Aaron's NSA Story
by Aaron Cady
Before I came to NSA, I had been homeschooled and I had gone to a public school. I grew up in New Hampshire, and I got up to third grade before my family moved overseas. Continuing to go to a brick and mortar school was not a workable option, so I ended up homeschooling. There were two other families in the same situation, so we all homeschooled together. Our parents were busy trying to learn Arabic and adjust to the new culture, so they had to find a teacher for us. Once they did, we started school. The school ended up being in my house, so that was very convenient for me.
Looking back on it now, the situation was very strange. I’m the second oldest of four boys. One of the other families had two boys, and the third family had five boys (as well as a girl who was too young to go to school). Altogether there were eleven boys in one classroom, with one teacher. Our ages ranged from four to twelve, and our grades spanned from Kindergarten to seventh grade. It was like we had gone back to the nineteenth century.
Somehow we got through the first year. Our teacher did an amazing job of teaching all of us and making sure we learned what we needed to. There were two large groups of kids the same age that made it easier. However, at the end of the first year, our parents decided to make some changes. The two oldest kids, one of whom was my brother, left the school to keep it from getting too hectic. My family decided to try out NSA with my older brother. He enjoyed it, and it worked well. I did another year of homeschool with the other eight boys.
At the end of the second year, our teacher had to leave. By that time, my parents were ready to homeschool some of us. My older brother was continuing with NSA, and my parents decided to send me as well. My younger brothers were homeschooled by my mom. I entered seventh grade and NSA, and I have loved it. This is the end of my fifth year at NSA. My older brother graduated last year, and my two younger brothers joined NSA. It has worked very well for my family. NSA has allowed us to continue our education and gives us the flexibility we need.
Aaron Cady is a junior at NorthStar and has been part of the school for five years. He has written for the Navigator for two years. Aaron loves writing, sports, and any mixtures of the two. Aaron hopes to pursue a career in writing or journalism when he graduates.