How I got started in alternative education

I went from engineering to teaching...not a lucrative life change. In order to subsidize my teaching, I worked in engineering on temp jobs during the summer. One summer, a job lasted longer than expected, and , not having a regular teaching contract that winter, we stayed on the job until January. Because we expected to return home 'any day now', I allowed my son to stay out of school that fall. I 'home-schooled' him, and he spent his days in the nearby university library. By the time we returned home, he had become quite resistent to going back to school. The spring was a struggle. He was miserable and hated school. By that fall, we were at an impasse.

By summer, I had also given up on teaching, having taught the last semester pretty much without a paycheck. I had always wanted to go back to school for my Ph.D., I applied at the University of California, Davis, and was accepted into their program for the next fall.

We moved onto campus in the fall. I attempted to enroll my son in school, but he was adamant that I should allow him to continue with 'home-schooling'. I felt I would not have time, with graduate studies, to help him enough. He researched and discovered a new school, just started, that would be a good compromise. He would get his assignments, and have them checked weekly by a credentialed teacher, yet not have to attend daily. I was reluctant, but we agreed to a trial period.

For the first couple of weeks, it seemed as though he was on vacation. He really didn't seem to do much but 'hang out'. We had a few discussions about this, but one day, I came home from class to find that he had organized his life, gotten his program started, and was finally on a recognizable track.

The next few years were joyful, eventful and the greatest adventure of our lives. My son became a real student, enjoying the learning process, and learning for fun! We had great conversations about a wide range of topics that sometimes lasted days. This was my beginning of my love affair with Davis School for Independent Study.

Over the next few years, I watched, enthralled at the magic I witnessed. Here, finally, was a school that really helped students, teachers who cared, who were advocates for the students, allowing them, encouraging them, to develop their potential. It was thrilling to watch. Before I had finished my graduate program, they asked me to start helping with math classes; I accepted. By the time I graduated, I had started teaching full time at DSIS. I taught there for ten years.

I will probably discuss DSIS and the alternative schooling idea a lot here, as I've found that it tremendously successful in motivating and creating life-long learners. I have often wondered why more schools do not follow their example.