"Why I Love Pearblossom"

Olivia ------

Student ID #XXXX

English Essay

Pearblossom Private High School

　

 

　

 

　

 

　

WHY I LOVE PEARBLOSSOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abstract

Six years of my life were wasted in public school. I feel as though I did not learn anything. Disheartened, I thought about the seven more years of schooling that lay ahead of me. If only I knew what was in store. Five years later, I am graduating high school. Even better, I found the secret to learning in school, and dare I say, to enjoy it at the same time. Would you like to know the secret?

　

I can very clearly remember my elementary school experience. I had attended the same small school since kindergarten, and now, in the fifth grade, I found myself sitting once again in the very same old, dingy classroom. Most of the same children were there-- about thirty of us in total. We had one teacher who "taught" us every subject, of course, with the teacher's answer booklet always in hand. It was very easy to get distracted, bored, or caught up in conversation while waiting for the teacher to check everyone's work. We hardly ever finished a lesson in class, which meant we had to learn the rest as additional homework. Oh, and the drama! Daily, there were occurrences of "the troublemakers" screaming back and forth with my teacher, or those who played pranks on the teacher to make her angry. I can still visualize the day when someone had set off my teacher so bad that all of the students had to fill out reports at the school office.

What stories I came home with for my family each day! You might think that I hated spending six years of my life there, and you would be one-hundred percent correct. I felt as though they were wasted.

Often, I sat at my desk discouraged and said to myself, "Seven more years remaining." Five years later, I am four essays away from graduating high school. How did I do it? How did I survive? The answer is three words: Pearblossom Private School.

When I was half-way through the fourth grade, my older sister, Victoria, then in the ninth grade, withdrew from High School and started homeschooling. Well, when my younger sister Isabella and I realized that Victoria did not have to go to public school anymore, naturally we wanted to homeschool as well. We stuck it out in public school for the next year and a half before applying to the New York City Board of Education to homeschool. I will never forget the feeling when my dad and older sister went to the Central Office of Homeschooling to find out if my younger sister and I were approved. Public school for the year had already begun; a friend had told me I was being marked absent every day in class. I was so nervous that my dream wouldn't come true!

Then, when my dad called my mom and said we were now homeschooling, I wanted to scream and jump for joy! I was so excited to finally be free. We then enrolled in Pearblossom Private High School, a distance education program based in Pearblossom, California. My first year in Pearblossom, when I was in sixth grade, was one of the best years of my life. It certainly was not the last.

When I first started to homeschool, people would ask me all the time, "How do you do it?" or "What's it like?" And I would tell them all about it. Homeschooling with Pearblossom is so easy that I can sum up how to do it in just this paragraph. With Pearblossom, you receive most of the same textbooks that you would have received if you were going to public junior high and high school. Both public and private schools share the same basic principles of learning. In Pearblossom, my lesson consists of reading a chapter in one of the text books in a subject I have selected, and then to show mastery of the material, I take a test using my personal student portal at Pearblossom's website. When I submit a test, my grade is returned to me immediately. Now that's impressive. I have a report card online, and easy access to the school with plenty of teachers ready to help me if I have a question about anything. Once I finish all of the tests in all of my textbooks, I will have completed the grade for the year. When I finish high school, I will receive my diploma. Can you believe how simple that is?

The most incredible thing that Pearblossom is doing for students is that it is allowing them to graduate two years early! "Okay," you might be thinking, "how on earth can you graduate two years early?" Well, what many people, myself included, did not know is that eighth grade is basically a review of the sixth and seventh grades. Imagine that! A whole year wasted just reviewing what you did over the prior two years. So Pearblossom, the great school that it is, allows students to double up and do seventh and eighth grade combined. I did this myself, and I really didn't know what to expect. I found out that it was just as easy as any other year. Doubling up the grades did not mean doubling up on the work. I couldn't believe it! The same rule applies to the twelfth grade; so Pearblossom allows you to combine eleventh and twelfth. Because of this, I am finishing school this year, graduating two years earlier than if I had remained in public school. Currently, I am completing the writing of my second of six essays that comprise my senior project.

My favorite part of Pearblossom Private High School is the director himself. Gary Goldman is one of the smartest, sweetest, and most patient persons I know. He defines what every teacher should be. So many times I have called him, and he was always ready to help me with any question I had. If I couldn't comprehend a geometry postulate, Gary would explain it to me. If I still did not understand, he would patiently go step-by-step through each problem that I needed help with until I understood, all the while never belittling me. He is an expert at every subject he teaches, something I have never had in a teacher ever before. I can't express my gratitude to Gary enough for all of his hard work! It certainly shows in the wonderful results of the school he founded.

One thing I love about homeschooling, and many others appreciate as well, is that you can work at your own pace, on your own schedule. People love it when I tell them that I can complete a day's work in about three hours. In public school, you are required to be there for twice that amount of time.

Homeschooling absolutely cuts out all of the unnecessary drama and wasted time I experienced while in public school. I personally like to stick to the September to June school schedule; however, if a student should devote more effort and work harder and longer, he or she can complete the program according to any goal they have set.

I have cousins who like to take frequent breaks all throughout the year, and so they choose to work through the summer. No more waiting for your teacher to explain something to those who don't understand, check all of the students' work, or waiting for the teacher to quiet down the classroom to continue the lesson. It is a one-on-one learning process. Homeschooling has benefited me in developing better reading comprehension, good study habits, and test-taking skills. Yes, with homeschooling, I still have pencils, I still have books, but "no more teacher's dirty looks." I find it funny how some people who have never homeschooled think they know all about it. I have met quite a bit of people who just do not like it. They have heard one bad experience, and that's it! They think that children who use it do not receive a sufficient education. While I agree that the statement is true of some homeschooling programs, "some" does not mean that all schools are that way. I know of others who used homeschooling programs that weren't so great. Pearblossom is different. The proof is in the pudding. I mean, I should know by personal experience--after being in the school for five years--right?

While in public school, I can honestly say I only remember a handful of things I learned in all of the years I spent there. The teachers would not teach us the whole curriculum, but seemed to focus only on the parts that would appear on the Statewide Exams. In Pearblossom, you receive the entire
curriculum. I have learned so much! My dad has been repeatedly amazed when we randomly bring out cool facts or explain in detail to others things we have learned. My younger sister is now using the same books I had when I started out, and, when she asks me a question, I remember everything like I read it yesterday!

There are many other benefits to homeschooling. According to one survey, one in six children is bullied in school on a regular basis. (Carroll, 2010) One news article stated, "Hearing about a child being hounded to despair--or even death--by bullies has become a tragically regular occurrence." The article also listed these facts, "Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. At least half of the 4,400 suicides among young people each year are related to bullying. About 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying." ("Bullying and Suicide Statistics," n.d.)

I personally was bullied in the fourth grade. Homeschooling can help to deflate the extensive impact that both bullying and suicide have on the world. While homeschooling is not intended to shield children from society, it is a great alternative that protects them from exposure to such harmful pressures.

Did you know that most child and teen actors and actresses homeschooled? It is certainly growing in popularity. My family alone has referred sixteen other children to Pearblossom Private High School. Yes, homeschooling does require a lot of self-discipline on the students' part, but learning at home with Pearblossom is not only challenging but also enjoyable. I would highly recommend it to everyone.

Have you ever seen those hilarious commercials promoting a product, and someone (who likely never used the product) says, "It will change your life?"

Well, honestly, Pearblossom did change my life. I used to tell everyone how much I hated school. I couldn't stand it! Since I started homeschooling, I have never said those words again. Pearblossom changed my attitude toward learning--perhaps because now I really was learning. I'm actually sad to leave Pearblossom Private High School!

So, do you want to know the secret to get the most out of school, and enjoy it? The secret is to homeschool-with Pearblossom Private High School. You won't regret that you did.

References

(2014). Bullying and Suicide. Bullyingstatistics. Retrieved June 9, 2014 from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html

Carroll, L. (2010). 1 in 6 Students is Regularly Bullied, Survey shows nbcnews. Retrieved June 9, 2014 from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39758956/ns/health childrenshealth/t/students-regularly-bullied-survey-shows/