Reflections of a Homeschooled Student

My name is Heidi Spargur and I live in rural southeast Virginia. I am a 26 year old college graduate and was homeschooled from kindergarten through my high school graduation. I currently still live in our family home, work, and help with the family business, Virginia Soaps & Scents. My first classroom experience was on my first day in college and throughout my time in two different schools I never felt that I had missed anything or was lacking in any area by not having gone to a traditional school. In fact, the opposite was true. Many of my professors noticed that I seemed to be more focused and inquisitive than the average student. My brother and I both graduated from college with honors, which was as much a victory for my parents as it was for my siblings and me. Believe it or not, my chosen field was that of a classroom teacher! As a teacher I have been able to see firsthand the problems within our American education system that drove my parents to a radical decision to homeschool twenty-three years ago. But, to quote one of Virginia’s favorite sons, Thomas Jefferson, “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” This has certainly been true here in the U.S. The grassroots homeschool movement has become a political force to be reckoned with. My parents and many others have fought tirelessly over the past decades to avoid unnecessary government regulation of homeschooling. Our belief is, “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” Research here shows consistently that homeschoolers are doing well above their public and private school counterparts.

In the area of family relationships homeschooling has produced a bond that is in sharp contrast to so many of the families we see around us. Rather than having our family fractured by children in separate schools in separate communities and parents frazzled by running children to ballet to soccer (football if you prefer) to karate to baseball, we were able to focus on activities that built unity within our family. A good example of this is our family business, Virginia Soaps & Scents, which was an outgrowth of our homeschool. It began as a unit study on early American Colonial life and has grown into a successful entrepreneurial endeavor. Each member of the family is expected to contribute their unique gifts and talents whether that is rolling soap balls or building the website. My home education experience has not only given me a wonderful education and beautiful memories but has given me the foundation to homeschool my own children one day (even though I am currently a classroom teacher). Come visit us at www.virginiasoapsandscsents.com to see our family picture. God bless you all in your own home schooling adventure.

Heidi Spargur, 26, Suffolk, Virginia, United States

Comments