Starting school marks a turning point for a child and their parents. This momentous occasion represents a first step outside of the family sphere, a sign that the baby has grown up. Typically children experience this right of passage around five or six, however I passed that threshold at 14. I started attending public school in eighth grade. I told my mom that I wanted to go to school so that I could have an official transcript without her having to make one. However, I also wanted a sense of structure. My mom had an informal teaching style most of the time. She taught history by playing us audio recordings of textbooks for bedtime. She taught fractions by having us measure out her cooking ingredients. As I matured I wanted a more traditional
