But then I had to change forever- THANKFULLY FOR THE GOOD!

Let me start from the point where my life changed.

I was the elder son in the family and never preferred speaking much with people. In the initial years of schooling, my younger sister did quite well, but I struggled at school.

By the time I entered grade 5, I started avoided social gatherings altogether.

Looking at my behavior, my parents were advised by a family friend that they can choose home-based education for me!

Because for issues like introversion and extroversion, this seemed to be the best possible solution at that time

So, for good 4 years till grade 9, I was homeschooled!

Initially, I was not aware of this concept much, but gradually I got the hang of it.

While my family considered home-based learning great for me, I realized certain things in this duration.

Today, I am sharing some realities of my home-based education journey with you.

And these are the confessions of a homeschooler!

Now that I am in grade 12, I look back at my homeschooling journey for good, bad, and workable areas.

Let me start with the most obvious question, is it reasonable to homeschool an introvert?

My answer would be yes!

As far as my experience goes, home-based learning was a good choice for me. Because students like me do not prefer those bits of social life much. So with this option, I could be on my own and enjoy a quieter schooling experience. I could focus and read as much as I wanted without being bound to any time schedules.

As time passed, I knew what a homeschooler is and made the most of my self-study time in my own cosy study corner!

The best thing was that I could do away with that ANNOYING SCHOOL BELL SOUND, THAT I HATED TO THE CORE!

My day plan had scope for leisure –

With this choice of staying at home and continuing school conveniently, I had a lot of time for my hobbies. So at this time, I joined my favorite guitar classes and started playing volleyball at the club. These activities recharged me with new vigour. And I found a vent for everything that went inside me as a teenager.

At the end of the day, I was pretty comfortable with my self-paced study schedule.

I unleashed a new comfort level in life-

My parents were finally relieved to find me contented and purposefully engaged in my own world. During this duration, I used my time well and even started thinking ahead about my future choices. Each day, I devoted some quality time to decide my high school options and career plans. As a result, my hazy career planning started shaping up into concrete ideas – TO A GREAT EXTENT!

Having said that, I still cannot call my home-based learning 'PERFECT'!

Because I realized later that my homeschooling was not COMPLETELY WELL-ROUNDED

This is one of the most significant confessions of a homeschooler. Being at home and studying did not help me with my socialization much. And I admit it because I could see my parents stretching me beyond limits to interact with others. At a party or get-together, I often looked for opportunities to move away from the crowd. So, as far as my experience goes, I DID MISS OUT on social development.

So at one point, being at home and being in a secluded world were synonymous for me-

My quiet study space slowly became my 'SHELL'.

And this is one thing that I can hold against my homeschooling years.

Thanks to our family friends and relatives who pinpointed this in practically every visit they made to my home. And eventually, even I started realizing that this was getting way too much!

Finally, it was time to figure out a solution for this to live a balanced life.

And as they rightly say, understanding your problem is half the solution,

I started looking for solutions to fill the holes of my homeschooling journey,

and I finally came across one!!

During a casual internet surfing session, I came across a unique concept of an online school. This web advertisement showcased the benefits of online education for students with signs of introversion.

Since the advertisement banner could not make much sense to me initially, so I decided to visit its official website of this accredited online school.

Oh boy! This was just what I needed!

You can consider this one of the most honest confessions of a homeschooler. I was severely in need of something like this!

This was a 100% digital school with virtual classes, online resources, and great educators. Within no time, I got in touch with the school online. We set up a video call where they try to understand your educational goals and offer you suggestions.

At first, I found it difficult to summon up the courage to interact freely on this video call. But when my mom agreed to be a part of it, I felt better.

They told us minute details about how an online school works.

They were so good that they identified my personality instantly. And by the end of the call, they gave me a MILLION DOLLAR SUGGESTION to join their digital schooling platform!

For good 25 minutes or so, we had a balanced conversation, and in conclusion, my mom and I were on the same page to enroll in this best online high school!

This option did not interrupt my peaceful and serene life with home studying; instead, it gave me a chance to fill in the voids that I felt.

Virtual schooling gave me great opportunities to interact with peers and teachers through collaborative tools, WITHOUT TAKING AWAY MY QUIET STUDY SPACE!

And I could work on the socializing deficit that pulled me back as a homeschooler.

ALL THIS CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!

These confessions of a homeschooler are incomplete without the details of my online schooling experience.

So here they are!

During my digital schooling years, I saw a pleasant change in my personality. As my online teachers encouraged me to open up, I started becoming more comfortable sharing my viewpoints with others.

Surprisingly, I mixed well with peers and never felt intimidated during any online class. This was mainly because of the small class size, the handling of my online teacher, and my virtual high school's supportive peers.

Another thing that I wish to highlight is that this platform helped me to identify my academic gaps. As a result, I started devoting extra time to my weak areas. My online teachers also gave me the proper handholding to do this. Their one on one sessions and ideas of creating structured study plans helped me immensely.

With online schooling, I continue to be homeschooled

BUT THIS TIME, IT WAS WAY MUCH BETTER!

I am glad that my experiences tell you about the realities of a homeschooler and the cons of self-created study spaces.

And as far as my career plans are concerned, all thanks to my school faculty, I've identified my way forward through their enlightening career counseling sessions.

So my schooling journey through home-based education is about to end. And a key takeaway is that strategizing home education is important whether you're an introvert or have a well-balanced personality.

And if this is done by professionals who let you free in your comfortable space, IT'S TRULY UNMATCHED!

So, virtual schooling is an excellent option for introverts like me

TRUST ME, AN ACCREDITED ONLINE SCHOOL CAN HELP STUDENTS WITH SIGNS OF INTROVERTION MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!!

So this is the end of some honest confessions of a homeschooler

Hope my experiences help you to plan your joyous academic journey with a digital schooling platform!

Thanks for Reading!