Although homeschooling affords its teenagers a lot of freedoms not otherwise found in a traditional school system, sometimes the walls just feel like they are closing in. “House-a-tosis, (aka too much time spend in the house) can creep up on you and just make you feel a bit bonkers … right? Remember folks, the number one reason that homeschooling rocks is FLEXIBILITY!

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” —Alexander Graham Bell

Spring is here! Yet before the urge to put on your swim goggles and head to the beach or off to the mountains on a family retreat strikes too hard, it is best to think ahead a bit toward the upcoming school year. Remember that it will help to reduce any mid to late summer panic attacks as fall approaches, or some critical mistakes in curriculum choices.

Did you ever imagine that the world of homeschooling could be filled with big game animals, dangerous hunts, and wild adventure on far away continents? Bridgeway Academy student McKenzie Sims of Evanston, Wyoming – and star of the television show “Young Blood” on the Outdoor Channel – tells us firsthand how exciting the life of a homeschooler can actually be with the right opportunities!

The decision for your family to adopt the homeschooled learning environment for your children may have been difficult – or it may have been quite simple. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, more than 2.04 million students were being homeschooled in 2010 – it’s a recognized and valuable educational format that is increasing rapidly with each passing year. And with such increases come a fresh wave of choices in curriculum – which although is both exciting and full of promise, can be a bit confusing and doubt-inducing for parents.

Most of us today would agree that the traditional school system is flawed. Percentages show that public schools are struggling to produce an even moderate trickle of motivated students ready to embrace higher academic learning. Drop-out rates, poor grades, and lack of enthusiasm in general are still the norm in many districts – and money woes including severe economic budget cuts are not helping matters. The past few decades of education have been coined as the “Industrial Age” of learning, where students are assembly-lined through the educational process, often burning out along the way.

To many teens, attending the high school prom is considered a crowning moment of glory in your youthful history – a time of romance, good times, flirting, dancing, and dreams come true. On an exit poll, I would strongly wager that the general consensus is – “not so much.” Homeschooled teens have an even bigger dilemma with many questions attached – can I even attend a prom if I wanted to? How? Who with? Where?

It is a valuable lesson for children to understand that community service means so much more than merely fulfilling course requirements or sharpening up a college resume. Truly, there can be no real community without the service of its individual members. And nothing can prepare our children or teens to go out into the world with a wide range of understanding as to the way a community functions as a complex whole than individual personal service, and the leadership skills necessary for success in the adult world.

Once again another month has slipped by. The main event this month was SPRING BREAK! It was a much needed two weeks rest after some very intense classes. We finished our Philosophy class on a Friday and left the next morning at 4 am to drive down to the Phoenix area. Sixteen hours later, we were pulling into our Aunt and Uncle’s driveway. We spent the next 3 days writing our final paper that was due for Philosophy class. After that, spring break had officially started!

“I want to be one of the greatest soloists in history.”

No indecision, no second thoughts – Bridgeway homeschooling student and violinist Kitsho Hosotani began playing his instrument of choice at age four because he knew, instinctively, it was his dream to be the best.

“Tell me and I may forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.”

~ Chinese Proverb