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Success Stories
Grown Without
Schooling
Peter Kowalke recently produced a documentary that follows 10
grown homeschoolers as they explore and candidly discuss the
lasting influence homeschooling has had on their lives. The documentary
was made specifically for homeschooling parents and teens.
Activists
Peter Jennings, News Anchor
This ninth grade drop out has many honors in his field.
Rebecca "Becky"
Ogle, Disabilities Movement
Ms. Ogle was appointed executive director of the Presidential
Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities by President
Clinton in 1998.
Reed Colfax, Director,
Fair Housing Project
Reed is fighting for the liberties of blacks with the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. He is the son of David and
Micki Colfax, who have documented their homeschool family in
several books.
Athletes
Brianna Weissman, Figure Skater
Has been competing since she was 3 years old. Coached by her
father.
Bobby Convey, Major League Soccer
In February, Bobby became the top draft choice of D.C. United,
Washington's Major League Soccer team, which made him the league's
youngest player. Washington Post, May 3, 2000.
Brittany
Reitz, Tennis
With home schooling, private tutors and tennis instruction, along
with the usual travel on the Southern California Tennis Association
junior circuit, Brittany Reitz was a one-girl band.
Eric
Jackson, Whitewater Paddler
He's so serious about being the best that in a lean time in 1997
he and his wife, Kristine, chucked their house in Bethesda, Maryland,
sold most of their stuff, and moved themselves, their daughter,
son, and two dalmatians into an RV so they could all be together
as Eric chased big water around the country. Outside Magazine,
December 2000.
Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Racer
I'm a principal at school - the Waltrip Academy! We homeschool
the children, Jessica and Sarah. And I do Bible and history with
them, and a little bit of science. But my main job is I'm the
principal, and you *don't* want to come to the principal's office.
It makes going to the big red truck seem like a misdemenor!
Gabe
Jennings, Olympic Track & Field
Jennings seized control of the race with 500 meters to go and
won comfortably in 3 minutes, 35.90 seconds to earn a trip to
the Sydney Olympics. He was homeschooled through 8th grade.
Graeme Pitts
Pitts, who said his homeschooling has afforded him the time he needs to train, also said he does have a backup plan if his mountain biking career turns out to be short-lived.
Jenny
Keim, Olympic Diver
To accommodate her diving, Jenny had been home-schooled all through
grade and high school. She was an NCAA champion on the platform
this year.
Jason
Taylor, NFL Football Player
Miami Dolphins' defensive end. Despite being home-schooled from
10th to 12th grade, Jason Taylor participated in athletics at
Woodland Hills High School in Churchill, Pennsylvania, where
he was a two-sport star in both football and basketball.
Jill Dworsky, Rodeo Champ, Veterinary
State Champion barrel racer, she also has assisted large- and
small-animal vets, and has become a Doctor Dolittle of sorts,
aiding horses in her neighborhood, while practicing for upcoming
Nationals.
Jonathan Loe, Basketball
Six years, five coaches, four colleges and one high school ago, Loe was a home-schooled student and a self-taught basketball player living with his parents and three sisters in Como, Miss.
Kinsley Johnson-Hable, Skater and Aerialist
I spend most of my time at the rink teaching, skating, training, getting tangled 30ft in the air with my aerial silk - you know, the normal thing we performing artists do.
Laura Robson, Wimbledon singles champion
July 6, 2008 - At last Britain has a Wimbledon singles champion - and she is only 14. Laura Robson became the new sensation of British sport yesterday when she won the girls' event with a gutsy performance that promised great things for the future. The local girl, who has home schooling so she can focus on training...
Marie Fjordholm, Gymnast
A member of the U.S. Senior national team, 16-year-old Marie
is combining her natural tumbling talent with a work ethic that
would put most of us to shame. She and her sisters homeschool
using the A Beka curriculum. ESPN March 13, 2000.
Mallery Code, Golfer
She's ranked amoung the USA's top two dozen Junior Golfers, even
though she battles cystic fibrosis and diabetes.
Morgan White, Gymnast
In winning the Pan American Games last summer, and even in finishing
seventh at the U.S. Championships last month, the home-schooled
teen-ager proved herself as a formidable gymnast who is able
to match up favorably with burlier and better-known competitors.
Rebecca Ward, Sabre World Title
Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Ward of the U.S. is the new World champion
of women's sabre. Ward (Beaverton, Ore.) beat 2004 Olympic gold
medalist -- and clubmate -- Mariel Zagunis (21, Beaverton, Ore.)
15-11 in the final for the win. AOL homeschoolers know her mom,
ComaCrone. More about Rebeccea here.
Ryan Lusk, Swimmer
Savannah swimmer in Olympic trials. Now in college, he was homeschooled
since completing 5th grade.
Thumper Nagasako, Rollerblader
Thumper just qualified in rollarblading for the August 2004 X
Games in Los Angeles. His mom Gail home schooled him until he
was 16, at which time he started attending a local high school
where he maintained a 3.8 GPA. A
news article.
Tyler
Baze, Jockey
"Racing is something I've always wanted to do," said
Baze, who is being home-schooled. "But I know I wouldn't
be where I am without Puhich."
Venus
and Serena Williams, Tennis
Wimbleton champs are home- schooled, Jehovah's Witnesses and
African-American, with a ghetto background far from the posh
country clubs where most tennis kids grow up.
Authors
Christopher Paolini
Christopher began writing the first volume of the Inheritance trilogy when he completed a home school high school curriculum at the age of 15. The trilogy consists of Eragon and Eldest, and Brisingr, to be released on September 20, 2008.
Jedediah Purdy
Homeschooled in West Virginia, Jedediah
Purdy is a student at Yale and author of For
Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment in America Today.
Samuel Jero, Hobby Printer
Home schooling is a year-round activity for Samuel Jero, but
the high school sophomore says he enjoys setting type by hand
and using a printing press to print his hobby journal, Inky
Fingers, when he gets a periodic break from classes.
Stefan Merrill Block
When I tell people that I was home schooled, I frequently encounter an amalgam of awe, pity and curiosity. Author of The Story of Forgetting: A Novel.
Business
Success
Jimmy
"Jimbo" Wales, Wikipedia Founder
He and his wife, Christine, home-school their six-year-old daughter,
Kira, who is already doing third grade maths and reading at 12-year-old
level.
Aaron Fessler, CEO
The Allegro Group was founded by former homeschooler Aaron Fessler
as a solution for companies seeking an efficient, affordable
alternative to managing their Internet e-mail. He then went to
work for Mail.com, and then founded MediaSentry, a company to
stop media piracy.
Patricia Fripp, Sales Trainer
Patricia ran away from her home in England when she was 15 and
came to San Francisco where she became a hairdresser. She would
ask her clients what they did to become successful, and then
she followed their advice.
Educators
Joyce
Reed, former Associate Dean of the College, Brown University
Since my lifelong career has been as a professional educator,
people are frequently bewildered when they learn that my five
children did most of their learning at home until they entered
colleges and universities that suited their interests. How did
I do it, they ask?
Mathematicians
Erik Demaine
The home-schooled whiz kid from Halifax who last year became
the youngest professor hired by the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, has won a MacArthur Fellowship, better known as The
Genius Award.
Musicians
Billy
Contreras, Violinist
Now 15 years old, Billy keeps up a year-round concert schedule
that includes regular stints in Nashville along with tours taking
him to symphonies and festivals all over the country.
Homeschooling
Allows "Specialists" to Emerge
Homeschooling allows children to take extra time in areas which
interest them. This is the story of Michele Bolton who
was invited to play French Horn at Carnegie Hall when she was
17.
Joanna
MacGregor, pianist
Unconventinal pianist who has hit the classical music scene like
the proverbial whirlwind. The eclecticism predates her formal
musical studies. She and her two siblings were educated at home
until they were 11 years old.
Josh
Layne, Harpist
Josh is an exciting young musician who has recorded and produced
3 solo CDs. He performs as both a recitalist and an orchestral
soloist. He began playing the harp at age 13. Because he was
learning at home, he had time to develop his skills as a musician.
One Way Rider Family
Bluegrass Band Newgrass and Gospel
One Way Rider is a family band performing bluegrass, newgrass,
gospel, and contemporary acoustic music. Their children are homeschooled,
and their son BassBoy was on the Grand Ole Opry, Jan. 5, 2002,
performing his original song.
Paskowitz,
Rock Group "The Flys"
Paskowitz' diverse interests ... reflect something of his eclectic
education, having been home schooled with his sister and seven
brothers. "We didn't have organized home schooling, it was
more like we assimilated from our environment," he says.
Performing
Artists (Other than musicians and singers)
David
Tamaki, Ballet Dancer
Paige Crowther and David Tamaki, a soloist with The New Jersey
Ballet, performed the pas de deux from 3Flames of Paris1 with
The Performance of International Ballet Project.
Lisa
Whelchel, Actress
Blair on "The Facts of Life," homeschools her three
kids. Before you could say "no college degree," I had
succeeded in teaching a kindergartner, first-grader, and second-grader
"reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic." We were having so
much fun, you couldn't have paid me to send my kids to school.
Spencer Breslin,
Actor
8 years old and starring in Disney's "The Kid," "The
Cat in the Hat," "Raising Helen," and "The
Santa Claus Part 2."
Tyler
Hoechlin, Actor
In many ways, the real star of Road to Perdition is California
homeschooler Tyler Hoechlin, who plays 12 year-old Michael Jr.
Hoechlin, in his first major role, gives a convincing portrayal
of a young man who both idolizes and fears his father.
Will
and Jada Pinkett Smith
This Hollywood couple has decided to homeschool their children,
because they're unimpressed with America's educational system.
Jada played
"Annie" in "Collateral, and was also in the Matrix
series. Readers
Digest Story.
Zephyr
Goza, Storyteller
Last winter, Zephyr had the title role in "Jack and the
Beans Talk" and its complementary tales about Simple Ivan,
a Russian boy, and Juan Bobo, a fable about a Mexican boy. He
has toured with his parents since he was 18 months old and has
been an actor since he was 3. "They couldn't keep me off
the stage," he says with a chuckle.
Politicians
John and Elizabeth Edwards
We're using the curriculum from the school. We have employed a certified teacher to teach them. The thing they do get to decide is whether they come to an event or not.
Scientists
& Explorers
NASA
Astronaut Homeschools
Just a brief mention in the biography of astronaut Duane G.
"Digger" Carey that he and his wife homeschool
their two children.
Singers
Amel Larrieux, Singer
& Parent
FOX: I know you have two young daughters. How do you make
the time for your family, especially with your current tour dates?
AMEL LARRIEUX: Well they come with us. My 5-year-old is in kindergarten
and the other is only 16 months. We may home school next year
so it doesn't break us apart if we're still on the road.
Brent
Tolin, Singer
Tolin, 11, who is visually impaired and has other disabilities
including pituitary dwarfism and a learning disability, has been
singing since he was 5 years old.
Cherryholmes:
A Bluegrass Family Affair
It hasn't taken the family band Cherryholmes long to rake in
accolades. They scored an upset at last year's International
Bluegrass Music Awards, and their self-titled album is up for
a Grammy Award on Feb. 8.
Garth
Brooks, Singer
On the Howie Mandel show, one of the guests was Garth Brooks.
Did you know his three daughters are homeschooled? He said his
wife does all the teaching because they're too advanced for him:
the girls are 2, 4 and 6! He said his family started traveling
with him and it really helped to save his marriage. Homeschooling
seemed like the logical choice to him.
Hanson, Singing Siblings
More than a decade after they were long-haired, tow-headed teens and their hit MMMBop saturated radio and sold millions, Hanson still is releasing strong, well-received albums, such as last year's rock-and-soul flavored The Walk, which looked at the personal and social responsibilities that come with maturity. Also available, The Best of Hanson
Tiffany Jo, International
Yodeling Champion
Her Cd, Take Me Back To Tucson, was the Borders Music
Store #1 Top Seller for Arizona Artist during both 2003 and 2004.
Tiffany Jo also formed her own charity two years ago called Children
Helping Children. Two dollars from the sale of each of her CD's
goes to buy amusement park passes at the Funtasticks Amusement
Park here in Tucson.
Visual
Artists
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth attended school only to third grade, and after that
received his art training and all other education entirely at
home.
Chelsea Moore, Film Maker
The 17-year-old was honored in New York City as one of nine winners of an international filmmaking contest for 16- to 25-year-olds.
Christian Grew, Painter
Grew has sold nine paintings since her debut exhibit at New Jersey's
Bordentown Iris Festival, where she sold her first painting for
$125.
Lu Pinchang, Sculptor
In 1978, the government opened up the universities to all applicants
and he entered the Jingdezhen Ceramics College having only a
homeschooled education. His reason for choosing ceramics over
any other artistic medium or any other lifestyle is remarkable
in that-as far as he explained-there really wasn't one.
Rita Ambrose and Shelley Sanders, Lighthouse Photographers
Accompanying Ambrose and Sanders on the trips is Sanders' 10-year-old
son, Kyle, whom she home-schools. Kyle is learning more about
history and geography than he could ever learn from a textbook
and, like Grandma, he has begun taking a few photos of his own.
|
- Read About Successful Homeschoolers
Dove
by Graham, Robin Lee, & Derek L. Gill
16 year old sails around world alone for five years and then
recruited by Stanford. Ultimate true unschooling adventure story.
1991 Paperback.
Surrendering to Motherhood
Losing Your Mind, Finding Your Soul
by Iris Krasnow
One woman's search for spiritual fulfillment and personal identity,
and finding herself in the love and calamity of motherhood. 1997
Paperback
Magical Child
by Pearce, Joseph Chilton
I heard Dr. Pearce speak at the CA Home=Ed Conference about the
heart-mind connection; how to nurture true intelligence. 1992
Paperback
The Courage to Raise Good Men
by Silverstein, Olga, & Beth Rashbaum
Why boys raised by loving, involved mothers turn out to be such
good men. Removes fear of "emasculating" your son by
homeschooling. 1995 Paperback
If at First: How Great People Turned Great Setbacks into Great Successes
by Laura Fitzgerald
What's the difference between success and failure? Often it's the decision to keep going when the whole world is saying, "Give up." This inspirational gift book details the setbacks and failures of people who went on to achieve great success.
A Sense of Self
Listening to Homeschooled Adolescent Girls
by Sheffer, Susannah
Homeschooled girls are not Ophelias waiting to be revived! 1997
Paperback
Homeschoolers' Success Stories
How Homeschooling Shaped the Lives of 25 Adults and Teens
by Linda Dobson
Readers will meet a cross-section of confident, well-educated
men and women who have achieved success on a variety of levels
- in their own way, on their own terms - as they bring the skills
first grasped as homeschoolers into the world of higher education,
business, art, sports and more. (Prima Publishing)
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