Brand New Experience

Tomorrow will start a new chapter of my life. It won't seem like a big deal to some of you, but it will be quite a change for me.

For my senior year, I'm going to the public high school. It will be my first time going to a brick-and-mortar school ever. For the first time, I will have to be stuck in a school with kids my age. For the first time, I will have to raise my hand to ask a question in class. For the first time, I won't be both the smartest and dumbest in my class. I'm excited to go, but I will miss all the benefits of being homeschooled.

My memories of being homeschooled are happy. When I was little, my mother was my teacher. She taught me phonics, Latin and Greek words, math, science, and religion. She read books to me. She took me on field trips and had me play educational computer games. My childhood was as carefree as they come. I didn't have to work too hard to learn.

But when I was older, things got tougher. I had to educate myself for a change. My mom got me the books, but I did everything else. I read lots of literature, tried to get through my math books, and did science experiments. I taught myself how to write by looking at sentence structures in classic literature. I was responsible for my own education; I was my own teacher.

I enjoyed being homeschooled. It gave me lots of freedom with my time. I was able to do my school in my own time, at the same time pursuing my own interests. If I wanted to read a long book, I didn't have to worry about not having enough time to finish my homework. When I went to Europe with my family during the school year, I didn't have to worry about getting into trouble with a school. I went to homeschool events, like Socrates Cafe, Readers' Club, Ultimate Frisbee, Writers' Club, Homeschoolers 4 Life, and Track & Field. I took online Latin classes and traveled to Colorado for a Latin Convention. Being homeschooled was lots of fun.

But now I want a new experience: I want to know how a school system functions. Therefore, this year, I shall add another educational experience to my list—public school. This blog will document my experiences, good and bad.

These are my predictions:

1. I will enjoy the teachers and the classes.
2. It will take me a while to get used to being in a building all day with hundreds of kids.
3. I will try to make new friends, but will avoid the ones who try to be a bad influence.
4. I will do well in my classes.
5. I will never get used to all the swearing.
6. I will be a teacher’s pet in at least one class.
7. I will not be able to open my locker at least one time.
8. It will take me a while to get used to the cafeteria and my seating situation.
9. I will definitely look like a newbie the first day.
10. If people pick on me, I will laugh.
11. I will have tons of fun.

We shall see which of these predictions are prophetic!

Pax,
Catherine