Through the Mirror

I thought long and hard about what to post this week for the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop. This week is Through the Eyes of the Student and I decided that instead of laying an entire blog post at the feet of just one of my children I would ask them each to tell me what they think about homeschooling and what their favorite memory of it is. We've been doing this awhile now so I was sure I'd get different responses from each child and I certainly did!

First a quick introduction to the youngest members of the blogging staff here at Homeschool Campers at Home:

ECJ (Elder Cracker Jack) is our fourteen year old, tech minded, happily goofy, young man. His hobbies include flying his mini drone, reading graphic comics (along with vampire novels), and playing games on his tablet with his sister who lives in Colorado (long distance bonding at it's best for these two). He's not at all sports minded but if allowed to sit with his uncle will watch just about any sports game out there just for the quality time involved. He's built two robots in his life time and is interested in building a battle bot eventually. His goal in life is to become a multi-trillionaire and he's not ashamed to tell everyone that he intends to do so. Currently the plan for becoming a multi-trillionaire includes finishing high school, signing up for the Air Force (hopefully getting a desk/tech job as he'd really like to be the one in control of drones and missiles), attending college once out of the Air Force for "something tech related", and building his fortune. He's not letting ADHD hold him back!


YCJ (Younger Cracker Jack) is eleven and a small bundle of sunshine each and every day! Her favorite things include penguins, small dogs, Nintendo DS3, and computers. She's completely in her element outside where she can run around and even play in the dirt, this is one girl that's not afraid to get dirty! Willing to work on cars with her Dad, cook in the kitchen with Mom, entertain her little sister, or work on her reading skills quietly by herself... YCJ has a heart that keeps on giving. Currently her future goals include joining the Marine Corps, becoming a Drill Instructor at Paris Island, retiring after 30 years and becoming a civilian military consultant. She fully intends to one day get married (in her own words) "if for no other reason than to have ONE kid" but she's not in a rush. Currently she enjoys reading Michigan Chillers and the Magic Tree House series, having discovered that both series have short enough chapters that she doesn't feel like she's reading chapter books and they don't make her stress out as many other books do (YCJ battles with her Dyslexia daily, it's a battle she's proven each day that she can win with determination and grace.).

Peanut is the youngest of our little family. Her favorite color is pink, she likes cats and ponies best, and she's always got a kind word for anyone upset. Peanut battles Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Attention Deficite Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She's a bundle of energy and strength that inspires the rest of the family every day. She's constantly putting together odd objects to make something new and beautiful as gifts for each member of the family. Her current plans for the future include: joining the Army for just four year period and then going to college, never moving out from Mom and Dad's house (other than while in the Army - "It'll be like a really long vacation, Mommy!", adopting one child, building her own house on property that she's sure we'll own by the time she's grown up so that she can also build herself a small barn to house all of the animals that she intends to rescue when she's older, and finally to become a farm animal vet. She's only just turned eight years old but this girl has the world in the palm of her hand and she knows it!

Okay, now that you know a little about Peanut and the Cracker Jacks, it's time to get a peak inside of their heads and discover what each of them think about homeschooling and what their favorite memories of it are!!! We'll go oldest to youngest again...


ECJ's thoughts on homeschooling: "My favorite thing about homeschooling is that I can learn just about any language that I take a liking too. My least favorite thing about homeschooling is that I have to do a lot of lessons because my parents expect so much from me. And my favorite memory from homeschooling is when we did the Oozing Pumpkin experiment and I'm excited that we're going to do it again this year!"



YCJ's thoughts on homeschooling: "My favorite subject is math and I don't really care about the other subjects because they all have reading and words in them and I think that's hard. I like that we can go with our Noni places during the school week because we're not in a building being taught by strangers. I also like that since we've been homeschooling, and not in public school, that I don't get bullied anymore. My favorite memory about homeschooling is when we went to the movies with Noni during a school day."


Peanut's thoughts on homeschooling: "My favorite thing about homeschooling is just about everything. English is my favorite subject. But, I don't like when it's time to do my workbooks because that means that it's nearly time to be finished with learning from books that day. My favorite memory from homeschooling is when we were traveling in our camper and having so much fun. The best thing ever is being able to go to a park without having to deal with crowds when it's school time."


As for my favorite part of homeschooling, I'd have to say getting to see those "ah-ha" moments. I see far more of them with the children being home than I'd ever see if they were still attending public or private school. I get to be part of those "ah-ha" moments as well ... and that alone is worth more to me than any amount of money.

Linking up with the Back to Homeschool blog hop.