Three and a half weeks into her senior year, my daughter walked into the kitchen, sat down at the table, and told us she thought she wanted to change her path… again.
She had returned to public high school in July, ready for all the traditional senior year experiences: prom, senior breakfast, grad night, walking across the stage in cap and gown. After years of homeschooling, ballet training out of state, and dual enrollment, she was ready, she said, to “just be a regular high school senior.”
But as she settled into the rhythm of the school year, she began to realize that “regular” wasn’t really her style anymore. She missed the freedom of structuring her own time. She missed being able to dive deep into her passions without the limits of a bell schedule. And she was itching to make one last bold move before graduation… dual enrolling full-time at our community college and graduating early.
The Beginning of Our Journey
Our homeschooling story began when she was in first grade. After a year in public kindergarten, we decided to bring her home. Our goal was never to recreate school at the kitchen table. We wanted something bigger: to raise lifelong learners who knew how to chart their own course, think critically about their options, and pursue the kind of education that would truly serve them.
For years, this meant field trips on Tuesdays, math in pajamas, and afternoons spent reading together on the couch. But it also meant something less romantic and far more powerful: the freedom to pivot.
Pivots as Learning Moments
In ninth grade, she surprised us by wanting to try public school again. Coming out of the isolation of the pandemic, she wanted to connect with peers, be part of a larger social circle, and explore the world beyond homeschool co-ops and dance rehearsals. She also happened to be advancing quickly in ballet, training at a higher level, and wanted to see if she could balance it all.
Two months in, she knew it wasn’t the right fit. The schedule left little time for the hours of ballet training she loved. So after her freshman year, we pivoted again, back to a more flexible model that allowed her to put dance first.
That summer, an invitation from a prestigious ballet school in the Midwest changed everything. They wanted her to stay and train year-round. We said yes. For two years, she lived out her dream, training at an elite level, growing as a dancer, making lifelong friends, and still accelerating academically through homeschool and dual enrollment.
Resilience in the Face of Change
Living away from home as a teenager shaped her in ways a textbook never could. She learned how to navigate difficult roommate dynamics, advocate for herself with instructors, manage her own schedule, and take responsibility for her health and well-being. She had to make daily choices without the immediate safety net of mom and dad, sometimes getting it right, sometimes learning the hard way, but always growing.
The experience built a quiet confidence. She discovered she could solve problems on her own, bounce back from setbacks, and ask for help when she truly needed it. That maturity became one of her greatest strengths, something she carried with her when life shifted unexpectedly.
Then came the injury that prevented her from training at the level she once did. It was heartbreaking, but also a turning point. Without dance at the center, she explored other interests, took more college classes, and started envisioning new goals. She decided to return home for her senior year, wanting to soak up the traditional rites of passage she’d once set aside.
And now, just a few weeks in, she’s pivoting again. But this time, it’s different. This time, the decision is entirely hers, shaped by the maturity that comes from years of making and owning big choices.
When Kids Own Their Learning
As parents, we’ve always believed education should be something you do with your kids, not to them. This approach takes trust, flexibility, and a willingness to let go of a perfect plan. It also means sometimes embracing chaos when a last-minute change of direction comes along.
Watching our daughter weigh her options, make a pros and cons list, schedule meetings with her counselor, and seek advice from people she trusts is exactly what we hoped for when we began homeschooling. She’s not just checking boxes on the way to a diploma. She’s designing an education that works for her life, at this moment.
The Real Measure of Success
Our measure of success was never about test scores or perfect transcripts. It was about raising independent thinkers who know themselves well enough to make decisions, and resilient enough to adapt when life changes.
So even though her senior year looks nothing like the tidy, linear path we once imagined, it’s exactly what we wanted it to be: hers.
And that’s the gift homeschooling gave us… not just academic flexibility, but the space for her to discover who she is, what matters to her, and how to navigate life with confidence. Without the freedom to explore outside a traditional system, make mistakes, and change course in such significant ways, she might never have developed the independence and resilience she carries today. Homeschooling wasn’t just about learning at home; it was about learning how to live.
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