This one is for all of my fellow home schooled geeks, freaks, nerds, jocks, and overall stellar students. This system built us, and we couldn't be prouder.

I wasn't your conventional high schooler. I was a home-schooled competitive gymnast. In middle school, my gymnastics career began to escalate rapidly, and my enthusiasm for public school life began to decline in a reciprocal fashion. I have never been a fan of the public school system; too much drama, too much busy work, too much stress. A few of my teammates were home schooled so I decided to look into it. I had never been interested in schooling from home before, but I was just not happy where I was. Something needed to change. Either I lighten my gym load (which was not even close to an option in my mind) or I change my schooling.

I visited a home schooling co-op (a cooperative association of students, parents, and teachers that meets once a week) and loved it! Next thing I knew, I left the public school system and discovered that lots of home schooling stereotypes are untrue.

1. You actually learn things.

Most people believe that home schooling is a parent and a student sitting in their kitchen, living room, what have you, and briefly studying common knowledge facts and vocabulary for thirty minutes or so a day. I found that home schooling actually has the potential to be much more rigorous than normal school. My workload almost doubled as did the quality of the work I was completing. I was reading the Iliad and the Odyssey in the ninth grade, people! I learned a lot of material that most people don't even approach until mid-college. And guess what. I even retained most of the information I was given, and I still use it to this day.

2. You can learn at your own pace.

Home schooling doesn't have to be as strenuous as I made it for myself, but in public school, I was always either bored with the pace of my easy classes or overwhelmed with the pace of my more difficult ones. Home schooling allows one to work at her own pace, which inherently reduces stress and makes education more enjoyable.

3. Pajamas. All day. Every day.

I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want this?

4. More time for sleep.

I could either sleep in late and do my school work at night, or I could get up early, which allowed me to go to sleep earlier. (But let's be honest, I almost always slept in.)

5. More time for non-school-related activities.

Home schooling allowed me to practice in the morning and at night, as well as do other fun activities during the week that I couldn't have done over the weekend (because I usually saved the weekend for sleeping).

6. Avoid drama.

I am not a huge gossiper, nor do I love to listen to it. Middle school girls are some of the worst rumor-spreaders and drama-stimulators. Home schooling allowed me to escape the shark tank that was public middle school.

7. Meet some really awesome people.

Once I managed to avoid the pre-teen drama, I was able to discover that there are some genuinely decent and amazing people in this world, many of whom I met at my co-op.

8. Grow your relationship with God.

My home school co-op was a Christian based curriculum. As a practicing Methodist, home schooling provided a safe space in which I could grow my relationship with God without fear of being scolded by judgmental teenagers or reprimanded by a school system that refused to acknowledge religious practices.

Yes, some of the home schooling stereotypes are true, like doing school in your pajamas all day. However, most of the more degrading ones are not true. Home schooling is challenging academically and stimulating socially and, in certain cases, religiously. It is definitely not meant for everyone, but don't knock it if you haven't truly experienced it yourself. It might surprise you.