
I did independent study for high school, which effectively made it a public school/homeschool hybrid. It allowed me the flexibility of homeschool that allowed me the time to pursue independent projects (like publishing a research paper in a technical journal, filing for a patent, and starting a band) helped me develop holistically as a person and figure out what I wanted to do with my life while ensuring I met state standards.
The program also cost less on a per-capita basis than a traditional high school due to reduced facilities costs, but I was still following the same curriculum as my peers, or even exceeding it (either by moving through it faster or taking more advanced courses at a cc). It also meant I had the freedom to do things like take an afternoon and go see an opera in a neighboring city (with student tickets for 10$ or lower for dress rehearsals) while still being able to get my work in on time.
I feel really privileged to have been granted the freedom and agency to do that kind of thing asa part of my education, and I’m kind of sad that there aren’t many similarly structured public independent study programs that would allow more students to have those kinds of experiences.
Oh yes 100%! I didn’t mean to sound like there was nothing hard about transitioning to a different style or learning. It was definitely difficult figuring out to develop relationships with professors and classmates. However, my education was much more well rounded than my friends here at UNCC who went to public school so I have found that I have a much more solid foundation to add new info from my classes onto