Daniel Karnafel

By Kaylee Holdge

In movies, home schooled children are depicted as awkward and socially inept.  Movies may actually get some things right. Daniel Karnafel, McKinney junior, did not attend public school until he started his first year of high school. 

Daniel’s mother was his teacher from kindergarten through the eighth grade in California.  He studied math, history, English and science like every other student in public school.  He said, “I remember having a sense of pride because all my friends in public school would be at school all day and I would only go for an hour and then play outside the rest of the day.”  However, once he moved to Texas just before entering high school and was enrolled in public school, he started to feel a bit nervous.  “I really had to overcome the lack of communication skills that I didn’t gain in being home schooled.” 

In public school, children learn how to communicate with other people and learn ocial skills needed in the real world.  Those skills are very important in all aspects of anyone’s life, which Daniel felt that he just was not getting enough practice in.   He can remember the other kids asking him why he was so quiet and if he ever spoke.  
“Joining the football team really helped, though, because I could interact more with the other kids in a more comfortable environment instead of always in a classroom setting.” Daniel said. Soon after, Daniel started to make many more friends. 

As well as joining the football team, Daniel also joined the broadcast journalism department, which he excelled in.  He became the executive producer after only one semester.  Daniel said he “remembers making many homemade videos with my reptile collection and my fake Australian accent during my free time back in California. Steve Irwin was my childhood Idol.” Those videos helped him in deciding to join the broadcast journalism department in high school as well as in college. 

As a kid, Daniel recalls knowing he was learning less than everyone else, but after he entered public school he learned at a faster pace and made straight As for the first two years of high school.  When asked if he could do anything differently regarding his schooling Daniel said, “I think I would have still been home schooled. However, I wish that I would have tried more things so when I got to public school it was not so shocking.”