Hello, friend! Welcome to my blog. I hope you’re doing well! Today, instead of doing a Christian-focused topic, I’m going to tell you a little bit more about me and my journey through homeschooling. Let’s get into it!

I’m A Preschool Drop-Out

Yep, you read that right. After about a month of preschool, my parents pulled me out and decided to educate me themselves. I’m very proud of having the title of ‘preschool drop-out’ even though I don’t remember preschool at all.

Since then, I’ve been homeschooled. During the early years of elementary school, I did exercises in textbooks for my school for an hour or two each day. As I got older my workload increased and I had to spend more of my day working on it.

I didn’t understand all my subjects perfectly either. There were days when I’d have to ask my parents to explain my math better than the book did, and there were days I could do the exercises with ease. 

In 6th grade, my parents had me try out an online class. In the class, I came to a live lecture where there were other students to interact with in the chat. Sometimes the chat got out of control (the students really like the emojis), but that’s when the instructor stepped in. I loved the class, and I continued taking online classes for some of my subjects through middle school and now in high school.

And if the Lord wills, I’m going to keep at it. 

What I Like About Homeschooling

So now that I’ve given you a brief summary of my homeschool life, let me tell you a few of the things I like about homeschooling as a student. 

1. I choose my sleep schedule

As a homeschooler, especially as a younger one, I could choose when I woke up and do my school. Once I got to middle and high school, though, I had to start getting up at a reasonable hour to get things done, but if I slept in an extra hour it didn’t really matter. There was no bus to catch or class to get to (unless I had an online class, but that usually didn’t take up the whole day), and sometimes it’s possible to get away with wearing pajamas as your school uniform!

2. The desks are very comfortable

Sometimes I’ll rotate where I do my school. Sometimes it’s on the back porch, sometimes it’s on my bed, sometimes it’s at my desk, sometimes it’s curled up in a corner on a pile of pillows. So yes, the desks are very, very comfortable.

3. I get to spend more time with my family

Since I’m at home most days I get to spend more time with my family. Even though we fight and get angry with each other sometimes, I like to think of being around them as a good thing. After I become an adult and go down my own road, I won’t see them as much anymore, so I like spending time with them now.

It also helps with the time we spend in God’s Word. My mom tries to keep up with a schedule of every weekday we have a time where we discuss a Bible story or passage. My siblings and I like to call this “Bible time.” Sometimes we follow a Bible study and sometimes we just do our own thing, but it’s a good time spent either way.

4. My schedule is flexible

Since my online classes only take up a couple of hours every day, I can shift other things around and my parents can schedule vacations during the school year. Sometimes my mom will take us on “field trips” to parks and other places for a day. Some of these “field trips” are just to the park or a nearby beach for the day, and sometimes it’s a more historical park or museum that’s educational.

5. If I get stuck I can slow down

If I’m confused on a subject there’s not as much pressure of “you have to understand it now” but it’s more like, “let’s spend more time on this.” I can email my online teachers or ask my mom and spend more time researching the topic and figuring it out. That way I can also have stronger foundations in the basics of a subject for more complex concepts later. 

Why I Said ‘No’ To Public High school

Almost a year ago, my mom asked me if I wanted to do high school in a public school.

I looked at her and said no.

Why did I say it so quickly? I think it’s partly because I’ve been homeschooled my entire school life, and I didn’t think I would like it. It would be a hard change from a flexible schedule that my parents and I could ultimately choose to a strict public school schedule, from doing school on my bed to sitting in a classroom, from doing school with just my siblings to a whole group of other kids.

If you’re reading this and you’re a kid or teen that would usually go to public school but it’s not going to be the same this year because of the pandemic, or even a parent trying to figure out what you’re going to do. I get it, it’s going to be a hard transition.

It’s going to go from having a strict public school schedule to a flexible one, from doing your school in a classroom to doing it in your home, from doing school with your public school friends to doing it with any siblings you might have or even just alone.

It’s Going To Be Hard, But You Can Do It

But it’s going to be okay because your friendships can still continue. Your best connections will still stay strong. Be thankful for the cell phones we have during this time so that we can text and call friends. It’s not like you’re never going to see your friends again. In fact, you might be able to get together more this school year depending on how things go!

And remember, even when the days seem hard, when you feel that everything is hitting you in the face and that you just can’t do it, remember that Jesus has got you.

He’s got you safe in His arms.

Pray, plead, cry, praise, whatever you have to do, talk to Him in your hardships. 

In James, it says,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

Remember that everything is in God’s control, and whatever happens is in His mighty hands. It’s during this time that we especially need to trust Him, and expect the unexpected.

And if you haven’t ever heard the Gospel before and are reading this post and wondering, “What on earth is this girl talking about?” Then please, hear me out.

The Gospel

There’s a person named Jesus Christ. He lived the greatest life ever lived. He never sinned, He never did anything wrong, He was perfect. He was both God and man at the same time. He was tempted and struggled with human needs, but also performed miracles according to God’s plan.

Jesus lived and preached in Israel. He was popular among some but others hated Him and wanted to kill Him. These people got their wish. Jesus was arrested, a man who had done no wrong was beaten, mocked, and delivered to be crucified.

He was taken to a cross and hung on it with nails through His wrists and His ankles. He died a criminal’s death and was buried.

But on the third day after His death, something amazing happened.

Jesus rose again. He defeated sin and death and appeared to His disciples and hundreds of other people. After proving that He was indeed alive, He ascended into heaven, sending His disciples out to become fishers of men and tells others about the good news.

And what is that good news?

Because Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross, He was the Ultimate Sacrifice. He took all of our sins and made us right before God again. And if we believe that He is Lord and what He did for us, we’re saved. When we die, we can join Him in heaven.

So if you aren’t a Christian and you’re reading today you can accept Jesus right now. All you have to do is pray and tell Jesus, “Yes, I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died for me and everyone in this world. I accept you into my heart today. Amen.”

But it doesn’t end there, it’s only the beginning. Jesus is going to change your heart and life for the better. Still confused and have questions? That’s okay. Please do message me via the Contact page if you do, I’m willing to answer questions and help you start figuring things out.

Final Thoughts

Thanks so much for reading today! I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about homeschooling and the Gospel, and that they were helpful in some way! If you need prayers or encouragement, don’t hesitate to reach out through the ‘Contact’ page.

If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to my email list! When you subscribe, you’ll receive three exclusive articles, updates when I post, and my monthly newsletter. 

Have a blessed day,

~Caroline