Jeremy Stuart traveled the country looking for teens who did not attend school while growing up and homeschooled in the open-ended manner described as unschooling. He found a fascinating collection of young people willing to share their lives and their reflections in an open and vulnerable manner. He also found two places that support school-attending teens to opt out of school and embark on this approach: Beach High School and North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens.
Some questions answered in Jeremy Stuart’s new film, Self-Taught:
- How does one become a world-class dog trainer with a work calendar fully booked six months in advance by age 19?
- If you start making stop-motion animation videos with action figures when you are a kid, might you grow up to be a film-maker?
- Can you become a mechanic with a YouTube show just by learning and restoring your own old cars?
- If you spend all of your time as a kid on origami, and it leads you into math, computer programming, and chemistry, can you get accepted to college even if the high school section of your college application is blank?
- If you are traveling the world as a homeschooler, what happens if you start inviting other homeschoolers to come live with you and your family?
- How do you feel if you have some academic weaknesses that you never felt supported to focus on as a youth even when you are successful in other areas?
- And, who in the world spends their careers helping ordinary teens and families to opt out of school to live such an odd lifestyle?
The young adults in this movie reminded me of many North Star alumni. However, they are all strangers to me, and watching them share their experiences helped me to imagine how people unfamiliar with homeschooling may view our culture. These thoughtful and articulate young adults offered reflections that inspire viewers to want to learn more about this lifestyle. Jeremy doesn’t answer every question here, and I know people will wonder: “Did they have any friends?” or “Who are their parents and what were their perspectives?” or “There must have been moments of doubt?”
I found the stories captivating, and I imagine these teens and families faced many of the same emotional, financial, and social struggles growing up that their school-attending peers and friends encountered. What I loved watching was the joy, the confidence, and the maturity with which these characters reflect on their experiences. They grew up differently from most people in our culture, and for the most part, they feel better off for having had this lifestyle.
I feel honored to be included here, along with North Star alumni including Dan Bouquillon, Emit Aron (formerly Jen Eckard), Karis Padham, Laura Ross, and Ellen Morbyrne (also a North Star Core Staff member.) You can watch the segment about North Star here, and I encourage you to spend the ten minutes it takes to do so. It is heartwarming to see our program through the professional lens of Jeremy Stuart.
Also, I’m delighted to have North Star featured alongside Wes Beach, who has single-handedly helped more than 1500 teens leave school early through his program at Beach High School. His program is similar to the University Without Walls program at UMass, and Wes has used his knowledge and vision to make a huge difference for those that enrolled in his program.
Jeremy uses interviews with authors Peter Gray and Blake Boles to narrate the film and link the eight segments together. I feel moved by the overall impact of this film, and I look forward to hosting a showing here in the Pioneer Valley in August or September.
Being present for the world premiere of this movie at the annual conference of The Alternative Education Resource Organization in Portland, OR will be one of the highlights of my summer. Thank you, Jeremy.
