Rather than walking to the bus stop each morning my commute involves taking a few steps from one room in my house to the room designated the “school room.” I am now a senior in my last few months of homeschooling.

Homeschooling has allowed me to be taught by teachers from all over the country. My modern literature class is taught by a man who lives in Idaho. Through an online meeting service, he holds live Internet classes in which he teaches and facilitates discussion about classic literary works.

My history course is taught by a history lecturer who lives in Tennessee. His lectures have been recorded and made available for purchase along with the accompanying tests.

My writing class is through Patrick Henry College, a small liberal arts college in northern Virginia. The professor posts reading assignments, answers questions and grades our work. This class will count for both college and high school credit.

Homeschooling has allowed my parents to choose the teachers from across the nation that they thought were best and have them all teach at my “school.”

The flexibility of homeschooling provides students to pursue opportunities for unconventional learning. Take, for example, the way in which I studied business. When Mountain Aires, a traditional music band of which I am a member, decided to produce an album, I diverged from my usual schooling to research what we needed to legally sell our product.

Through research we learned that to sell our product we had to form a business. After this discovery I met with a business consultant, a copyright lawyer and an accountant. When we had learned the pros and cons of each type of business, the band finally voted to form a limited liability corporation.

Homeschooling not only gave me the time to pursue this endeavor but also trained me to approach it as a learning experience.

Every high school student likes the opportunity to be with friends, and homeschoolers are no different. Many people think homeschooling discourages social interaction, but I have had a different experience. I have been involved with other homeschoolers in numerous social activities.

Last year band practices and performances as well as business meetings provided several opportunities every week to interact with peers and professionals. In fact it consumed most of my spare time.

This year my social activities have included practicing and performing with the high school choir at my church as well as playing recreational and competitive roller hockey. I have also conducted interviews with adults to learn about their various professions. Through these and other activities I have had no problem finding occasions to interact with people.

Many people have asked me what it will be like graduating from a homeschool. My graduation experience will not differ much from that of other seniors. In a cap-and-gown ceremony hosted by a local homeschool group, I will graduate with about 20 other students from our area who have also been educated at home.

After this my career as a homeschooler will end, and I will attend Patrick Henry College to further my education.