During the Middle Ages, people considered God as absolute. This absolute God was considered almighty and no one would dare to question his existence. In modern times, the role of religion has been reduced and atheist views are now accepted, but new concepts such as school and family have become viewed as absolute necessity. However, in our so-called post-modern times, some people now even question the absoluteness of school as some don’t go to regular school. Others question the importance of family, as new forms of family appear. Thus, nothing is absolute. My home schooling experience demonstrates this.
I chose to be schooled at home instead of going to traditional school. Although attending school was imperative in most people’s, I decided to raise the question “why” to such concepts and interjection many “but”s. The purpose of school is to teach students. Homeschooling does not mean giving up my intellectual progress. I made a choice not to learn at school, but at home and in society in general. Firstly, I did my best to use resources that society offered me. For my physics labs, I went to a local college where generous professors were pleased to help an unschooled high school kid. At our city’s alternative education center, I attended a cultural anthropology class that included extensive reading and writing at the college level. I also often went to galleries where I could enjoy the real Lambrant and Picasso’s masterpieces. Most of all, the library played a crucial role to broad my mind, with its massive volume of book collections from Wonder-woman to Foucault. Dinner table philosophizing with strangers at the library cafeteria also inspired my intellectual curiosity as well as creativity. I also was able to participate in social activism in a way that I would have never been able to experience If I was in school, because school regulations prohibit such activities. I attended meetings for feminists and became a serious activist myself who can speak out against sexism, ageism, and homophobia. By writing editorials for a student newspaper and a feminist magazine, not only did I improved my writing skills, but, I learned how to communicate with people effectively in general. Homeschooler’s socialization is another issue people would be suspicious about. In my case, along with hobbies, work was the place where I hung out with people other than my friends and family. Moreover, according to various surveys and statistics, the academic achievement of kids who didn’t go to school is higher than that of regular students. This shows that the students can as much as or more at home than they can in school.
In sum, my homeschooling experience is an example of how nothing is absolute including school. With different ways and concepts of learning, nowadays, people are free to learn wherever and whenever they want. We never know what things once considered absolute will fall, as God, school and family did throughout history.
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