As Told By a Homeschooled Kid by Ijaaz

As Told By a Homeschooled Kid by Ijaaz - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

I did not have the traditionally school experience. I didn’t experience the fear and anxiety synonymous with separating from my parents on my first day of Kindergarten. I didn’t have to juggle starting middle school with that equally stressful surprise most commonly know as puberty. And I never attended senior prom, or any other school dance for that matter, so finding a date wasn't that big of a deal.

I was Homeschooled.

A lot of people that I've met felt that I must have missed out on a whole bunch of fun things because of homeschooling. That I there were these rites of passage that I should have taken in order to be considered "normal". Some people even believed those stereotypes about homeschool perpetuated in movies like Mean Girls, Movie 43, and The Bling Ring; and already had assumptions about me based on those notions. So they were genuinely surprised to find out that I studied much of the same lessons and subjects as they did. And the only difference between us was that I worked in my family's shop and maintained my own small business, while going to kindergarten through high school.

While learning economics, I also was filling out customer's orders. I was practicing grammar and math while doing inventory. And I was learning (and excelling in) business marketing while I sold my little crayon carvings in the store.

During one summer (because school never ended for me) I got the opportunity to be in a movie with Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Samuel L. Jackson. Probably the best experience of my whole life and the one that ultimately leads me to pursue a filmmaking career to this day.

My education has shaped me into this sphere of intelligence, curiosity, confidence, and hard work - just to name a few. Because my school year never ended, my learning never ceases either. I am constantly open to new things but at the same time have a clear cut idea of what I want out of life.

Homeschool didn't set me back. If anything it sprang me years ahead of a lot of people. I think thats are very good thing to have at my age, and in this day.