Laura Oprzedek

Laura Oprzedek, born in Dubuque, Iowa in early 1988, is an outgoing, fun loving child of God. She was homeschooled along with her two siblings. She is now a senior at Northwest Baptist Academy in addition to being a Student Teacher to earn her degree in education. She is currently married and resides in Fox River Grove, Illinois.
 
Laura's parents chose homeschooling for their children due to their strong belief in an education which includes God, which they recognize as being present in the foundations of our country. Her parents felt that since God had been so distanced from the public education, being homeschooled was a better option. Additionally, it was a better quality education than Laura's public schools and she noted her success on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills tests and the ACT. 

For her homeschooling curriculum, Laura took part in Video School for 1st-8th grade and she was self-taught for high school. She took classes in the standard math, English, history, science, and health. Additionally, she took Bible study courses as part of her curriculum. Although she was homeschooled, she still had to fulfill a certain number of days and complete the Iowa Test of Basic Skills each year as a state requirement [2]. Iowa is one of thirteen states that requests alternative testing for homeschooled students [4].

Outside of school, Laura took piano lessons, played volleyball, babysat and cleaned, and was actively involved in her youth group and church. As a senior in high school she worked at a child care facility. Additionally, she mentions that she found still more time outside of homeschooling to spend with her family. She notes how homeschooling strengthened the relationships within her family. Her mom, she emphasizes, became her best friend, and Laura is eternally grateful for the choices her mom made in regard to her education and adolescence. Laura also emphasizes that, in order to be done properly, homeschooling must incorporate a balance of academics, athletics and socialization. When the balance is reenforced well, she believes homeschooling can be the best education for a child.

Upon entering college, Laura noted a few advantages and disadvantages to her primary education. She classifies herself as a "book worm", understanding that she learns visually and verbally. In terms of intellect and even common sense, she felt she had been educated better than many of her peers. She was the "curve wrecker" of her classes since she often did outstandingly well in terms of academics. She notes that her one disadvantage was that she did know not know how to take notes from lecture, however due to her strong study habits, she adapted to that style of class rather quickly.

In the future, Laura will continue to serve the Lord and hopes to not only be a wife and mom, but also tutor elementary and junior high students. Overall, Laura loved her homeschooling experience and hopes to homeschool her own children some day. Her only alternative to homeschooling her children would be a strong Christian school run by church [2].