h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Wyatt, hope you don't mind me bothering you. I was just very curious as to what it's like to have been homeschooled all your life. I've been to a mix of "alternative" private and mainstream public schools for the past 15 years or so, but it seems it must be very different to be homeschooled. Is it difficult to become friends with other kids? Do you take some classes with groups of people? (I know a couple homeschooled kids who take some classes at the community college.)

Hmmm, maybe you should write an entry. Anyway, I was just curious.

I don't mind you bothering me at all, especially since I'm bored and depressed now, and people hardly ever leave me messages and... nevermind.

Lets see, I don't really know what it's like to be homeschooled, since I haven't got much to compare it to. The sad thing is that my parents don't even teach me anything anymore since they both have jobs and other things to do, and besides that, when they did, it got pretty relaxed eventually and it gradually faded away. I remember starting to read when I was about four. Later on, when I was learning adding and subtracting, I really liked it, and I would usually try to get my parents to make me a paper of math problems for me. But sometimes they wouldn't because they were too busy. And guess what, I freakin' hate math now, and I completely suck at it. I don't even know what 17+84 is without thinking about it for a few minutes. I don't even know how to to divide. Maybe I would be better at it if they would have given me more stuff to do, but then by later on, it was too late and I didn't like it anymore.

So I pretty much fend for myself now, reading, researching and Subbing for h2g2, and piano lessons. Reading stuck with me, and all I'm really intrested in is literature, and music. For a while I was trying creative writing, but I'm pretty crappy at it. As for taking classes, I haven't really. I guess you could count last year when I was at a five-day music workshop. Piano lessons are the only 'official' or 'formal' education I have ever had, now I think of it. I will probably go to the community college in a couple years, and I hope to go to college after that, but I haven't got my hopes up since from what I know, there are all sort of requirements and qualifications you've got to have to go to college, and I havn't got any. Sorry, I don't really have a lot to tell you about homeschooling, and I'm not really sure what exactly you want to know. So all I have is my own depressing memoirs. And I certainly couldn't write an Entry.

And yes, it is hard making friends, which I know because I haven't got any, literally. I'm not in much contact with other people lately. The funny thing is, when I happen to be talking to someone my age, I generally can't stand them. They're usually are obnoxious, rude and just generally annoying. And then I feel constantly depressed because I don't really know anyone my age. I shudder to think that I would probably be like that if I actually went to school. Oh, and what I hate is when people ask me what grade I'm in. This is difficult because I don't have a grade we never used grades when my parents *did* teach me stuff. For all my life I have had to come up with an answer for this question, but finally I have figured out what to say. When they ask, I first ask what grade they are in, and then I just answer whatever grade that is one higher than theirs.

Aww, sorry to make you relive your depressing memoirs.

I know over here in San Diego they have a lot of programs for homeschooled kids, like an acting program with the Junior Theatre and that sort of thing. There's even a special public school for homeschooled kids, with a library and a "resource center", whatever that is.

For college I think that if you took the SAT or the ACT and did well at it you could get by on that. I'm not sure what the requirements would be in lieu of school grades, but they've got to make some allowances for homeschooled kids.

Thanks for sharing, anyway. If it's any consolation, you're one of the most articulate people I know of your age. Keep up the good work!

Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure 17+84 would be 101.

Oh, another thing I forgot to mention: a couple years ago, we were going to join this online homeschooling program. It's where you take lessons online and so on. Of course, we never got around to it. True, we ended up not liking the original program we had in mind after we went a lecture or whatever about it, but there was a second one that looked better and we still never did it.

By the way, I should make it clear that all this in no way speaks on behalf of all homeschooling. This is just my own experience, and there are other people who were more strictly taught and had better schooling.

=>...you're one of the most articulate people I know...
Even if I'm really bad at math and things, at least I'm literate and can speak reasonably proper English.

I suck at math, too. It's not that much better in regular school, when you just sit in a class of 40 people and listen to a teacher talk, and there's very little opportunity to ask questions or get individual help.

Hm, this might be a stupid question, but it just occurred to me that there's something I'm wondering about school that I thought you might be able to help me with, since you go there. I currently have an Entry in PR, which is a Flea Market rescue, about avoiding people you don't like (since I took over this Entry, you can see that I can be anti-social, sometimes ). And something someone mentioned in the original PR thread was about adding something about avoiding people at school, but the original author never dealt with it, but I thought it's a good idea. Quite obviously, there is no way I could write this bit, but do you have any ideas? If you don't want to, that's okay, maybe someone else will, but the PR thread is pretty slow right now. I also would like someone to contribute something about spouses avoiding each other, and I have mentioned these two things on the thread, but I have never got any replies, since.

Again, no pressure, it's just an idea. The Entry is here, by the way: A19257726

Well, the best I can do is bookmark it and come back to it when I've got time, maybe later in the week.

Sorry if that is a dumb question, but you are the only person I know here who is in school.

No worries. I swear I'll look at it at some point...

I'm teaching maths at the moment (grinds*). It always has been my best subject. And I enjoy teaching, too, so I'm having fun.

TRiG.

*I suspect that this word is used only in Ireland. It refers to extra tuition, given usually by unqualified teachers, to people who are struggling in school. You stick your subject and phone number in the local paper and wait for the queue to form.

We'd call them "tutors" in the States, I think. I have a friend who tutors younger students in math(s).

"Tuition" is used differently here, too. Here it means the fees paid to private schools or to universities, and wouldn't be used in the sense of "tutoring".

Ah, I love regional language differences.

My favourite is the words for soft-soled shoes with ankle support (as a sort of definiton).

In Ireland, runners, because they're used for running.

In Britain, trainers, because they're used for training.

In the States, sneakers, because, erm, they're used for sneaking up on people.

The composition of a small thesis about what this difference tells us about our respective cultures is left as an exercise for the reader.

TRiG.