Interviews with Homeschooled Adults – Andrea

This week’s interview shares the struggles of being a sheltered homeschooler!
However, there’s no need to feel sorry for Andrea!  She’s strong, capable, and homeschooling her own children now!  Please, welcome Andrea to Raising Arrows!
(Feel free to leave questions and comments for her at the end of the post!)

Name & Age:
My name is Andrea, and I will be turning 37 soon.

How many years were you homeschooled?
I went to kindergarten and then my parents decided to homeschool me. I was homeschooled until after I was 16, and then went to high school for grades 9 to 13.

Favorite homeschool memory:
My favourite homeschool memory is looking at the pictures in my reading books.  That leads me to the next question…

Favorite curriculum:
My favourite curriculum is Pathway Reading books.  It took many years and many reading curricula until I finally learned to read and enjoy reading.

Worst homeschooling memory:
My worst homeschooling memory is in grade 1 there was a huge blue binder of spelling words and words that were misspelled would be copied out many times.  I would have to say that reading and spelling have been my most difficult subjects.

What did you choose to do after graduation?:
After graduating I volunteered at camps, serving meals, doing dishes and cooking in the kitchen. I got a job working at Tim Hortons, and worked there until I married my husband.

Will you homeschool your own children?:
In the past 12 years we have been blessed with five children. I have been homeschooling the oldest ones.  The youngest will be 3 soon so she is observing the other children in their school.

Any regrets related to being homeschooled?:
When I went into high school, I did not know how to turn on a computer, and having not watched tv or videos I did not know any actors. I could not watch any video without running from the classroom crying because I did not understand that it was acting and not real events.

Anything you wish you had been taught?:
I wish I had been taught how to turn on a computer, and to know some actor’s names and shows they were in.  It would have been nice to have had some exposure to tv and videos in a safe place with people I could trust, so I could learn how to watch a show without crying every time.

How did homeschooling prepare you for what you are doing now (college or work)?:
Homeschooling prepared me for my life of being a wife, homeschooling mother and a homemaker. I’m thankful for how much my parents taught me.

What about socialization?
I fear that I did lead others to believe homeschoolers are not socialized, as I grew up very sheltered.  I had 2-3 friends growing up, and only saw them a few times a year.  Being the oldest child in my family, I would be inside managing the house or looking after my younger siblings, because I wanted to learn how to manage a home.  But this lack of socialization is not true for all homeschool children.