For some teens, school is back with social activities in full swing, ranging from dances and football games to movies and parties.
However, there are some students who don't fit in this group. Society often forgets about these teenagers -- the home-schoolers. What do they do for fun? What about their friends? Do they have anything in common with high school teens? What about dances and sports events?
"Even though I home school, I still have a social life," says Sydney Garlick, a 17-year-old home-schooler from South Weber. "I know a lot of fun people, home-schoolers and high school kids. I love going to parties and dances! I date all the time, too. It's great."
Mckinsey Ferrell, a sophomore-aged home-schooler from Morgan, says she has a busy schedule.
"I do a lot of things," she says, adding that her weekly extra activities on top of her studies include choir, acting, piano, singing lessons and violin.
Home schooling is becoming more popular in America. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there has been a 36 percent increase since 2003 of those who home school, taking the number of kids who study at home to 1.5 million in the United States.
From an education aspect, why would home schooling appeal to teens?
Jeremiah Robinson, a ninth-grade home-schooler from Ogden, explains, "I've home-schooled since kindergarten. Doing school at home seemed more effective than doing it at school. In home school the teacher is your parents. If you do it with other home-schoolers then you are taught by other home-schooling parents too."
"I like being able to learn things faster," adds Jessica Weaver, a 13-year-old home-schooler from Morgan. "I enjoy being able to go into depth in the areas I love and focus on things that I want to know about."
Studying in PJs
The ability to study their own topics on their own schedule appears to be a major appeal to students.
"I can choose the classes I take. For example, I took a class online that I wouldn't have been able to take in high school," says Elizabeth Hampton, a junior-aged home-schooler from North Ogden. "I have a schedule that I make myself stick to."
Benjamen Jones, a 17-year-old Ogden home-schooler, put it this way: "Everyone learns at a different pace. At home I can learn the things I want faster or slower depending on me. Different kids study different times; for me, I spend about eight hours a day doing 'school'."
The number of class hours differs from student to student. Brandon Short, a 17-year-old home-schooler from South Weber, spends about four to six hours a day studying.
"I get asked if I study in my PJs all the time," Short says. "But I end up having to go places during the day, so I usually get ready."
Do students who study at home learn the same things as kids in high school?
"Yes," says Tausha Wilkinson, a 16-year-old home-schooled teen from Morgan. "We do math, science, writing, history, literature, English and a lot of other stuff!"
Right on track
Since these students aren't walking the halls of a typical high school, they learn in a different setting. Of the Top of Utah home-schooled teens interviewed, 60 percent said they study at desks in their bedrooms, 23 percent said they have a designated study room and 17 percent said they do school work in the kitchen.
Some are apprehensive about home schooling because they worry students may decline in their studies. However, college entrance exams such as the ACT or SAT don't know what form of schooling the test taker has had -- the exams just test skills teens are required to know.
"As long as I can pass the same tests other kids have to pass for college, I'm pretty much on the same page educationally," Short says.
Also, universities don't require transcripts or diplomas. Focusing on national standardized test scores instead of GPAs allows for more a more objective look at a prospective student.
Making sure home-schooled students receive some of the same social opportunities as public school students can take effort.
"It takes a lot of discipline and commitment from the whole family to make it work," says Kris Eck, a home-schooling mother in Ogden. "Lots of people feel that those who home school miss out on sports events and socializing but we don't have an issue with that because we still do sports and scouts and other activities."
Not for everyone
Sierra Lawrence, a freshman at Ogden High, adds, "I've known home-schooled kids that actually participate in school activities and dances and I think that it is great that they do. Good for them."
Although some home school teens may find it difficult to enter a world they are not regularly part of, Kayla Bunnell, a junior from Ogden High says, "People are who they are no matter where they go to school."
Some teenagers don't think going to school at home would work for them.
"I prefer public school because I have the chance to socialize instead of just learning," said Emily Belnap, a senior from Ogden High.
Lawrence added, "I would not like to be home-schooled very much because I wouldn't get to see any of my friends very much and I wouldn't have much of a social life. School has a bunch of fun extracurricular activities and I would miss out on them if I was home-schooled."
But for Robinson, learning at home is the best option.
"Home school has always seemed better," he says. "High school seems scary. Its easier to be at home where it is familiar and nicer. I'm not saying I'm scared of public schools, I'd go if I had to. But having the choice, I do home school."
TX. correspondent Alexandra Burton, Ogden High, contributed to this story.
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Morgan Ferrell is a senior at Morgan High School. E-mail her at mo_ferrell@hotmail.com.
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