My Experience as a Homeschooler

 

    I have participated in many of the common forms of non-traditional education such as Uni’s Agora Days, Montessori, and homeschooling. I don’t remember much about my time at Montessori as I was only there for one year of preschool, but because I was homeschooled for 3+ years, its impact on my education was profound. When I was homeschooled, I took all my classes through online platforms such as Online G3 and Athena’s Academy. Obviously, my parents forced me to take the core class (math, English, science), but aside from that, I was allowed to choose my own schedule. For 2 years, I took a grammar class called Magic Lens, which analyzed complex sentences and broke down the function of each word and clause. In the 3rd year, I decided to take a coding course that taught me how to create my own Minecraft mod. 
    Through my time as a homeschooling student, I learned how important creativity is regarding my education. I had a great deal of freedom to explore my interests. Although I am no longer homeschooled, I still apply this philosophy today. After taking an Intro to Python course at Uni, I realized that I enjoyed CS and I continue to study the more advanced aspects of Python. I also started to learn Swift simply because I saw a TikTok about app development. 
    Homeschooling also taught me how to manage my time. Because I had no one to constantly remind me to do my work, I learned how to motivate myself to finish my things early. Even during my online year in 8th grade, I always turned in my assignments and even used the extra time to explore my passion for art and computer engineering. 
    While I didn’t enjoy every aspect of homeschooling, it taught me how to be a better student mentally and academically.

~ Ezra Akresh

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