Today I’m so excited to share an interview I did with Keilee. Keilee is 12 and has been homeschooling for the last five or so years. I’ve learned a lot about all the creative things Keilee has been doing lately from visiting her mom Karen’s blog at HomeschoolGirls.
I wanted to interview Keilee because she lives a life full of imagination, creativity and passion outside the school system. My kids are still young, so I find it so exciting to read about older kids who are doing some really cool things. (Not that we aren’t too, but at a different level J)
So, on to the interview!
Can you tell us briefly about your homeschooling experience? Have you always stayed home from school? Do you like homeschooling or are there some parts about it that you wish were different?
I went to Kindergarten and 1st grade at public school. I started being homeschooled in 2nd grade. I love homeschooling and can’t imagine going to public school. I do wish that the schools around here would let homeschoolers participate in sports/cheerleading/theater and things like that.
Talk to me a little bit about your interests. What are you really passionate about now? Has learning outside of the school system allowed you to explore these interests more deeply than if you had to go to school for hours each day?
I love to act and do theater. I was 6 when I did my first play in public school. A lot of people I know do theatre and go to school, but homeschooling gives me so much time to practice, watch plays on DVD and actually attend plays. We read Shakespeare and literature classics, and I don’t think I would be doing that if I was in public school.
I also love to knit and create. I can spend hours working on a project. If I went to school for 8 hours a day, then had 3 hours of homework, I wouldn’t have time to do any of that.
Homeschooling allows me to follow my interests. I love animals and love that I can do research and watch documentaries about them whenever I want. I can get out in the yard and dig for worms and bugs and get tadpoles and fish from the creek.
You’re 12 years old now and almost a teenager. How do you think homeschooling will be different for you in the future than it was when you were younger?
This is a tough question. It has already changed a lot. I have been taking a lot of outside science classes that I really love. I have gone on recon missions, learned about aviation, rode the G Force, dissected animals and more. That is what I love about homeschooling. It is never boring! If it is boring, you aren’t looking for cool things hard enough.
I have friends in middle school, and it seems like their interests are different than mine. They only seem to care about boys and gossip. Some of them seem to have changed a lot this year.
As I get older I expect to take more classes and get deeper into subjects that interest me.
From what I’ve heard and seen, you’re a very creative girl. Do you think homeschooling has helped strengthen your creativity? If so, how?
Of course it has. I have time to do what I want, to be who I want to be. I probably would never have learned to knit, be as good in plays, work on 3 blogs and other things. I don’t see how kids in school have time for anything.
My mom and I were talking the other day, and we noticed that some of my PS friends really don’t have outside interests. They go to school, come home and do homework and go to bed. I would hate that life.
Your learning seems to be centered on your interests and things you care about. How do you make sure you are learning those things that will be important for you to reach your dreams and goals?
I leave that part up to my mom. I don’t LOVE everything I do. I don’t love reading much to her disappointment, but I do read. I read blogs and plays and stories online. I research information. I do plenty of reading, but Mom thinks I don’t. [[Note from Karen: I was actually thinking about Keilee and her reading…I told her that if she read voraciously, she would probably not do so many other things that she does J ]
I don’t always love math, but I understand that it is important. Even though I want to go to college for Theater Arts, I do understand I need to take other subjects.
I love being homeschooled. I can’t imagine another life. I love being with my puppy and my Mom and doing things on our schedule instead of someone’s who doesn’t really know me. This is the life for me!