May is graduation month, and this year, I’m going to be walking across that stage. I only spent 5 years in public school (eighth through twelfth grade), and I think I’ve had enough of it. I’m a homeschool kid at heart, having spent my time learning at home all the way through seventh grade. People often ask me which I prefer out of the two, and like with all important things, It’s a lot more complicated than yes or no.

Homeschooling gave me an amazing foundation. We got down and dirty, learning outside, bird watching, digging up worms, and adventuring. Instead of snow days, we got sun days, where we took off to enjoy the pleasant weather. We did things unconventionally, like doing math on the sidewalk with chalk or learning about colonial living by churning our own butter. It was so free. There was so much to learn, and we did it our way, without the pressure of standardized testing or being cramped in a classroom.

Eighth grade was, as you might imagine, a drastic change. I had to be up and ready to go somewhere at an incredibly early time (by my standards, anyway). That and the fact that we had to do that for five days straight for nine months made it torture at first.

Eventually, of course, I adjusted. I started to find things in public school that I love, too. I liked the routine and having so many different classes, for one. To my surprise, I even liked (some) of the people. I learned a lot of things there that I couldn’t have at home. Junior year, I took an amazing forensic science class; it was incredible how much I learned there. My foreign language choice was American Sign Language. I could have never been able to sign it so well if it wasn’ for the instruction of my teacher, who herself is an amazing member of the Deaf Community. I couldn’t have done choir, drama club, or English Festival at home. I wouldn’t have experienced a high school dance or pep rally.

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Now, in a few weeks, I can walk across a stage alongside my peers and say we did it.I am so glad I was home-schooled, but I am equally glad that I got an opportunity to attend a public high school. Both had a massive influence on me.

With high school almost behind me, I am looking my future square in the face. Writing is certainly in my future, that’s for sure. I’m planning on eventually publishing a full-length novel with a publisher. Currently, I am set to attend Regent University online in the fall. I’m very happy that I have such an amazing educational foundation to build my life on.

Whether your a home-school kid, a public school kid, or a mix of both, always remember that your future is only going to be as amazing as you make it. So make it pretty heckin’ amazing. 🙂