"I have recently discovered your website and just want to say thank you. My son Samuel, the youngest of five, is a model self-learner. At 14, he is writing a novel (16000 words into it already), taking 4 courses this semester at the community college, advancing in karate, and planning his classes for next year and the year after when he wants to work with a PhD linguistics professor in Germany (friend of mine). He asks excellent questions, devours science magazines as they come, and engages his older siblings (ages 21-25) in discussions that are far past me. He chops firewood and builds fires every day for us, makes his own amazing bread, climbs trees regularly, and cares for the neighbor's dog. He doesn't miss conventional school one bit (why should he?).

I was delighted not only to find your web site and great articles and resources, but also Ms. Huget's thesis. So much of what we did during the many years of homeschooling is outlined in these works -- I feel like we would have been perfect case studies. The joy of learning, myself as guide and co-learner, working according to your own pace and readiness, the pursuit of excellence, active learning, noting connections, taking personal responsibility (we called it "owning your education"), maintaining the joy, keeping learning a part of real life ("no masks"), sharpening your problem-solving tools instead of focusing on content, community involvement, learning how to learn ("learning how to think").... all this and more means I now have healthy, happy, well adjusted young people who make me so very proud. Two are college graduates, two are working on it (three if you include Samuel). They have traveled the world on their own and with friends, been accepted to top schools, built their own boats and surfboards, designed web sites, volunteered in community health organizations, even dealt with real life with such trials as brain surgery (you learn a lot when you go through that!).

I may be back to ask more questions, but for now just wanted to say thanks for what you have done and continue to do, encouraging people that there is another way. I run into so many parents who are so frustrated with school, but they don't know what to do and don't have the confidence to step into something new. I am trying to figure out how to be a better encouragement to them, besides just verbally".

Sincerely,

Patricia Machat

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