Tell me a happy-ending homeschooled kid story?

[Stacey in MA]

The other thread about trainwreck homeschooled kids made me want to hear the "good" stories. When we started we were the only homeschoolers we knew besides some unschoolers who had very different philosophies from us on many levels. I don't personally know anyone else who has homeschooled right through and is now a successful grown up - for better or for worse.

 

Can you tell me some great stories? I'm specifically thinking of older teen years and young 20's. I'm wondering about what a homeschooled young adult "looks" (seems) like. Of course I have an idea of how my kids will/should/want them to be, but I'd like some real stories.

 

Thanks all!

- Stacey in MA

[mommylawyer]

My oldest's former piano/preschool teacher was always home schooled - as are/were her 5 brothers and sisters. She is intelligent, well-rounded, well-spoken, talented, and a college graduate - as are her brothers and sisters who range in age from 12 to 32. Speaking to this young woman and her mother really inspired me and helped me to feel comfortable with my choice to home school.

[Marie in Oh]

and I don't agree, necessarily with how these families parented or homeschooled. One family was very laxed, only did Math, reading, writing, and current events. Not a classical homeschool by any means. Their oldest son is now 25 or 26, at The Ohio State School of Law, politically active, loves the Lord, married, articulate, a desires to run for public office. He attended Patrick Henry. They have several others coming up and are equally successful. There are 7 in the family.

 

Another family has 5 of 8 graduated. They are the Duggar type- very conservative in dress, speech. They used a very traditional textbook approach to homeschooling. But their oldest three are lovely young adults- the oldest is an attorney for the Alliance Defense, the second has a degree in piano pedagogy and has her own piano studio, the thrid is an engineering student, and the 4th and 5th are music students at Vanderbilt. They are all walking with the Lord, bright, articulate, functional.

 

What I think we are missing here is that there is a certain level of grace that must take place in a young person's life regardless of parenting style, homeschool methods, etc. You can do everything right as a parent and still have a trainwreck, and you can do alot wrong and have kids that turn out great. There are no guarentees.

[Jugglin'5]

Well, the homeschooled girls that used to babysit my kids, and were the reason we thought it was great, did wonderfully. One is now an accountant with Price-Waterhouse. The other is a nurse, who is now in nurse practitioner school, I believe (or some other post-grad nursing thing). They are both married to doctors, and are both still attending their parents' church. It is very much a success story. They have two younger siblings who went to private high school after homeschooling through eighth grade. The mom said they were not quite as self-driven as the first two, she was getting tired, and the boy really loved team sports. The girl got a swimming scholarship to a major state university and is an engineering major. The boy hasn't graduated yet so we'll see. The family members are all really close to one another. The mom has no major homeschooling regrets, so there ya go.

 

My pastors' kids have done well so far. They just sent their 3rd of to a state university on a full scholarship - she got a 32 on her ACT. They are all close as a family as well. Hope this makes you feel better!

[8filltheheart]

Our oldest just turned 19 a week and a half ago. He is only 7 hrs from being a college junior majoring in chemical engineering. He has a 3.65 GPA. He was just offered by one of his profs the opportunity to take over a a grads student's project that they didn't finish before graduating. The prof has offered to train him and let him have keys to the labs. (typically undergrads work in groups vs. independently)

 

His employer from the summer told us that ds was the best employee he has ever had and if he ever comes home and wants work, even if it is just a couple of weeks, he will give him hours.

 

We had some really hard yrs during high school where he and I were pretty much in conflict most of the time. I am a tough teacher and expect a lot. He was angry b/c no one he knew had the work load he did. It was rough. I wondered at the time if homeschooling was impacting our relationship for the long term. (It definitely did in the short term.) I can honestly say that I no longer worry about that. He called me one day last yr and simply said, "Thanks, mom." It made every struggle worthwhile.

 

At this point, though, I can take no credit. He is completely on auto-pilot. He is a driven young man with goals. He knows what he wants and he is doing what he needs to achieve those goals. He is definitely his own man these days.

[PiCO]

The other thread about trainwreck homeschooled kids made me want to hear the "good" stories. - Stacey in MA

 

I hire young people at my business- usually late high school and college age kids. I've hired 3 homeschoolers in the past-

 

1. One of the best people I've ever known- thoughtful, giving, intelligent. Was homeschooled through high school, and is now working as an electrical engineer and getting his masters degree in EE. Happily married.

 

2. Young man with learning disabilities- teachers told his mother he was retarded and would never learn to read. Mother pulled him out of school after 3rd grade. She had trouble homeschooling him, because she has the same disabilities as he does, but she worked through it. This young man reads quite well, and is a contributing member of society. Wonderful employee.

 

3. Young woman who maybe would have been in the train wreck category as far as homeschooling goes- mother said she was unschooling, but was really non-schooling. Mother had "issues," says daughter. Daughter moved out of the house at 16, worked a full-time job and a part-time job, and got her GED.

 

I put in #3 to show that people are resilient. You don't need to have the perfect upbringing to be a success in life. This young lady is 19 yrs old, and has her whole life in front of her. She has a great attitude and she's a hard worker. She will be a success.

[Ellie]

I took older dd out of first grade at a Christian school during Easter break. After having read all of John Holt's books...in a week...I was convinced that she was burned out and that education didn't have to look like school at all, we just lived life for the next 18 months. We had lots of learning experiences for those 18 months :-)

 

Younger dd was the real experiment, as she never went to school. She didn't read at her age level until she was 9½, mainly because she wanted to do everything HERSELF, and I was teaching her to read with Spalding, which is the least independent method there is :-o

 

Older dd began taking classes at the community college when she was 13 (she had her 14th birthday in class). We didn't push her through in 2 years because she was young, but she aced almost every class she took. When she was 16 she decided that she didn't like being an introvert, so she went into the c.c.'s cosmetology school; being a hair stylist would require her to be around and interact with many people. She graduated from that, worked for a year, then went back to the c.c. and graduated, then transferred to San Jose State; she graduated with a BA in English Lit. She's bee living on her own and self-supported since she was 18; at the beginning of August she was married :-)

 

Younger dd went to school with me when she was 14 and I started a little school at my church. She "should" have been a freshman, but when she was 10 I had skipped her a grade, lol, because she was bored with the elementary level activities at church and wanted to go into the youth group early. She had never completed a math text; we had only done Easy Grammar. In the spring of the first year of my little school, dd took the 10th grade Stanford, and scored high school level in math (she had puttered through Math 87) and post high school on everything else. She started taking classes at the community college and aced almost all of them; she took pre-algebra twice (bad teacher the first time so she dropped the class), then algebra 1 (ditto), algebra 2, and statistics. She aced them all (after the first rough start). She graduated from there with multiple degrees (performing arts-related) but decided not to go on to San Jose State because she didn't like the things that dance majors had to do. Today she is a ballet teacher, something she has wanted to do since she was 5, and an assistant manager at a Starbucks. She was married last year. She was a little slower than older dd in being able to support herself, but she has done so since she was 19 or so.

 

Both dds are stable, productive, clever, engaging, active young women. I am very proud of them.:D

[PariSarah]

. . . who was homeschooled all the way through. She is a caring, engaged, active congregation member, and a general delight to be around. She has developed a heart for those who did not have the education she had, and is committed to public school education. She is training to be an elementary school administrator.

 

There's another gal who's still in college (so it's hard to say how the story will "end,") but she is pleasant, articulate, responsible, and kind. She also reads upper-level biblical commentaries and discusses them with her father. She's also very pretty and fashionable--she does not look "odd" at all.

[4kids4me]

I just wrote about my nephew on the board the other day. I was telling someone he hated writing during his schooling years, but loved to read. He's now a great writer (check out http://thekennedyklan.blogspot.com/). Scroll down to Veterinary Expedition and see for yourself what a great writer Jared turned out to be.

 

My sil has 11 children and five have now gratuated. The first is 29 now and though she chose not to do postsecondary education, it seems as if at this point it was a good choice. She was an administrative assistant until she had children. She's now got two and is married also to a former homeschooled guy. He's amazing! He owns his own contracting business.

 

The second child struggled through school, but my sil pushed him. She was later told that he had learning disabilities, and that he did as well as he did in school *because* my sil pushed him. He's a carpenter and recently married.

 

The third is the writer I told you about in the first paragraph. He's got some post-secondary education, but was fortunate enough to apprentice as a day-trader with a gentleman from church. He worked very closely to him and when he got married to the most lovely woman they moved to another province for her job. Fortunately he had apprenticed long enough that he was able to continue to work for this guy from another province.

 

The fourth just graduated this year with a science degree. She's been running a growing dental office since her teens. She was married this year and just bought her first home.

 

The fifth child just graduated, so he doesn't count yet. :tongue_smilie:

 

These children are amazing! They're all responsible mature adults and all incredibly smart. They handle their money well and have all chosen wonderful spouses. I'm so proud to be their aunt! (Though I'm only five years older than the oldest, so I'm really more of a friend.)

[cin]

Come to our church :D.

 

I can name, off the top of my head, 4 kids that have done great. 1 girl, our babysitter, when we can get her, is 22, still lives at home, and teaches in the high school co-op. Another family I know of has 2 kids who are in college. Another family has a daughter who has graduated from college with a music major and is teacher music classes and voice/piano lessons in at least one co-op. Now, these kids are all between 18 & 25, but as of right now, they are doing SUPERB. Oh, there is another young man teaching in the high-school co-op that was homeschooled. I'm not sure if he went to college or not.

 

I know there is ton more from our church that I am not aware of. Homeschooling is very popular at our church, so maybe the community helps some?

[Carrie12345]

I don't personally know anyone who was homeschooled all of the way through. Online, I am friendly with a woman whose dd is headed to college this year, and sounds like an absolutely *wonderful girl.

 

My cousin's girlfriend was homeschooled in the 4th, 9th, and 10th grades (or thereabout) for various reasons, in a pretty traditional Puerto Rican, Christian family. We've talked about homeschooling, and she wasn't exactly thrilled with how her experience went. She didn't have many opportunities to be with other kids. She didn't find her materials to be very interesting. She also had a hard time transitioning back into ps. Socially, she felt awkward. Academically, she felt very advanced.

 

That said, she thinks it's great that my kids are homeschooled, knowing that her situation isn't the norm.

 

I also consider her to be a very good friend, and I almost always forget that she is a NINETEEN YEAR OLD, lol. She's doing well in college, she has 2 jobs, she's the president of her fraternity... I will be very happy if/when she becomes a permanent member of our family.

[Susie in SWVA]

I will try very hard not to brag, but I am so proud of all my girls. My two oldest (now 30 and 31) were homeschooled from fourth grade on. Jennifer (31) is an attorney, director of e-discovery at a large law firm in SC, married a wonderful Christian man last December. She flew through college, but had a very difficult time in law school, but she made it. Rachel (30) is a CPA for a not for profit school for at risk children. She was an expert at getting out of doing any kind of math in high school. Schoolwork did not come easily for her, she worked extremely hard in college and grad school - had a 4.0 all the way through including grad school. She was my first married, had my first grandchild and is expecting number 2. Her husband is also a wonderful Christian man and great daddy.

Next comes Rebekah (28), she is my outdoor girl.(Her homeschooling started in second grade.) Her advanced education took a lot of paths and still is. After graduating with a degree in forestry and working in that field for a year, she decided it wasn't for her. She is now married to a great Christian man and raises flowers to sell at the farmer's market among many other things. She has many interests and is the only one who lives nearby. Emily (26)- she never went to "school" - went to a Christian college with thoughts of doing missionary work after spending summers in Suriname and Uganda. God had other plans and she married a Christian young man she met while working at the rescue squad. They were both EMTs. Her husband is now a paramedic and they are the parents of my second grandchild.

When my girls started leaving home, we decided we were pretty good with children and adopted our son (age 10 tomorrow!)who I am now homeschooling. I love it!!! At the moment, he wants to be an entomologist.

It is a wonderful journey. There is joy and some heartache, but the joy outweighs it.

 

Susie in SWVA

[Quiver0f10]

My oldest will be 20 in December. She graduated last year and entered college last fall. After the first semester she decided she didn't like college life and wasn't sure that she wanted to spend 8 years to become a Veterinarian, so instead she is working as a vet nurse and loves it. She is planning on taking some college classes this spring at the CC and is going to work towards a business degree. She hopes to one day own an animal grooming/boarding business.

[Remudamom]

Our nannies were both homeschooled, they are happy, well adjusted, one married with kids, one still single. My best buddy was homeschooled after she got really sick in high school, and she's fantastic. Married with six great kids that she's homeschooling.

 

Only one of ours is out of the house so far, he's in his third year of college, doing well and he's perfect! 8)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I know several.

 

I met one family about 12 years ago when their daughter was 12. They had pulled her out of school because the school's handling of her learning disabilty was affecting her self-esteem. Mom focused on her strengths, remediated her weaknesses. She was part of a history club, started a theater troup, book clubs in addition to her academic work. Her parents were relaxed homeschoolers (not unschooling, but not high pressure academics either.) She finished college in 4 years, majoring in English. She is married. I don't know where she is working, but she seems very happy.

 

Another family I met at the same time ... another girl who was taken out of school due to learning disabilty issues. Her parents unschooled her (not NON schooled.) They followed her interests and passions. In high school, they hit math hard because it was a subject she always struggled with. She got through Algebra II despite not doing much in the way of math in her younger years. She went to college on a dance scholarship. I haven't heard much from her, but I did see her and her mother last spring. She seems happy. Maybe the direction of her life may not be what everyone else would choose, but she is happy and productive. She volunteers at various animal welfare organizations and teaches dance to small children in addition to pursuing her studies.

 

Another girl is in film school - her mother again unschooled her.

Another girl was homeschooled until senior year. She had been taking foreign language classes at public school since 7th grade. She went to high school part time (taking a foreign language classes and few AP classes here that her mother didn't have time to teach. ) She finished all her homeschool subjects by junior year except math (Calculus II) and went nearly full time her senior year. She was a national merit scholar. She got several scholarships including a full-tuition scholarship to a private college nearby. She volunteers with Girl Scouts, the local equestrian center, the homeless shelter. She supplements her income by tutoring Spanish, Latin and Math. I have never met a more organized, accomplished young lady. She is also the sweetest person I know.

[Kathleen in VA]

I know many who are about this age and are doing very well in the real world. A great many of them go to my church (like Cin :)). Here is an article about my ds21 for a specific instance:

 

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/032008/03252008/364556

 

Thanks for the opportunity to brag.:D

[WTMindy]

The other thread about trainwreck homeschooled kids made me want to hear the "good" stories. When we started we were the only homeschoolers we knew besides some unschoolers who had very different philosophies from us on many levels. I don't personally know anyone else who has homeschooled right through and is now a successful grown up - for better or for worse.

 

Can you tell me some great stories? I'm specifically thinking of older teen years and young 20's. I'm wondering about what a homeschooled young adult "looks" (seems) like. Of course I have an idea of how my kids will/should/want them to be, but I'd like some real stories.

 

Thanks all!

- Stacey in MA

 

Oh, there are many, many wonderful young adults who have been homeschooled!! My cousin was homeschooled until she was a sophomore and then went to hs and was validictorian. She just graduated from college and wants to be a missionary. She is a great young lady, and I'm very proud of her!! I also work with some very great kids who I adore and I know they will be very successful!!

[swellmomma]

There is a family in my homeschool support group. The 15 (or is he 16 now?) boy is about to go into his second year of college. Extremely intelligent boy. The daughter aged 13/14 is a world renowned balloon artist which is what she does when not studying. Amazing kids the both of them.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I've known many more successes than trian wrecks. The train wrecks would have happened even if the kids went to ps.

 

I have a 22yo daughter who was not wrecked by homeschooling, but jumped off the tracks like Tootle the Train. All the red flags waving convinced her to get back on track. She is now married and working hard at being a good mom and wife.

 

I have an 18yo son studying business at William and Mary right now. He is a freshman but already has 23 credits awarded toward his degree because of his outstanding work as a dual enrolled community college student. He plans on graduating in 3 years.

 

My 15yo son is polite, respectful, and beginning to see the value of hard work. Two years ago was a different story, lol. He has quickly moved up the ranks in CAP and has decided maybe a 4 year Air Force ROTC program is the way to go. Two years ago he was going to live at home forever. :-)

[Jan P.]

Hi Stacey,

 

I homeschooled my ds all the way from K to 12. He's now in college, and last year he made the dean's list! I was always second guessing myself during the years I homeschooled him, and now I'm seeing the fruit of those years.

[Barb_]

Since I posted on the rebellion thread, I suppose I should post on the success thread as well. I think I'm still working through our transition (or lack of it) and I'm 37 weeks pregnant to boot. But all in all I feel my oldest daughter is a success story.

 

Meghan just started ASU with a full ride (tuition, books, room and board) that she earned entirely on her own. She did the legwork, filled out the forms, wrote her own course descriptions, etc. Ever the hard worker, she called me overjoyed and swooning over her Human Event course (a classical course requirement for honors students that combines History, Philosophy, Literature, and World View) that requires she read 18 complete works this sememster. Swooning. She's in heaven over the workload.

 

She has been taking college classes and working in a restaurant since she was 15 and although she has been under the influence of peers much older than herself, some involved in drinking or drugs, she has always kept herself separate from that scene. She is self-possessed and very much her own person.

 

Barb

[Kim in Appalachia]

A few:

 

A young woman, in her mid 20's, just finished her masters and is working at a job using her skills and passion.

 

2 young men in their final year of college, each surpassing their parents hopes (one had a severe learning disability. The other has been aggressive in pursuing what he wants and in living out his faith).

 

1 young woman who just graduated this past may, and is now married and working, preparing to leave for the mission field.

 

I know a few more who have gone to college, and are thriving. I know at least 2 who decided against the college route but pursued specialty training.

 

I do know a couple "train wrecks" but it was not because of their lack of education or social skills, but rather a result of a dead beat dad.

 

I know several kids in their last 2 years of homeschooling, who will be going to college.

 

All of these families used different approaches toward schooling. The common link is that they all cared deeply about their children's education and work hard to help their children obtain what they (the children) wanted.

[SnowWhite]

I have a whole boatload of friends who, like myself, are successful homeschool grads. My hs was limited to grades 9-12, but many of them were homeschooled for most of their school years.

 

Most of the "trainwreck" people I know are trainwrecks because of their upbringing in general, not their education or the lack thereof.

 

Here are some careers and degrees off the top of my head, along with many well-adjusted career homemaker wives:

 

Trim carpentry contractor

Trim carpentry foreman

Veterinary assistant/office manager

M.S. in Elem Ed and Spec Ed, 4.0 GPA

Radiology Nurse Practitioner

Nurse with BS in Nursing (x several friends)

Drafting Engineer/Entrepeneur Contractor for Steel Transport

Missionary

Church Publishing Company Executive

Accountant

[Kelli in TN]

My oldest was a slacker throughout his homeschooled high school years. He lost his college scholarship and then floated through life, sleeping all day, depressed and useless.

 

We prayed. A lot. And then some more.

 

 

Fast forward to today and he is happily married, owns his own house, er, mortgage, and loves his job working for an IT company. He plans to start back to college now that he knows what it is he wants to do with his life.

 

 

Don't judge those trainwrecks (homeschooled or traditionally schooled) too early in life. Sometimes they get back on track and make you proud.

[lighthouseacademy]

I know quite a few. Many of them are homeschooling their kids now. I know quite a few who have gotten full scholarships to college married and have great lives. You might want to read the Trust the Children blog. They homeschooled a bunch and now have grandchildren.

[Merry]

they're all doing very well. My oldest went to college for one semester: decided he'd rather get married to his girlfriend and start working. I was disappointed at first though I love his wife. That was five years ago. Now he is a journeyman with the Dept. of Water and Power and is taking classes to get his AA in electronics management. He and his wife have two beautiful children that are very well behaved and they have bought a nice home. My dd however did go through some rough times after graduation: going to four different colleges and running up a huge credit card debt. She seemed lost for a few years but now she seems to be settling down and is quite happy with her job working with troubled children in a mental hospital. She is looking forward to returning to college next semester to finish her degree in English. We had turbulent years in our home right when she turned 13 which didn't end until she was around 17. Her problem was caused more by our family's bad situation due to finances and having to move several times than by being homeschooled. The third child has been attending the local state university for a year now and is making lots of friends and he doesn't seem to be any different from the other kids at Campus Crusade where he hangs in his free time. His ambition is to become a radiologist after medical school and I know he has the willpower and steadiness of purpose to make it.

[E_Edgerton]

I know one...my DH! All of the kids in his family were homeschooled, 6 in all! My DH is finishing up his degree in mechanical engineering and I personally think he is a smashing success! (I may be a bit biased though) He has an older sister who is in a great relationship and is independent in terms of earnings. His younger brothers are all in school for one of the following: art/film, animation, english/composition, computer science, and the youngest...he is still uncertain, but bound for something creative no doubt. They all seem rather creative/artistic, but only my husband didn't pursue it as a major. Not only are the all intelligent and well-rounded individuals, but they are genuinely good people! How's that for succuess!?:D

[mcconnellboys]

Well, there are so many ways to define "success", and when do we count the "ending" of the story?

 

I have neighbors across the street who have friends who homeschooled a daughter right into Vandy.

 

I know a girl who lived here in Lexington until last year who was very successful in gifted programs, took a Congressional Gold Medal, won a Merit Scholarship, and is now enrolled this fall at Centre College (good liberal arts school in Kentucky).

 

My older son went back to private school last year and is maintaining a good average there (pray it continues this year, LOL!)

 

We just had a tour at UK art museum and our docent was a young man who homeschooled and who is attending Transylvania this fall (another good, liberal arts college in our city).

 

I know of another young man who was working through all the levels of first aid, CPR cert, etc. as he became old enough to test for those. He worked with the Red Cross here in town and also was allowed to start volunteering and then working with UK hospital. He wanted to go to school to be a nurse or doctor, can't recall which....

 

There are a bunch of homeschooled moms on these boards who are now homeschooling their own children.

 

Christopher Paolini (is that right?) homeschooled and is now a famous author with three books under his belt (soon)..... Lots of famous kids - actors and athletes - homeschool. Now, lots of them are trainwrecks, but I think that's due to fame and not the homeschooling..... Some are well-rounded and "normal".

 

Susan Wise Bauer homeschooled and just look how nice and normal she turned out, LOL!

 

Regena

[sdWTMer]

;)

 

I have many cousins who were homeschooled and have gone to college.

[Stacey in MA]

Thank you all for taking time to share those success stories! Especially since we don't personally KNOW any people who have started, gone through and completed homeschooling, I sometimes question myself and wonder about the big picture. It's nice to hear about so many who weren't "scarred" by mom's teaching (my fears) and all that "family time" (my parents/sister's fears)! Hee hee!!

 

Happy end of the week to all! 2 weeks down, and it's only getting better! ;-p

 

- Stacey in MA

[HappyatHome]

I have two home schooled graduates. DS (21) was home schooled all the way through from 1st grade on. He decided to get a college degree using accelerated distance learning. He earned a history degree in 15 months. After spending a wonderful semester at Focus on the Family, he decided to pursue a radiology technology degree and plans to go on to specialize in nuclear medicine. The program he entered is very competitive. They only choose 18 out of 250 - 300 applicants. He made it in. In addition, he volunteers at a local Christian camp for inner city kids as a counselor and with maintenance. He also volunteers with an after school program for underprivileged kids. In addition, he also works at a retreat center down the road from us as a zip line guide and is considering training as a low and high ropes facilitator. He currently lives at home and we are delighted to have him.

 

DS (19) was home schooled exclusively. He is currently a sophomore at a small Christian college. He is working on a degree in Outdoor Leadership. He was home this summer and worked at the retreat center down the road as a zip line guide. They liked him so much, they have asked him to return and have offered to put together an internship for him (an internship is required with his degree). He represented the retreat center in a radio interview with two other guides. He hopes to use his degree to work in a ministry capacity with teens some day. I've been surprised at how many opportunities there seem to be open to him in this field.

 

I know many successful home schooled students. They are teachers, engineers, missionaries, nursing students, etc.