The Triumph of the Unschooled

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on those who reject pubic education:

Eighteen-year-old Abby Stewart got word this month that she won early admission to elite Princeton University, even though she has never set foot in a high school classroom.

She also wrapped up a huge challenge -- dancing the Snow Queen role in "The Nutcracker Suite" at the Athenaeum Theatre -- largely because she has never set foot in a high school classroom.

Five years ago, frustrated with the pace and depth of a Chicago Public School gifted program, Abby withdrew from eighth grade and entered uncharted territory -- a branch of home schooling often called "unschooling."

Under this ultimate form of "child-directed" learning, Abby used no set curriculum. She called her own hours, worked at her own pace and, most important, followed her own interests -- without taking tests or receiving grades. Some days, she'd wake up, grab a bowl of cereal and go back to bed with a book.

I guess not all parents want their child to be part of the John Dewey zombie mind set.