Post by oprichnik on Aug 4, 2011 19:20:22 GMT -6
Hi, I'm Tom. I was homeschooled from 3rd grade through highschool. I'm 21 and currently in college. I see from some of the posts on here, that I was somewhat lucky in that my parents had the intellects and drive to actually try teaching me things. That said, it still sucked.
My parents were rather hard core Catholics(they've mellowed out lately, but that isn't much use to my past self), and I was taught through a program called Seton. The program naturally included copious amounts of religious brainwashing, and everything had to show a Catholic perspective or I'd get marks off. We also went to Latin mass for a while. Strange as it may sound, the Latin mass period was one of the better parts of my childhood, because the community was large with other people my age to play with. We later moved to another state which didn't have as many Catholics(at least not nutty hard core ones). I spent close to five years with only my parents and a pet cat for company.
As a result of all this, I've struggled academically and socially throughout my time at college. I think the worst thing about homeschooling, particularly religiously based homeschooling, is the isolation from other people and new ideas. You are sequestered from anyone who doesn't think the way you are supposed to. Certain ideas and subjects are forbidden. It is an enviroment that basically stifles any sort of free thought, destroys creativity and curiousity. Since coming to college my culture shock has been enourmous. I've suffered anxiety, self-isolation, and depression. I'm only just starting to come out of it. However, it has been hard, and what should have been some of the happiest years of my life have been my most miserable.
My parents meant well, and certainly tried. But frankly, they were only two people, and between work, home maintenance, and my Mom's poor health, very little time was left to teach me. I've bookish tendancies, which helped, but there were some subjects, basically math and science, where I struggled, and my parents had neither the knowledge nor the time to correct my deficiencies in those subjects. Then there's the fact that I didn't understand how to interact with anyone my own age. I've gotten better, but I still often feel like an outsider. I realise now that all the rubbish you are supposed to go through in highschool was just postponed for me, and postponed to what is a difficult and precarious time on it's own without having to work through this on top of it.
I'm just posting now to tell someone about it. I don't really have any close friends or significant other to tell it too. I also want to tell anyone still suffering through homeschooling: Don't give up hope, don't let the brainwashing break you, and do get out of it as soon as practically possible. I went years where the only place I felt free was in the confines of my own mind. Never let anyone take that last refuge from you and once you get out of homeschooling, you can start building your life. I don't mean to inflict this on my children(should I ever have some), and wish everyone still suffering it good luck.
My parents were rather hard core Catholics(they've mellowed out lately, but that isn't much use to my past self), and I was taught through a program called Seton. The program naturally included copious amounts of religious brainwashing, and everything had to show a Catholic perspective or I'd get marks off. We also went to Latin mass for a while. Strange as it may sound, the Latin mass period was one of the better parts of my childhood, because the community was large with other people my age to play with. We later moved to another state which didn't have as many Catholics(at least not nutty hard core ones). I spent close to five years with only my parents and a pet cat for company.
As a result of all this, I've struggled academically and socially throughout my time at college. I think the worst thing about homeschooling, particularly religiously based homeschooling, is the isolation from other people and new ideas. You are sequestered from anyone who doesn't think the way you are supposed to. Certain ideas and subjects are forbidden. It is an enviroment that basically stifles any sort of free thought, destroys creativity and curiousity. Since coming to college my culture shock has been enourmous. I've suffered anxiety, self-isolation, and depression. I'm only just starting to come out of it. However, it has been hard, and what should have been some of the happiest years of my life have been my most miserable.
My parents meant well, and certainly tried. But frankly, they were only two people, and between work, home maintenance, and my Mom's poor health, very little time was left to teach me. I've bookish tendancies, which helped, but there were some subjects, basically math and science, where I struggled, and my parents had neither the knowledge nor the time to correct my deficiencies in those subjects. Then there's the fact that I didn't understand how to interact with anyone my own age. I've gotten better, but I still often feel like an outsider. I realise now that all the rubbish you are supposed to go through in highschool was just postponed for me, and postponed to what is a difficult and precarious time on it's own without having to work through this on top of it.
I'm just posting now to tell someone about it. I don't really have any close friends or significant other to tell it too. I also want to tell anyone still suffering through homeschooling: Don't give up hope, don't let the brainwashing break you, and do get out of it as soon as practically possible. I went years where the only place I felt free was in the confines of my own mind. Never let anyone take that last refuge from you and once you get out of homeschooling, you can start building your life. I don't mean to inflict this on my children(should I ever have some), and wish everyone still suffering it good luck.