Day 151: May 31, 2016

Bridget Reagan

May 31, 2016       Bridget, Alumni of Community Homeschoolers Reflects on Her Parents, the Teachers

(In our homeschooling community we have two wonderful graduates, Mary Lauer and John Reagan. John's sister, Bridget, posted this and I loved it. I asked for permission to reprint it. You will enjoy it as well!)

John Reagan

I know it's generally customary to celebrate the student who graduates at the end of their grade school years. However, in our case, all of the faculty is graduating, too! Since I designed the graduation slideshow, I need to apologize because I didn't include them (their senior photos weren't on Facebook):

Mom and Dad,
Congratulations on successfully navigating the waters of homeschooling so your kids could work at their own pace and find what we really loved in the world. Everyone survived, even you, and we didn't make it easy.

I know this must be a bittersweet moment for you, because for over 20 years you have had at least one child relying on you to explain everything they encounter in life and textbooks, and now you will have to settle for my frantic calls from 300 miles away about bees in my apartment. Not many schools have a 100% college attendance rate. I don't think any of them can boast a 75% Hofstra attendance rate, or anything near our Cat:Human ratio, either.

Being homeschooled by Matthew and Kelly Reagan influences a lot of behaviors.Shockingly, I'm not talking about the social repercussions, though there is something to be said for being stuck in the house with your entire family every day of the week. I'm referring to the drive to truly understand something, to get excited about learning something new for the sake of learning it. Watching your parents teach a sibling gives you a lot of perspective for when you have to learn something on your own, or teach someone else.

I'm also referring to an understanding of timeliness, dedication, and preparation. We were taught to always follow through with our obligations, no matter how much we don't want to. Always be prepared for any situation (always bring a screwdriver, a 6+ sided die, and a laptop). Always arrive in plenty of time to practice! This isn't to say we're on time, but at least we feel really bad about it when we're late.

So far, I can give you at least 75% assurance that you have successfully raised us to adulthood, bees notwithstanding. And, your graduation is the only one that doesn't mean more loans! Congratulations again, keep up the good work!!

Love,
Bridget, Erin, Patrick, and now John Reagan