A Small Narration Of My Life

Hello. My name is Britney. I am thirteen years old, and currently studying for my GED. This is the fifth year that I have homeschooled, along with my younger brother. And I must admit, if I hadn't left public school and was still there now, exposed to all the horrors of that world, I would not be the same person I am today. I still have a few friends that are in public school, and even though they are nice to me, the majority of them are rude, immature, disrespectful and inconsiderate to others. It's shocking to me what the current youth has come to. I'm not saying I'm perfect; far from it. I'm just saying that I know the difference between right and wrong. And school lacks that lesson.

An eternal question about children is, how should we educate them? Politicians and educators consider more school days in a year, more science and math, the use of computers and other technology in the classroom, more exams and tests, more certification for teachers, and less money for art. All of these responses come from the place where we want to make the child into the best adult possible, not in the ancient Greek sense of virtuous and wise, but in the sense of one who is an efficient part of the machinery of society. But on all these counts, soul is neglected.

~ Thomas Moore

I also have written two books, and in November (as a part of NaNoWriMo) I will start work on my third, to finish the trilogy. I doubt that I would be able to write as much as I do if I was still in public school, which is truly traumatic to think about, because writing is a major part of my life. Along with reading, and acting. I spend most of my day reading, and am currently working on my ninth play.

You know, when we are kids we make things up, we write, and for me the puzzle is not that some are still writing; the real question is why did the other people stop?

~ William Stafford

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

~ Erasmus

Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.

~ John W. Gardner

I have taken many camping trips, and I plan to explore the world as much as I can. I love hiking and discovering little patches of nature, untouched by man. Flowers and plants intrigue me, and I have a garden that my dad, my mom and I work on.

Nature-study cultivates the child's imagination, since there are so many wonderful and true stories that he may read with his own eyes, which affect his imagination as much as does fairy lore; at the same time nature-study cultivates in him a perception and a regard for what is true, and the power to express it. All things seem possible in nature; yet this seeming is always guarded by the eager quest of what is true. Perhaps half the falsehood in the world is due to lack of power to detect truth and to express it. Nature-study aids both in discernment and in expression of things as they are.

~ Anna Botsford Comstock

I have three dogs, four chickens, and a corn snake. I enjoy the company of animals, and love to watch their behaviors and determine what kinds of personalities they have. Many people refer to me as an "animal whisperer", because animals always seem to flock to me and listen to me when no one else can command them.

I have quite a few friends, both homeschooling and not, both young and old. I wish that people would realize that homeschoolers aren't unsocialized. If anything, most of us are even more socialized, because we aren't afraid to make friends with people older or younger than us, and it doesn't matter if you are different or a little weird. A person's a person, a friend's a friend.

So...that's about it. For now at least. Enjoy your day :)

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.

~ Christopher Morley