Here’s a riveting story, from the Hartford Courant: a first person account of what it is like to have been home-schooled. It’s part of the Courant’s “I Am…” series, complete with a short video:

There are a lot of misconceptions about home-schooling. We’re not crazy. We don’t do these things because we’re anti-social. We do them because we’re looking for something different in our education. It’s really not just preparation for college, but preparation for life. The only thing I miss about being in a classroom is the discussions you can have with peers. Sometimes it can be intellectually lonely, just me and my books.

People think we’re some kind of hermits, that we stay in our houses all day, close the blinds and don’t talk to anyone. We have tons of friends — from the public schools and from the home school community.

I realized there were so many things in my life that needed more attention than I was giving them — my values, my faith.

Check out the whole thing. It’s worth it.