The Perks of Homeschooling

1. We don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch the school bus. Some people think all homeschoolers wake up at 5am anyway, to feed the goats or something. I assure you, any homeschooler with that much discipline is the exception. And we don't all have goats. That being said, we aren't a bunch of lazy lardos, either. I wake up around 7:30. A good time to start the day.

2. Great Lunches. Actually, today's fried spaghetti with pepperoni (compliments of Jojo) inspired me to draw up these top five perks of homeschooling. There are days when we have nothing in the fridge. Life kinda sucks on those days. But most of the time, we have an entire kitchen with yummy ingredients at our disposal to make a fantabulous lunch.

3. Midday dance parties. Basically, what happens is this. At noon I, despite initial halfhearted protests from los padres, crank up the Spotify. I have a killer playlist that blasts from the imac speakers for the next half hour or so. It's incredible. You don't get that in school, do ya?

4. The gremlins. Being stuck with your siblings all day can get...aggravating. But honestly, my younger brother and sisters make my day. Perk #3 wouldn't be half as fun without Alyssa belting out inaccurate lyrics, anyways. I get to take incriminating pictures of them every day, which is great. The four of us trade hilarious movie (or blimeycow) quotes every day, the majority from Nacho Libre. Also, I just love being around when Jojo has to read science to Genet and Alyssa. Their comprehension scores aren't the best, and question time makes for some gut-busting laughter.

5. Control. I seriously love having control of my own education. This power may encourage my tendency to be a little too independent...a fault which, coupled with pride, has gotten me into a lot of trouble throughout my life. However, I can't deny how much I like being able to study what sincerely interests me (for example more literature, less math). I like being in control of my own schedule, too. Sometimes lack of motivation can take a heavy toll...there have been days where I don't finish schoolwork until late at night. But overall I like the responsibility.

Homeschooling does have its faults. And it's not for everyone. Despite our aggressive assertions that yes, we absolutely do socialize, some of us really don't. I used to be one of those really quiet, stereotype homeschoolers. In hindsight, it would have been good to be forced out of my comfort zone when it came to...talking. Hahaha. But I can't blame all my social discrepancies on homeschooling, either. Some kids, homeschooled or otherwise, are just bashful...especially middle school, when most kids are either extremely loud or extremely quiet. It's something we have to overcome. Sometimes that shyness comes back...even as a bubbly, confident seventeen-year-old. But in the place I'm at right now, homeschooling is good. Especially since I'm graduating a year from now (yaaaay!), and we're involved in two fab co-ops. Is fantastic.