The Homeschooled Life

story by Charlie Barr

My typical schedule as a homeschooled kid was this: sometime around 8 or 9 a.m., I would get up and spend half an hour waking up before grabbing breakfast and starting homework. A notebook was my guide, giving me every task for the day. Around 1 to 2 in the afternoon I would finish and move on for the day. 

When people hear about “homeschooled kids,” they tend to think of sheltered kids with little social interaction and understanding of the outside world. That’s true for some families, and I can see some similarities in my own life in retrospect. But not everything applied to me. In retrospect, I feel like there were pros and cons.

Daily Life

Let’s take a look at what my homeschooled life was like. (This is not assuming everyone’s experience is the same. I am not claiming this to be the culminating experience of homeschooled kids. I’m just one guy, sharing my story.) 

My schedule was pretty laid back. I could wake up when I wanted, and as long as the work was done by the end of the day, I was fine. 

My work schedule usually consisted of computer-based subjects first, tackling the textbooks, lunch sometime in-between, and then the smaller subjects afterwards. 

During homework time, the dining room table belonged to me and my brother. If we had questions or needed help, my mom was just around the corner, always available. 

Afterwards, the day was pretty much ours. We could play games, rest, do whatever that was not school. I usually never went past 3 p.m. with my homework. 

Classes

Math was the “big” subject. Not hard, but it used a slow laptop. If I needed to do other homework there as well, I would shift my plans to group all computer assignments into one session. 

English was the one subject my mom couldn’t teach. For a few years I went to a separate English teacher who taught English to homeschooled students like myself in groups. I am incredibly grateful for what she taught as it has stayed with me until now. 

Science was the third big subject, which took up a lot of time because it required me to think deeper about what I was studying. History/Social Studies and Finances didn’t take up too much time and were saved for later. 

Spanish and Piano were the ones I neglected because they didn’t feel like “class” and more like chores. I often skipped these. I’m glad I stuck with piano in the long run, though. It’s very fun! 

Social Life

During this time I had my own share of friends and peers my age. For a few years we went to a homeschooled co-op for families that wasn’t so much for school but rather more of a social place with “optional” classes. 

These classes ranged from Algebra and Writing to Improv and Cooking. We met every Friday and had morning and afternoon classes, as well as other activities. 

Since there was a big focus on community there, I felt like I had friends and had a place to belong. I was sad when I left before I had my “graduation” ceremony, although most of the kids I was friends with went to the same youth group that I joined not long after. 

Retrospect

Looking back at all this, I can see a few points that I wish were different. Although I had friends, I didn’t know how to initiate, as I always relied on the grown-ups to schedule hang-outs when I asked to see them outside of Co-op. 

When I moved to Ellensburg in high school, I had a difficult time making friends without the help of my mom or my brother. It took a while before I found people who I felt at home with again. 

I also wish I had done more in high school in regards to school activities. I went from homeschooled my first two years straight into Running Start, not thinking that I could do extracurricular activities at the high school. I don’t think I wanted to do that, though. 

However, I don’t think it was entirely bad. I loved having that freedom to be able to accomplish so much in a day and balance my free time afterwards, compared to what I heard about kids who went to public school. 

I’m thankful to have been blessed with the friends I made from Co-op. Everything during that time shaped me into who I am today. Some things could have changed, but if they did I wouldn’t be the same.