We’re in our Homeschool Era
How PacPrep is helping the Taylor Swifts of the world thrive
“Did you know that Taylor Swift was homeschooled?” a colleague recently texted me. I didn’t know this but, as a Taylor Swift fan who has spent a good deal of the last year following clips of the Eras Tour online, making friendship bracelets, and obsessively listening to all of her re-released albums, I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised because we work with students like Taylor Swift all the time: students who have an innate talent and skill that they are passionately developing while attending school full-time. They’re skiers, surfers, artists, actors, and writers. These students are lucky to be guided by visionary parents devoted to helping their children develop their skills while still prioritizing their education. At PacPrep, students can work with teachers at a rigorous and efficient schedule that allows room for them to nurture their craft. It is for this reason that the parents of student athletes and artists across the country routinely seek out PacPrep for their children’s academic journey.
With a 1:1 homeschool experience, our students don’t have to make a choice between their passion and their education. In fact, the two often go hand in hand as students learn to think for themselves while they cultivate their own inherent academic curiosity. Through our 1:1 homeschool model based on the Oxford tutorial method, students become great questioners and thinkers and understand their place in the world as learners and doers. It is no surprise to me that more and more of our students are also enrolling in our new Entrepreneurship course. In both their academics and their craft, our students see themselves as builders. Like Taylor Swift, they are ready to think outside the box and build their dream life for themselves.
Before I made too many broad comparisons between Taylor Swift’s homeschool education and those of our students, I wanted to learn a bit more about what led her to choose homeschool. After being bullied by students in her hometown for her budding music career, Taylor soon moved to Nashville in order to devote herself to the pursuit. As her success began to build, she found that she had less and less time for school. But, she wasn’t willing to compromise her education. At age 15, she enrolled in a homeschool program so that she could prioritize her education and graduate while still pursuing her dream. She notes: “My homeschooling has been a great experience. I feel like I’ve had the best senior year possible. It’s awesome that I’ve been able to stay on the same path to graduating that I would’ve been on if I’d stayed in high school. I’m going to graduate this year, and I’m so excited about that. My education was always a big deal to me, and I’m so glad homeschooling allowed me to keep it up."
Taylor’s thoughts mirror those of so many of our students. A brief glimpse at our Niche.com reviews reveals similar stories: with a 1:1 PacPrep homeschool education, students have been able to build the academic experience they need to meet their goals. Our students and Taylor are not alone. You can find famous homeschoolers throughout the last two centuries. It’s not just musical artists (although singers like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers were homeschooled, too). There are visionaries from all walks of life. From scientists Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison to prolific writers like Margaret Atwood and C.S. Lewis. From entrepreneurs like Andrea Carnegie to advocates like Susan B. Anthony. From Barbie’s Ryan Gosling to Harry Potter’s Emma Watson. Countless athletes also join the ranks of homeschoolers, too: Simone Biles, Misty Copeland, and Maria Sharapova.
Regardless of your child’s passion and skill, homeschool very well might be the best fit for their educational journey as they think outside the walls of a brick and mortar school and dream up new paths for themselves. If you’re considering homeschool for your child, take a page out of Taylor’s book and schedule a consultation with us; dive in “headfirst, fearless.”