Orlando Sentinel article about home schooling by Mary Knowles
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
My daughter Mary's article on home schooling was finally printed in the Orlando Sentinel this morning. Could someone please save us a hard copy? I found it on the web.
Here's the article, which appeared in the New Voices column. She actually wrote it in April.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
~~
Home-schooled and involved
By Mary Knowles | New Voices
Posted September 4, 2004
The average home-schooling family doesn't offer honors trigonometry, student government, a swim team, a newspaper or a band. This scenario used to frustrate me, because it could deprive home-schooled high-school students like me of many opportunities at a crucial time for honing talents and gaining knowledge. Increasingly, however, we are discovering opportunities beyond home base in Central Florida and the home-schooling community.
One academic avenue is a home-school/private-school hybrid, which teaches students for one to three days a week. I attended a hybrid, Smith Preparatory Academy, in ninth and 10th grades. This year I dual enrolled at Valencia Community College, I took two classes at my church, and I studied three other subjects independently using state-course objectives. My family is enrolled in a home-school program that will issue my transcript and diploma. Some students prefer tutoring, video courses, online courses (i.e., Florida Virtual School) or parental teaching. Home-school families are constantly starting study groups and enrichment classes for one another. Education becomes a highly personalized experience.
Finding extracurricular activities requires daunting but worthwhile research. Home-schooled students sing in the Orlando Youth Opera and work for state congressional campaigns. I have studied photography at Crealde School of Art and become involved in my church. My 15-year-old sister plays the piano and has been on a varsity basketball team. We both volunteer with Hands On Orlando.
Our flexible schedule allows us to arrange our time commitments effectively. This year, I interned at a law office one full day a week, rather than after school, which increased my focus at work.
Home-schooled students looking for opportunity sometimes come up dry, but those with self-initiative can improve this condition more easily than they might realize. I started a newsletter in ninth grade because Smith Prep had no other student publication, and during the summer I started a journalism group. Recently, a college representative explained the importance of documented leadership to my application, and her first example of a leader was a home-schooled girl who started a swimming clinic. Home schooling can be a catalyst for forming self-starters.
With more exposure to the opportunities available to home-schooled students, I've lost some of my annoyance with our "lack" of options. Academic, extracurricular and work opportunities can be harder to find, but they do exist. With a little persistence, home-schooled students don't need to relegate themselves to a high-school career of isolation or missed opportunity.
Mary Knowles, 17, lives in Maitland.