First Impressions Part II

My second encounter with homeschooling occurred when I was in junior high.

We had a girl in our grade who was pretty much a spoiled, rotten brat with the most permissive parents in the world. She was the first person to get her eyebrow pierced, this was before body piercings were common place in public schools. She constantly paraded around her immoral lifestyle, which her parents supported her in. Her parents also allowed her to use drugs.

She could not even do the most simple work or sit still to take a test. She was constantly arguing with teachers, disrespecting them or sleeping in class. I think the teachers must have had a party when her parents decided to pull her out of school.

So she was taken out of school and homeschooled, I do not know what happened to her. But the event added to my impressions that homeschooling was for people who could not do all the "hard" work in a public school and that homeschoolers were social misfits. I also thought that her parents took her out of school so she could do nothing all day and have fun. I just could not see this person taking part in any educational experiences. This added to my former belief that homeschoolers took the easy way out and that we students in the public school were superior.

First Impressions

I want to begin by recording my first and earliest impressions of homeschooling, homeschoolers and their lives.

My very first contact with the concept of homeschooling was when I was in fifth grade, in public school. We had a student, Jimmy, who seemed to be a social misfit. Whether he was or not, it did seem like he came from an odd family. His mother came to school to eat lunch with him because the other boys would not play with him. The boys were constantly picking on him and teasing him, I don't know if Jimmy provoked it. However, the situation escalated and I can imagine school must have been a horrible experience for this boy.

Eventually, Jimmy's mother pulled him out of school to teach him at home. Of course all of the other children thought it was because Jimmy couldn't handle "real" school and that he was a momma's boy. Unfortunately, my earliest attitude towards homeschooling was shaped by this experience.

I just want to say that now I realize Jimmy had a wonderful mother who really cared about him. Jimmy is probably out there working on his doctorate or pursuing something else great or at least worthwhile. Meanwhile, many other students from our school are working at Odd-Lots and Valu-City, I know because I see them when I go home to visit.