Ever since I can remember, I have had a hard time in academics. I have many learning challenges, and that made schooling very difficult for me, particularly reading and math. That was evident when I was in the traditional public school setting.
For the first two years in public school, I felt so disappointed in myself. I remember that after all the kids would finish their work, they would be able to play and have fun during free time. However, because schoolwork and assignments took me so long to complete, I was rarely allowed to participate in free time. I tried to finish my schoolwork as fast as I could, but that never happened. It seemed like I was always behind.
After that, my mom and dad decided to choose something different for me and my siblings. They decided to pull us out of public school and homeschool. This made my life totally different.
For starters, I did not have to be in a specific grade. I was able to learn at my own pace, and I was not ashamed of it. I remember my younger sister was grades ahead of me, but I felt totally okay with that. I felt content moving at my pace, not the pace that everyone expected me to be at. If something was not working for me, or if I did not understand, then we would adapt the curriculum or change it altogether to fit my educational needs. I had the freedom to take all different types of courses and curriculums that sparked my interest.
My learning looked a little bit different. I went to a homeschool co-op during the week. I was interested in hair cosmetics, so I took a couple of classes on hair styling. I was interested in cooking, so I took cooking classes. For a time, I loved art, and I relished every moment of my clay class. But I think my favorite class was poetry. In this class, I got to read books that were funny and relatable to me. I was able to make up my own poems. I used to HATE reading and writing. However, this poem class planted a little seed that sprouted into a field of flowers of love of reading and poem writing. I was able to take my time, work at my own pace, and grow to love reading over the years.
I also did school in different environments. I would do school at coffee shops, on the trampoline, or in the tree with my sister (it was her idea). The flexibility to work wherever I wanted truly inspired my creativity.
But I think the most important part of my educational journey is not how I was able to succeed in academics, but it was how I grew personally. Writing taught me to express my emotions in a healthy way. I used to feel a lot of shame because of my learning disabilities. I always felt like I was crawling when everyone was sprinting. The reason why I love educational freedom is because it allowed me to learn at my own pace and gave me so much more confidence. I am content with the way I am.
educational freedom is a choice
a choice to choose to do
something
big or small
it is
learning
absorbing
listening
understanding
in a way that works best for us
education freedom is
countless opportunities
racing thoughts
bubbling ideas
letting your beautiful mind run free
