How Do Homeschooled Students Make Friends? Five WTMA Classmates Share Their Story!
We know a prominent question in the homeschooling world is “How do homeschooled students make friends?” This heartwarming story about five Well-Trained Mind Academy students will give you the best example of exactly how homeschooled students build lifelong friendships!
Last year a group of WTMA students who had been online friends for years used the annual WTMA gathering at the Peace Hill Fall Festival as an opportunity to meet in person. Though this was the first time the group of five teenagers met in real life, they were certainly not strangers.
Shared Class Interests Form A Foundation for Friendship
Ryan, Jonathan, Clare, Bree, and Lucca were all in WTMA classes together: Jonathan, Clare, and Ryan took Latin I, II, and III together; Bree, Clare, and Ryan and Jonathan were in the same Chemistry classes; and various members of the group were in Rhetoric, Biology, and Speech & Debate together.
Ryan was on a Discord server where various WTMA students would chat outside of class. He invited Clare to the online discussion group. Clare invited Bree and Jonathan, and then Lucca joined. Students used the Discord group to play games, peer-review homework, study together, and find others with similar interests.
Lucca says, “One night, we created a shared Minecraft server. We played almost every night for months…While we continued playing games together, we became more than gaming buddies. We texted everyday, called most nights, and started video chatting regularly. Admittedly, I wasn’t a big gamer, but I was perfectly happy playing with and talking to them for hours. It wasn’t long before I realized that they weren’t just online friends, or school friends—they were my people.”
Communication and Curiosity Turned Classmates Into Friends
The group found they had a lot in common – a similar sense of humor, a love of horror movies, and a healthy appetite for competition, both in and out of the classroom.
For example, Ryan says “I taught Jonathan to play Magic the Gathering and he failed in a most spectacular fashion. (Jonathan would say otherwise. He’s lying).” Of course, Jonathan’s take on the situation is the opposite: “Ryan taught me how to play Magic the Gathering and I absolutely demolished him [on the] first try. (He may say otherwise, but he is lying).”
Another standout in their common interests is their investment in their education. This is a group of smart and curious students who love to learn, and they all push each other to do their best in their classes.
Turning Online Friendships Into Real-World Memories
The students knew that every year there was an Academy gathering at Academy founder Susan Wise Bauer’s farm, so they started plotting. They enlisted the help of their parents, figured out travel and lodging, planned some activities, and the next thing they knew it was time to meet in person.
Bree, Ryan, Jonathan, Lucca, and Clare were all nervous about meeting in person. When it finally happened, it was awkward.
Lucca says, “The first thing that we did after meeting each other was go to breakfast with our parents, so that they could meet each other and get comfortable. We sat at a table separated from our parents. We were all nervous. When the waitress came to our table and asked what we would like to drink, Jonathan said ‘Yes please.’ She looked at us all and said, ‘So… water?’ That was a total icebreaker for the group. We all started dying laughing.”
After that, there was nothing to be nervous about!
Spending Time Together And Strengthening Bonds
During their stay in Virginia, the group played ping pong, finished an escape room, competed in Banangrams, and generally spent as much time together as possible. They wanted to give a big shout out to their parents for making the dream of meeting in person come true.
The effort made by the students and their parents was well worth it. Since meeting in person, each member of the group says their bond has only strengthened. They all feel more comfortable with one another and are planning their next in-person gathering.
Homeschoolers Build Relationships That Matter
Whether online or in person, this group of friends thrives on supporting each other. They are there to joke around with each other, give advice on prom dresses and hair cuts, and most importantly be there for each other through good times and bad. Ryan, Jonathan, Clare, Bree, and Lucca have a relationship that is a testament to how online homeschooling classes foster social engagement, and just how resourceful and amazing young people can be when brought together around topics that inspire them.