Tami, a home school student, switched places with her friend, 15-year-old Sarah Nix, who goes to The Classical Academy (TCA), a charter high school in the public school system. So one Monday morning, Tami learned to navigate the crowded hallways and sat through classes while experiencing what it’s like to go to public school. And Sarah spent a quiet day studying at Tami’s house, free from the distractions of a school day surrounded by 550 other students.

A New Perspective
Tami, who’s been home schooled all her life, says that on an average day, she gets up at 8:30. (“Sometimes if I’m up late the night before, my mom lets me sleep in!”) She usually stays in her pajamas while she does her work, which mostly involves textbooks, with some time spent on the computer. Two days a week she takes theater and photography classes at her church. Tami’s usually done with her schoolwork by lunch, and then she reads or does other activities in the afternoon.

If Tami’s day is quiet and low-key, then Sarah’s day at public school is noisy and structured! She takes a morning class at a different high school, which means getting up at 5 to make her first class at 7:10. Then she takes the bus to TCA for math and English classes. After a 30-minute lunch, Sarah heads to history, biology, a reading workshop and ends the day with Spanish. After school she has track practice.

With such different school experiences, the girls admit they were excited and also a little nervous to spend a day in a totally different setting. Would swapping places feel like something out of the movie Freaky Friday?

“I was nervous, because I’m not usually around a lot of people, and I wasn’t sure how it was gonna work,” Tami explains. “I do a lot of work by myself, so I don’t have several different teachers teaching me.”

“I was nervous, because I didn’t know what to expect, not being in class with my friends,” Sarah says. And even though she could have worn her pajamas to Tami’s house, Sarah still decided to wear regular clothes. Some habits are hard to break!

Tami wasn’t completely on her own at Sarah’s public school; she knew some of the kids from church, so she saw at least a few familiar faces. Tami says the biggest difference was being with so many people, and having teachers explain stuff instead of learning independently.

“At TCA, I had to know everywhere I needed to go, and at my house, I know where I’m going, and I mostly stay in two rooms!” Tami says. “I like being alone and doing my work at my own pace instead of having to listen to the teacher explain something that I already know and some other student doesn’t.”

For Sarah, a day of home schooling was relaxing. “I could work at my own pace, which was really nice. I was done by lunchtime, so I read for a bit, and then my mom came and picked me up.”

Sarah really liked the family devotional time that Tami’s family has together every morning. “I wish we had that at school, where we could start off the day reading the Bible. The family was all together, so it was cool to see that everybody can hold each other accountable. It’s neat to have more than one meal a day where you can sit around the table and eat together.”

For Tami, she liked being able to spend the day being with friends. “I didn’t really know a lot of people at TCA, but if I did go there normally, it’d be fun to be with people. Being home schooled, you can be on a sports team or be in plays, but not necessarily through a school. I get the opportunity because I do it at my church, but some home schoolers don’t.”

The New Kid vs. Part of the Family

But Tami admits that in an environment with so many people, she was nervous about having friends to eat lunch with. “I actually found one of my friends, and they were having a Bible study that day, so I got to sit with them and listen. I know some schools don’t do that, so it was nice to see that those girls wanted to talk about God.”

Tami says she definitely felt like the new kid at school. “All the kids were like, ‘Who are you?’ I’d see a couple of the kids again in another class, and they’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re here again?!’ But they were friendly.”

And Sarah describes feeling like part of Tami’s family during her day of home schooling. “We sat around the table and talked about all kinds of stuff, and that was cool. You can really find out what’s important to each other, instead of just going to school every day and not being to talk about your day much.”

But both girls admit that their school-swapping experience gave them a new appreciation for their own school. Tami appreciates working at her own pace and having freedom and flexibility with her own schedule.

“I like being able to choose what I do first, and I can change it up. I can do my math one day and science the next. I can also be done in the middle of the morning, because I’m just doing one subject a day.”

Sarah enjoys the schedule at her public school. “I like the fact that we go from one class to another instead of being in one place all day. I like having a set amount of time to work on one thing and then go on to the next.”

Both girls have advice for other sisses who are switching to a new school experience: “Be yourself as you try to make new friends,” Tami says.

“Give your siblings and parents a chance to teach you and try to learn something from them instead of just blowing them off,” Sarah adds.

Sarah’s Pros and Cons for Home Schooling
Pros:
• A relaxing schedule. “Whenever you’re thirsty you can get a drink, and you can use the bathroom without waiting until after class.”

• No tardies to keep track of!

• Working at your own pace. “When you’re sick, you can catch up or work ahead if you have a vacation planned.”

• Not having to worry about bullies at school or other bad influences, like kids using drugs.

Cons:
• Less variety in classes. “I love PE and love to have that every day!”

• No school events like pep rallies or retreats.

• No school clubs, like Fellowship of Christian Athletes or Spanish Club.

• No school sports! “It’s cool to go to school with your team, have lunch with them and then go practice together.”

Tami’s Pros and Cons for Public School
Pros:
• Being with friends all day.

• Snow days and other holidays! “I get off school for Christmas and Easter, but not for smaller holidays like President’s Day.”

• A variety of teachers.

• Extracurricular activities. “I love theatre, so I would’ve really liked to do that at school.”

Cons:
• Getting up early and wearing a uniform. (Sarah’s charter school requires a uniform.)

• Not as much personal attention and help. “With my mom as my teacher, I can go and ask her anything right away and don’t have to wait until after class.”

• Going to school all day and then having homework in the evening.

• Crowded hallways. “I got lost going to my locker, and I only had five minutes to get to my next class!”