We’re retired homeschoolers. I even got my wife a “gold” watch when we graduated number four.
We started just after the pioneers of homeschooling were finishing up.
It was still a little weird but not unheard of. Now, it’s not uncommon at all.
I kind of wish we were still in the game so we could be an active part of the rebellion.
For those who think you can’t do it. It’s hard, but there are so many helps that anyone can successfully home educate your kids.
The key is diligence and focus.
You’ll see stories about families that graduate each kid by the age of 14, three of them own their own McDonald’s Franchise by the time they’re 16 and the rest are PhD’s at 20. That ain’t the norm. Out of the hundreds of homeschool kids I’ve known, I know exactly two who were at that level. One has gone on to be productive, the other is an idiot who can barely tie his own shoes without someone to tell him to do it.
The other hundreds are flat out normal kids. Most do OK, some struggle.
Our have all split the nest (The last one is on a 600 mile drive as I type for a summer volunteer job). When he gets back, he’ll start his career as a semi driver.
One moved out last week and as of an hour ago is fielding two high paying job offers in the Space industry.
One starts a job at a Christian publisher next week and the other manages the children’s dept as a bookstore.
We let them follow their passions. The Space geek wanted to be a rocket builder when he was six. He followed his dream and works at NASA.
Two love literature.
Number four will be the tradesman. I had a CDL and drove big trucks, buses and some heavy equipment, but semi rigs are the one thing I’ve never driven. I’m jealous.
A cautionary note to those thinking about home schooling: make certain you have the dedication and time to fulfill your obligation.
When I went back to college over a decade ago I had to brush up on math. Who was my tutor? A sixteen year old home schooled kid who ate calculus like a bet time snack. He was contemplating astrophysics or going to medical school.
Congrats, you done well. My two who are semi-adults (lol) are in or studying their desired fields too. I believe they are the best “them” they could be. No peer group or weird ass teachers made them fit any mold. (Most teachers are wonderful but some are not)