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Saturday, August 16, 2014

If I've Learned Anything...

We had a pioneer day!! And I wore a dress with chickens on it! #homeschoolmoment
This fall, I'll have officially been homeschooled K-12. And if I've learned anything, it's that...

*Nothing is ridiculous. There are no rules. So create the life you want, and don't hold back.

*Out of all the things you're supposed to be, the most important is being yourself. Bonus points if you can be the type of person who make others feel happy to be themselves.

*The moment you do something outside the norm, you'll get nothing but sideways glances. Don't worry about those. They're given by people so afraid of uniqueness and sweat and victory that they can't imagine purposefully standing out.

*Even homeschoolers can't do it all. Remember how supergirl doesn't actually exist? Well, it applies to homeschoolers, too. Believe it or not, it took me the first two years of highschool to realize that.

*In fact, doing it all is probably the biggest inspiration drain a person could find. 

*If a friendship dies because you don't see each other daily, don't worry. Sad as it sounds, it must not have been that strong a friendship to begin with.

*You're never 'too young'. Push yourself and listen to your gut. Most people could use a lesson in judging based on capability, rather than numbers.

*The most insecure person in the room is almost never the quiet girl, or the nerd, or the genuine weirdo--it will almost always be the loudest, shrillest, cockiest, kid in the room. And no, you don't have to like them. But it's a fact worth keeping in mind next time they're annoying you.

*Coffee really is a gift from God. I tried it in freshman year, drank it sporadically through sophomore year, and became addicted in junior year. I'd be lying if I said it didn't completely change my life.

*Smarts aren't measured by grades, SAT's, or acceptance letters from Ivy League schools. Memorizing can totally get you A's, but it's the ability to discuss, and debate, and explain simply that measures your understanding. I'm not saying cramming doesn't have its place (hello, chemistry...), but if it's something you actually care about--it's worth having a good, working knowledge.

*Family's actually pretty great. Maybe I completely lucked out or something, but I've never gotten the whole MUST COMPLAIN AND PLAN TO MOVE FROM FAMILY thing. Yes, we fight and squabble and I dream of my own apartment. But I still always want to talk to Mum, go on walks with Dad, and watch TV with AJ or the cousins. Family's awesome; it's everyone else who has it wrong.

*Balancing everything and keeping a really rigid schedule is good. But the ability to relax is a virtue.  So I'm really OCD (in case you haven't noticed), but my mum is super laid back. Usually, I'm running around writing goal dates and stressing over to-do lists and worrying that I've somehow failed homeschool if there's lab reports left undone or an extra study sheet I didn't complete. But Mum's always known how to relax. When I was little, she was okay with spending the entire day reading The Lord of the Rings. I learned my multiplication tables with Malted Milk Balls. And even now, she's always game when I suddenly look up from reading Economics and want to discuss the news, or Capitalism, or witticisms about society.

But the number one thing I've learned? Is that homeschooling's awesome. And that awesomeness springs from going against the grain, keeping families close, and making priorities on the individual level. Sometimes I think about what I'd be like if I was a 'normal' student. Honestly, I can never come up with a satisfactory answer. But what I do know, is that homeschooling's played a large, positive role in who I am now.

Bring it on, year 12.

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