Schooled
I’m always a bit leery when an author casts a homeschooler as his main character. What’s the issue going to be this time? Socialization? Adjustment problems? Conservatism? Liberalism? Or will he make a federal case about those of us who do school in our PJ’s? In my 13 years of homeschooling, I have never met a homeschooled individual that could compare to Capricorn “Cap” Anderson (but I also live on the east coast). Having been raised solely by his Grandmother Rain on a Hippie commune, he lives life like it’s the1960’s, and has no knowledge of pop-culture. He thinks the greatest invention in the world is duct tape (hmm…he’s probably not alone regarding the duct tape), he is a whiz at tai chi, and he aced his state exams. But he doesn’t know how money works or even what a handshake represents. So, when granny breaks a hip and he is sent to public school, you guessed it, he is in for quite an awakening. And he goes from biggest loser to most respected hero in under 2 months.
I did enjoy the author’s writing style. He’s a good storyteller, and I zoomed through the pages. He even pulled off narrating the book from over 6 character’s points of view (he titled each chapter with who was narrating). Here’s an excerpt where Cap is reflecting on his time in the “real” world:
I didn’t regret my time in real school. I learned a lot – like when you have a checking account, your money is separate from all the other money in the bank. And when you write a check, the number you put in the little box gets subtracted from what you have.I learned you can’t fix a china figurine with duct tape because it doesn’t look right. And I learned a new vocabulary word: klutz…. The most importantly thing I learned is how many things out there I still needed to learn about. I wanted to, but it didn’t seem like I was going to get the chance. On the other side of the window, the sunlit world had never appeared so wide and tempting.
Maybe there are some Cap Anderson’s out there, somewhere, but he is the exception. I suppose the author made Cap such an extreme character because it made for a more interesting read. If he shadowed our homeschool for a day he would probably find us way too normal. Even though the author isn’t representing what I consider a typical homeschool kid, he at least portrayed Cap as an exceptional, smart, respectable, kind, and thoughtful person. That earns the author some brownie points. And, if I remember middle school correctly, he got that part right too - from the popularity contests and wedgies to the spitballs. Even though I felt he was driving home the message your kids are missing out by being schooled at home, the book was overall a fun read. I would personally like to thank Mr. Korman for reminding me of the many reasons why we homeschool!
Just in case you ‘re wondering what life skills your kids should be learning for “survival in the real world” get yourself a copy of Barbara Frank’s Life Prep for Homeschooled Teens.
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