed out too.

Experiences in Homeschooling vs. Traditional Schools

You might feel like you missed out because your peers are talking about their shared experiences that you can’t relate to because you weren’t there. But here’s the thing: you had experiences too, just different ones with different people. Any one of those kids put in a group of homeschoolers would probably feel similarly.

High school is a period marked by many experiences that you will remember. Ultimately, you have to not dwell on thinking about what you may have missed because there’s nothing to be done about it now. Focus on your studies and know that four years of middle school is barely a blip in your long life.

The Substantive Value of High School

Is it really necessary to go to high school? For junior high/middle school, there's a lot of drama and nothing substantive that you'll miss 10 years from now, so long as you're academically up to snuff for ninth grade. On the other hand, high school presents some milestone moments that you will likely cherish. Additionally, it isn't really wise to be thinking of what you missed out on. It isn't as if you can redo previous years. Just take advantage of now.

The Reality of High School in Popular Culture

High school is not really what Hollywood makes it out to be in its teen dramas. Teens who anticipate the “high school experience” are usually pretty disappointed. It's just a place where you are forced to go every day. The important aspects are the education you receive and the choices you make about your life afterwards. Once you graduate, you leave all that behind, and you never give it another thought. You get a diploma, and then you get to start making your own choices about your life.

Personal Anecdotes and Reflections

I am a Senior in high school and have been homeschooled. I often feel like I missed out but mainly that I never had friends or anyone to hang out with. Many homeschoolers share this feeling of missing out on social experiences and peer interactions.

The high school experience is often idolized in film and theater. For years 11 and 12, I went from an all-boy Catholic college to a state coed school, which knocked my confidence a bit. But fortunately, I fell in with a great bunch of bright students, one of whom became my wife, and others who are lifelong friends.

As an introvert, I am comfortable with my own company if I have stimulating things to read or do. As an adult, I prefer learning in a class in real time and face to face. I imagine that my study times might have been more productive than the group-paced classes in traditional high schools. I would have avoided the unpleasant boofheads who live to tease and bully.

You might have had more freedom to research interesting topics of your choosing. Many employers have liked the flexibility and self-drive that many homeschoolers present. I work with educators who homeschooled their children because regular school didn't work well for the child. Most recognize the importance of social development and bring their homeschool kids together occasionally for outings, group learning, etc.

Suggestions and Conclusion

If you want to experience school life, are you able to audit or enroll in a single subject at your local school? If not, do you study with other home school students at times? In any case, you’ll have an interesting story to tell others at parties as opposed to “I went to XYZ high.”

Great good fortune to you.

Keywords: homeschooling, high school experience, social development