Always eager to learn, I looked for more books to read about learning and development. In 2004, books were the way to go—there weren’t a lot of online resources yet. I found numerous suggestions in the Amazon reviews of books I was considering. One of those suggestions led me to John Taylor Gatto’s 1990 acceptance speech for New York City Teacher of the Year award, which is now available in a book of essays titled, Dumbing Us Down. It completely changed the way I looked at my experiences in school. I thought I generally had good memories of school and learning, and that everything else was a product of the time, the place, or the other kids. Gatto’s speech motivated me to look at the structure of the educational system itself and what its purpose is. When I did, I noticed for the first time how often I had been molded to fit into that system and how it had shaped the way I looked at my own capacity for learning, for setting my own goals, and for achieving them. I could see myself, in retrospect, being stunted, adjusting my dreams to fit what might be accomplished by going to college and getting a “good job.” I loved taking art and photography classes, but I never thought this passion could be my job. It took the derailment of my post-graduate plans and expectations to shake me up enough to look at the possibility of actually being a photographer.

I didn’t want that for our kids. I want them to reach for the stars and go after what most inspires them.

When I discussed the possibility of homeschooling with Tom I discovered that he had been bullied in school for being so smart and not particularly athletic. He was willing to try any plan that would spare our kids that kind of experience, and he trusted me to pick the best path for our family. So we decided to homeschool and jumped right in, first with one son and now with three.