Homeschooling Adventures

Life is full of colour. And we each get to come along and add our own colour to the painting. :) 

There have always been times where I have sat in my head and debated with myself about my choice of getting homeschooled during my 11th and 12th. There have been instances where I have felt that maybe this was not such a great choice, but when retrospectively looking back ,on seeing the experiences, I was able to gain; and the wide variety of exposure I got, I feel that there is no other way I would want it to. 

When I got into my journey of getting homeschooled, frankly I did not give too much thought into it. I had the choice to get into a normal mainstream school or get homeschooled. There were days of absolute confusion before deciding which option to choose. One day I would feel that homeschooling would be better, the next day the latter. Maybe when I look back, I feared the uncertainty that came with homeschooling. Mainstream schooling had a set defined path, that gave a sense of security and homeschooling did not have much of a defined path, that made me feel like I was getting into an unknown world. With some amount of deciding and weighing the pros and cons, I realized the more I kept mulling over these options, the more it would get difficult to choose and the more I would be confused. Thus leading me to choose homeschooling since the pros were non negotiable. 

My experience with homeschooling had a great deal of ups and downs, but it also let me learn so many things that I would not have imagined I could have done.

There was no time bound frame as to do what and when. I had my own leisure and flexibility to do things as and when I wanted. This let me make choices spontaneously, maybe I wanted to do something different but I also had to study. I could just decide that hey, that experience was more important and I can study later on during the day. Being in college now, I really miss that flexibility that used to let me plan and figure out my day. 

I also realize that with this experience of freedom came an innate sense of responsibility to do things and set small goals and stick to it. There was a sense of structure and routine throughout my day, but it was free flowing and not rigid. There were times I was carried away and eventually that realization of time management came by. I don't think any of us is perfect and hence I feel I am still in that journey of learning.

Homeschooling also let me experience so many new activities, hobbies and try things out of my comfort zone, since I was not bound by a structure set by the external world.

I got to spend six months baking, learning and interning at a cafe. These were some real life learnings that eventually later on helped me in college. From being able to take a stand and be assertive, yet also know how much to push and work, learning new skills, meeting new people and coming out of my comfort zone were things I feel I was able to learn and experience. 

I also enjoyed exploring the vast green scapes of mother nature by developing a keen interest in trekking. This experience helped me get closer to myself, meet new people, it also let me appreciate the little joys in life that nature has to offer and let me find solace in her. 

The whole idea about being with myself for most of the day at first seemoverwhelming, but as time went by, it taught me to get comfortable with myself, find joy in doing the little things I like and be okay with boredom. This helped me grow inward and realize that I am a complete being in my whole life and let me cherish my own company.

There were many times I did feel that I missed out on social company, friends and experiences about school and college that people spoke about. But I kept reminding myself that this experience was for a short span of time, and I was able to gain many more experiences that would be cherished later on. There were instances that I felt lonely and lost also, but that let me grow to understand myself. 

One of the challenges I feel that I have been going through is that the outside world and crowd at college got a little overwhelming at first and it took me a while to get used to it. 

Eventually now that I have stepped into college life, there have been so many things that homeschooling has taught me and has helped me grow. It has helped me see things in a different perspective. The support given by my parents, close friends and mentors has been my guiding factor and this is a journey that I am grateful for. 🌻✨️