By Krysten Siebert —
New things can sometimes be scary, especially when one jumps right in without completing a few steps in the process. My transition from homeschool to public school involved three steps and was not a short process. At first I started out completely doing all school at home. Next I took it a step further and went to a charter school. Last and final step was going to Minarets High School. This whole transition took at least three years.
My first teacher was my mother, and remembering back to when I was younger it was quite pleasant to have my own mother as a teacher. As I began, the homework and people were quite easy to deal with, given that they were my own family, and deadlines never seemed to end. It was always easy to ask questions because no one really judged you; the environment of homeschooling is extremely comfortable. The amount of homework was laid-back and the level of difficulty was low. Overall, homeschool was enjoyable and comfortable.
A couple years later I began attending a charter school with one of my good friends. To me, attending this charter school was a big step and something outside of my box. At first it was uncomfortable, but having a friend by my side made it easier. As I began that year, I was nervous and extremely uncomfortable. Homework became harder, and finding time to complete the homework was even more difficult. I learned very quickly to not procrastinate about my work. Teachers, however, were quite easy to deal with: they helped make my learning experience fun. Overall my experience at a charter school helped make me more social and open to new things.
The last step I took was to enroll at Minarets High School, and this was quite terrifying to me. Again, I took his step with an amazing friend of mine, and I could not have done this without her. Deciding to take this step was quite a long process in itself. Attending public school was something I would have never thought of doing two years ago. However I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of homework I had, which is next to none. I have found teachers to be a little bit more difficult to deal with, which is understandable considering the amount of teenagers they deal with everyday. This last step was quite difficult for me, but it helped me to step outside of my box even more, which is hard but quite necessary.
This experience has caused me to expand my mind and step outside my comfort zone every now and then. Having friends to help me along this transition was quite helpful, and it helped make the experience less nerve-racking and more of an adventure that I started with them. Overall this three step transition was very mind-opening and helped me grow as a person.
Krysten Siebert is enrolled in Minarets Digital Writing class
