BISMARCK – A homeschool graduate shared her story with The Dakotan at her booth at the recent North Dakota Homeschool Association convention.
Rinnah Knight, Dickinson, said her homeschooling experience was pretty great having 13 siblings. She was born and raised in North Dakota and graduated high school in 2013.
“I always had people that were challenging me to compete and just be better,” said Knight. “That competition between siblings is really good because it drives you to do your best.”
Knight said being an independent learner through homeschooling helped her when she got to college at Brandon University in Canada in 2015.
“At the university you don’t always have people pushing you to do your best,” said Knight. “I had already learned to independently make up my own schedule and figure out how to get everything done in a timely manner.”
Knight received a music degree with a minor in history. She is now teaching music lessons and does in-home care for an elderly lady.
“I’ve always enjoyed being around the older generation,” said Knight. “They have a lot of wisdom to share.”
Knight said she feels like college was a bit of a necessary evil.
“It was a little frustrating in a secular college because some of the requirements that you have to do for school were things that I had zero interest in and didn’t fit with my worldview,” said Knight. “At the same time, my mom and dad always taught me, eat the chicken and throw out the bones. You can’t have everything tailored to you all the time, so you learn how to learn what you can with the information that’s given, without letting it affect what you believe. If you believe something, I’m not going to tell you that it’s wrong. I’m going to believe what I believe, but I’m open to talking to people. Just because people believe something you don’t, doesn’t mean that they’re wrong, it just means they have a different perspective.”
Knight said she enjoyed homeschooling because it was flexible and fun, and she believes no one cared about her education more than her mom and dad.
“They wanted what was best for me,” said Knight. “There were curriculums that we struggled with, so we stopped using them, and tried something else. Who better to tailor our education to our desires and what we want to do with our life than the people who know us best?”
Knight moved from Canada back to North Dakota to help her mom when her father passed away in June of 2021.
“My dad was the most influential person in my life,” said Knight.
