Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 36)

SPECIAL SERIES M Homeschooling allowed Alexi the ﬂexibility to pursue his passion for theater. Here, he plays William Shakespeare in a pre-show for Antony and Cleopatra. High School Options for Gifted Students Excerpts by Alexi Sargeant from the Most people are intrigued, but polite, when I tell them I am a homeschooler. They ask a series of questions I am well rehearsed in answering. Some strike me as odd, such as, “What grade would you be in, if you were in public school?” I am in 12th grade, exactly the same as any other high school senior. Most homeschoolers of my acquaintance follow the standard progression of grades, with the exception of a few talented students who skipped a grade at some point. This question, however, reveals the common misconception that a homeschool education is more exotic and peculiar than it actually is. Another excerpt from the homeschool FAQ is “Do you just stay in your pajamas all day?” The answer is: once, when I was sick. Most days, however, I would feel discomfited remaining pajama-clad because I have so many places to be. A typical week for me involves taking the trolley to math classes on Monday and Wednesday; walking to my Latin tutor’s house on Tuesday; and driving to Macbeth rehearsal on Thursday and art class on Friday. My family jokes that homeschooling should be called “roadschooling,” since we are constantly on the way from one activity to another. This state of nigh-perpetual motion has allowed me to take classes from a wide range of instructors over the years. My mom taught me many subjects when I first started homeschooling (third grade), but by middle school she had taken on the role of a principal, helping me organize the classes I take in a variety of formats. Some courses I take on my own with a textbook and syllabus, while for other subjects I meet with a tutor in one-on-one lessons. I have even taken three upper-level seminars at Villanova University. These classes—The Inklings, The Human Person, and Society—were all challenging, but also highly rewarding. Part of the challenge was passing myself off as a college student, as I decided against announcing my high school status. The reading lists for these classes included Aristotle, Tolstoy, and Walker Percy, and these works always sparked interesting discussion. Another advantage of taking these college classes was being able to ask for college recommendations from my professors, something I appreciated when college application time came around. My college professors are not the only outside overseers of my education. Pennsylvania, where we live, has fairly rigorous requirements for homeschoolers, so we see a homeschool evaluator every year and send in annual portfolios to our school district. The classical Kolbe Curriculum I use for my history, literature, and theology classes also requires us to send in quarterly tests. Every homeschool family, however, will use different curricula or hodgepodges thereof, so the amount of testing and documentation will vary from homeschooler to homeschooler. Some of my courses take place in classroom settings with other high school students, such as my Survey of Great Books class, which is taught by one of the teachers I’ve worked with the most. Mr. Walter not only tutors me in Classical Greek but also teaches academically rigorous 36 imagine Mar/Apr 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Problem Solving
Orange County Math Circle
Number Theory
Count Me In
National Mathematics Competitions
Math at the Science Fair
Just My Speed
MathPath
When Origami Meets Rocket Science
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Making a Difference
High School Options for Gifted Students
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011