2011 - Talk Birth

get into graduate school and that remains the only standardized test I’ve ever taken.
College
I spent almost two years taking classes at the branch college until I had enough credit hours to
transfer to the local university without an ACT score. I took College Algebra with trepidation, never
having felt fully competent in math. I did successfully get an A in the class, but it involved literally hours
of self-imposed practice problem solving at home sitting by the wood stove. I was a very enthusiastic and
hard-working student, theorizing that I had so much energy for college because I hadn’t previously been
”burned out” by high school. I earned all A’s at the branch school and continued to earn all A’s at the
university to which I transferred, eventually graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. I was also the
youngest graduate in the university’s history, finishing my bachelor’s degree at age 19 years and 13 days. I
kept my age very private throughout college, only revealing my true age to a tiny handful of other students
and then to a couple of my favorite professors in the two weeks before graduation. One classic moment was
when a friend asked me to go to a bar after class to continue working on our group project. I said I couldn’t
and he said, ”why not? You’re 21, aren’t you?” I just said no, and he said, ”22?” which I continue to find
very amusing ;) For all of those who worry about the ”socialization” of homeschoolers, no one ever seemed
to be able to identify me as a homeschooler or as overly young.
After it became clear that driving into town every day for classes and work no longer made a lot of
sense, I lived in the dorm for one semester in my junior year and then moved into a small efficiency
apartment when I was almost 18. I worked at the branch college I originally attended, which was a perfect
job for me, allowing me to do all my homework and paper writing while at work. (I am now a professor at
this same college!)
I was extremely obsessive about my grades, becoming almost panic-stricken at the thought of not
getting an A in a class. Astronomy was my most horrible subject and I remember crying—wailing
almost—certain that it was going to be the undoing of my 4.0. As it was, I calculated the exact score I
needed to get on the final to manage a 90 % in the class and I still remember the tension in my chest in
going to look at the final grades on the professor’s door and seeing that, yes, I had received exactly that
score on the final, not a single point over! I continued to date my only boyfriend throughout college and in
July after I graduated we got married (we’ve been married for 13 years now). Immediately following college,
I went on to graduate school and finished my master’s degree there at age 21, also with a perfect 4.0 GPA
(though I’d been told by many people, including professors, that I’d have to lower my expectations of myself
once I went to graduate school and that it would be a ”bigger pond,” that didn’t end up being true). Again,
I only revealed my age to a handful of people. At one point after being pushed into saying how old I was,
my friend said, ”wow! I would never have guessed. If someone had asked me, ’is Molly 19 or 30,’ I would
have said, ’well, she looks young for 30.’” Even at the time, this struck me as mildly sad, like I had been
”fast forwarded” through my adolescence.
Adult Reflections
My experienced as a homeschooled, now-adult taught me many things about education and about
homeschooling. Primarily, I know from experience that it is not necessary to sit in desk all day. I also
know that it is not necessary homeschool with a ”school at home” mentality. Basically, children do pick up
everything they need to know to be functional, socialized adults with access and opportunities. I always
say I learned about the ”real world” by living in it, rather than being closed up all day in an artificially
age-segregated environment expressly modeled to serve the purposes of the Industrial Revolution, not
human needs.
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