The first day of school is always stressful. People constantly ask themselves questions about where their next class is, or what table they will sit at during lunch. Sometimes we overwork ourselves about the littlest things.

Now, imagine it’s your first day of school. Ever.

As a retired homeschooler, that’s exactly what I experienced this year. While a majority of the people I pass in the halls are unaware that my first time going to school was last January, my friends that do know of my homeschooled past always have questions. So for the final time, I want to debunk common homeschool myths and questions I’ve come across as a homeschool veteran.

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“What’s it like seeing people?”

I have been asked this question more times than I can count. The truth is, as a homeschooler, I was outside interacting with people more often than I have experienced in the school system. My education enabled me to work at coffee shops, in libraries, or at the park. I learned how to have educated, mature conversations with adults and kids my age.

My flexible schedule also allowed me to babysit as often as I could, and I was already involved in North Allegheny sports. I attended a homeschool community where I would meet with friends my grade weekly to work on group projects, science labs, and presentations. I would never have explained my homeschooled life as a socially isolated one.

Sadly, the same cannot be said about my experience in public schools. Without growing up in the school district, making deep, strong, and fun relationships is a lot harder. I’ve found that with more people surrounding you at every minute, the more lonely you begin to feel.

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“You’re lucky. You got to sleep in and stay in your pajamas every day.”

Unfortunately, this was never the case for me. In my house, it was a firm rule that early mornings began productively….. in school clothes.

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“Did you do school all day?”

Truthfully, there were many times that I was working at school all day. However, it was self-inflicted. Homeschooling was extremely flexible in that I controlled when I finished my school for the week. All my work was due on Friday each week, so, if I was diligent and finished my work on Monday and Tuesday, I had the rest of the week to read for fun, hang out with friends, do crafts, and explore my other interests.

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“Why did you switch to NA?”

Like anything, homeschooling had its ups and downs. Homeschooling gave me immense freedom about where and when I did my schoolwork. I learned how to function with the freedom of a college student. and manage the responsibility of that freedom.

However, freedom and independence are easily abused and procrastination is made one hundred times easier when you are in control of your own schedule. Learning from textbooks also became monotonous, and I was ready for a change.

North Allegheny has presented me with numerous opportunities that challenge me and have allowed me to explore my interests. I am now a part of Student Council, Speech and Debate, and Cross Country. I am slowly making friends, although being in such a large school makes it difficult. The transition from homeschool to public school wasn’t easy, but this new school and the people that stood beside me made it an immensely lighter burden.

I’m so extremely grateful for homeschooling and everything it equipped me with. I want to encourage NA students to notice new people and to be more and more willing to include us. We aren’t that scary!

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Editors’ note: All opinions expressed on The Uproar are a reflection solely of the beliefs of the bylined author and not the journalism program at NASH.  We continue to welcome school-appropriate comments and guest articles.