Breaking the Bell Curve: A Personal Journey from Conformity to Homeschooling for Success
“Owing to the shape of a bell curve, the education system is geared to the mean. Unfortunately, that kind of education is virtually calculated to bore and alienate gifted minds. But instead of making exceptions where it would do the most good, the educational bureaucracy often prefers not to be bothered.” ― Christopher Langan
The school environment has always been something I despised for many reasons. This is due to the fact that I was both interested in learning and was in gifted classes, yet, at the same time, was told to apply myself. Once I got to high school, I had bad grades there, but when I took college courses, I had better grades in those. I have felt that is important to tell this story so others don’t feel alone. In the past few months with reflection, that grades in high school don’t matter, that the education system is geared to the average, and that home school is the best choice. For this to be understood more, I will tell my personal story on how school is not catered to those outside the norm.
When I started taking courses in college the freshman year of high school, I realized that I was doing way better in those courses than my other courses. Later on when I came to the realization I had ADHD, I did not immediately think of any connections between the two concepts. However, I have now realized that in the college courses which I have taken so far, the accommodations have been built into the course.
As an example, organization while still difficult digitally, can be done more easily when no one cares if you use a computer. Also, the library, which I have done my courses in, had not cared about the usage of earplugs, where there was an issue in other classrooms originally. Additionally, when taking college courses online, they do not particularly care if you take notes digitally, if you use take breaks, or if you fidget. It has been my experience that in high school courses they more closely manage you with the reason to keep you focused and help you learn, but this often has the opposite effect instead.
This is not something which has also been noticed by me either. It has been noted that college is a better environment for college kids due to it being more self-paced and self-directed, which I have gave some examples of above. It has also been noted that college will might be a better match for their interests and learning preferences which is has been in my opinion. Overall, while there are still some issues with college courses with those with ADHD, it has been the experience of more than just me of it being better than high school.
After realizing that the environment of the school is part of the problem, I have felt that I could handle the switch to college full-time. As an example of my ability to do so, I have taken three college courses in a shortened summer semester, without any struggle. This further contributes to the idea that homeschooling for college courses would be a favorable outcome.
When I have brought this up though, the issues of needing to socialize has been mentioned. However, in my college courses and in discussions with others in academia, I have been able to have conversations which are thoughtful or inspiring. In the area which I am in, there seems to be a focus on talking badly about others in high school, while those I meet in the college environment have academic pursuits which allow better conversations to be had. Also, I have been able to meet others who have faced similar circumstances which makes me more confident that even though there are some difficulties, I will be better off overall with the switch to home school.
The switch to home school will allow me to be better off, due to an increased amount of time. In the public school, I spend 7 hours at school with 3 hours spent before I get home. More recently on winter break, I was able to reach about 10+ hours of learning a day on many topics which I am interested in. For me, learning is something which I care deeply about, what I love, and what drives me forward. Even with a full course schedule in college, I will still strive to do more and fight against the low expectations which have been given and try to spend time volunteering, writing, and more.
As you can see, I hope this personal story has shown why public school is not always the best option for those who are outside of the mean in multiple ways. While those with ADHD managing better in college, is not a novel concept, it is not talked much about either. Through sharing my personal story, I hope to promote understanding through making it more concrete and less abstract.
I hope that you have appreciated this article. If you have any personal experiences or constructive criticism on this post, I would love to hear it. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to write more high-quality works, which makes being open to constructive criticism important. Next week, I will be introducing a personal challenge which will be ongoing this year, which I can’t wait to share. Stay tuned for that article next week!
References
College and ADHD — CHADD. (2019, March 6). CHADD. https://chadd.org/for-parents/college/
Harris, A., & Harris, B. (2016). Do hard things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Multnomah.
Why college is better for students with ADHD. (2015, July 10). https://archive.thinkprogress.org/why-college-is-better-for-students-with-adhd-cc6974541ace/
