Do you ever look at your first-grader and wonder, who will she be in 10 or 20 years? This week on Home School Heartbeat with host Mike Farris, get a glimpse of the future as we hear one girl’s perspective on how homeschooling has impacted her life.
Mike Farris:
This week, my guest is Lydia Ware, a 16-year-old homeschooled student from Washington state, my old stomping grounds. Lydia wrote me a letter earlier this year, and I found it so encouraging that I wanted her to share some of what she wrote with all of you. Lydia, thanks so much for joining us on the program!
Lydia Ware:
Thank you, Mr. Farris, I’m happy to be here!
Mike:
Lydia, I’m looking forward to hearing about the ways homeschooling has impacted your life. Let’s begin with your sense of self-identity—do you believe home education has influenced how you see yourself?
Lydia:
Yes, Mr. Farris, I think it really, really has! I had a chance to find myself! Not growing up where there’s all that peer pressure, and crowds that won’t accept you unless you’re like everyone else—I was able to really develop my character and had the freedom to be who I was. Being homeschooled has almost protected me from peer pressure until I was old enough to make up my own mind about how I wanted to handle it. It has made me glad to be who I am, to be different in the way God made me. It has made me happy to be unlike the rest of the popular kids, not to follow the crowd, almost to fight against the tide. Being taught at home has given me the chance to make a decision, and has given me the chance to grow up knowing who I am, to be myself, and to be proud of it.
Mike:
Lydia, that is really encouraging! Thanks so much for sharing with our listeners. I’m Mike Farris.
