At last year’s presenta-tion, Madeline describedhow she had hated beingin school. A young manwho had been in schoolwith her but had been

having conflicts there exclaimed in disbelief, “Butyou were so good at school. You were the smartestkids in the class. You were friends with theteacher.” Her experience challenged him, and allof us, to think differently about the high-achievingteens in school he had assumed were happy there.This past year Madeline has settled into a routineand work-life that seems to suit her, and it gives usjoy to see her so invested and so proud of her seri-ous accomplishments. I appreciate her honesty inwriting about her personal struggles, and we areglad to be an important part of her current life. —K.D.

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Sum

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2007

Madeline

As July begins, all ofour attention shifts tothe exciting project ofcleaning, renovating,and moving to NorthStar’s new home! Weare moving just downthe road to the Town ofHadley’s Russell StreetSchool building. Ournew address is 135Russell Street. We arerenting this buildingfrom the town, and weare collaborating withthe town on the neces-sary renovations. Thework is already under-way, and we welcomevolunteers and contri-butions to this process.We are always eager toshow visitors the build-ing, so please feel freeto drop by if you are inthe neighborhood andare curious to seeinside. We will sched-ule a grand-openingparty for sometime inAugust or earlySeptember.

In the meantime, Junewas a month of closurefor a very successfulyear at North Star. Theweek after MemorialDay was devoted to stu-dent presentations, inwhich our teen mem-bers had an opportunityto share what they haveaccomplished this year,or to explain whathomeschooling hasmeant to them. These

received A’s and B’s in my classes, but I neverenjoyed myself. I am good at teaching myself andI learn fast, so I find being in a classroom where theteacher is also responsible for teaching over twen-ty other students incredibly unappealing. I feel thatI am better at teaching myself, and better at learn-ing through hands-on situations or when I am self-motivated. Being in a classroom actually holds meback.

I tried all sorts of alternative schooling; I wentto six different schools before ending up at NorthStar, and I was in a gifted program in one of them.I enjoyed going to Hilltown Cooperative CharterPublic School because I liked the people, and theclassroom setting was slightly more relaxed. Thestudents were on a first-name basis with the facul-ty, much like at North Star, giving us the opportu-nity to become friends with our teachers. However,I still felt that I wasn’t being allowed the freedomthat I needed.

In John F. Kennedy Middle School andNorthampton High School I was at the top of myclass. I went to honors classes and I got goodgrades, but that didn’t mean that I was happy. Infact, I was miserable. Throughout the first semesterof 9th grade I was depressed, and I suffered fromfrequent emotional breakdowns. I was also suffer-ing from a constant headache and scattered insom-nia. By the end of January 2006, I wasn’t turning inany of my homework, yet I was still getting A’s andB’s in all of my classes. I was in no shape to con-tinue school, but I hadn’t found any other options.On the Friday before our finals, one of my friendstold me about North Star. She had been in a similarsituation, and she had just gotten home from ameeting with Ken at North Star. She said that itsounded perfect for both me and her. I talked to myparents about it over the weekend, and we met withKen on Wednesday. I started going to North Starthe very next Monday, and I have never regrettedit. I stay in touch with my other friends, and I havemet a lot of amazing new friends while here.

Out of all the subjects I am interested in, mytwo real passions are writing and art. When I wasin school, I would doodle all over my assignments,and I never stopped coming up with ideas for sto-

ries to write. My friends, peers, parents, and evenoccasionally my teachers would be shocked that Icalled these drawings ‘doodles’because of theirquality. I drew on my worksheets, my handouts,and even my planner, but I never had the time towrite down the stories that I couldn’t stop develop-ing.

Because school took so much time, I felt likeI never had any time to be personally creative. Ihad emotional breakdowns almost twice a weekand I suffered from depression, so I didn’t havevery much inspiration or energy to spare. Evenwhen I had time, energy, or inspiration, I didn’treally have a schedule or a supportive workshop togive me the motivation to continue on one specificstory.

After leaving school, and taking a graceperiod in which I recovered some of my energy andinspiration, I started taking two different writingworkshops and ended up writing at least twice aweek. I spent about a year getting all of my frag-ments of stories down on paper and then came upwith a story that I intend to turn into a novel. I nowhave almost forty pages of that novel written, andmost of the outline as well. Although I’m not goingto any writing workshops over the summer, I amgoing to get a group of some of my friendstogether to write.

I have been able to use better materials for myart since leaving school because I no longer have todoodle on papers that have lines or print on them.This makes my work look cleaner and more profes-

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presentations give ourmembers a chance tolearn important thingsabout each other, andthey result in a deeperrespect for our commu-nity.

This newsletter offersanother forum for ourteens to describe howthey have been affectedby homeschooling.Often, we learn that theteens have been affect-ed in ways that are notalways apparent to oth-ers. This issue featuresMadeline Barclay andOlivia Marti. Thesetwo young women areboth apparently happy,cheerful, busy partici-pants at North Star.People who meetMadeline and Olivianow and see them writ-ing, drawing, andsocializing at NorthStar would have littlereason to guess orunderstand just howprofoundly their cur-rent lives differ fromtheir lives two yearsago. I appreciate thatthey have taken the riskof sharing their deeperstories here; theyremind me that amidstthe flurry of activitiesand general excitementat North Star right now,our core purposeremains constant: to

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sional, which makes me more likely to be satisfiedwith it. Having clean work also allows me to postit online in order to get more feedback. While Ionly had one portfolio before coming to North Star,I now have three binders full of art that I am proudof, and one binder filled with older art.

In addition to keeping all of my art safe infolders, I have ensured that I won’t lose my writingby saving it on a flash drive that I keep with me atall times, as well as emailing it to myself so that Ican access it from any computer with internet. Ibring the binder that contains my best art with meat all times as well.

Since coming to North Star, I have found a lotof amazing people who are just as interested inwriting and/or art as I am. I find it inspiring toshare my stories with others, and so North Star hasbecome a perfect place to go for inspiration. Thereis always someone who’s interested, and there’salways someone who will listen and/or discus whatI or they are writing about.

The writing workshop at North Star hasbecome a sort of community, where people knowmy stories and expect me to continue them. I findthe knowledge that people actually enjoy hearingwhat I’ve written to be inspiring and motivating.Similarly, I look forward to hearing the other writ-ers’stories every week as well. The writing work-shop that I take outside of North Star works thesame way. It gives me the kind of structure thatschool lacked and that I thrive on.

I have taken several other classes at NorthStar such as Logic, Psychology, Mystic Path,French, and Art. I have taken a short painting classoutside of North Star, as well as an ongoing writingclass, and another French class. I’ve also beenlearning a little bit about both belly dancing and

American Sign Language from a friend of mine,and I’ve been volunteering at the NorthamptonParents’Center for four hours every Wednesday.

My breakdowns have stopped, for the mostpart, and I am no longer depressed. I enjoy mydays, and as a result I get along with my family bet-ter than I did before. I have more energy, andalthough my headache and insomnia have not goneaway, they are much easier to cope with. If I havea particularly bad night’s sleep or a particularly badheadache, I am not required to go to any classes. Iam in control of my schedule, so I get to make myown decisions based on what I think that I am upfor. Also, because I haven’t been as exhausted ordepressed I have been able to discover more andmore things that help me get to sleep.

Since coming to North Star, I’ve been happi-er, healthier, and more productive. I can’t imaginegoing back to school. It would take away the pre-cious freedom that I value so much, and it wouldkeep me from being who I am. North Star is hon-estly one of the best things that has ever happenedto me.t

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help individualteenagers use home-schooling to improvetheir lives. These essays provide one typeof confirmation of howimportant that purposeis.

News and Notes

The final months atNorth Star this yearseemed to consist ofnon-stop action. Ourweek of student presen-tations overlapped withthe theater group’s pro-duction of The GoodPerson of Szechuan.The group offered fouroutstanding perfor-mances at PACE the-ater in Easthampton.These impressive pro-ductions provided theculmination of a year-long effort that was thecentral activity formany of the partici-pants. Congratulationsto each of the perform-ers, to the technicalcrew, and to EllenMorf, the director.

On June 10th, NorthStar held its thirdannual “Celebration ofSelf-DirectedLearning.” We hosted180 people at the

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p Pictures by Madeline

Madeline Barclay 2006

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Northampton Centerfor the Arts. Theseenthusiastic friends andsupporters helped ushonor this year’s Self-Directed LearningAward recipients, BlackSnake Woman andTraveling MedicineDog of WoodlandVillage, a camp inMontague.

We appreciated thelovely brunch providedby North Star friendsBueno Y Sano, TheHungry Ghost Bakery,and Seeds of SolidarityFarm. North Star par-ents Martha Spiro andSean Meyer spokeabout how their liveshave been changed byNorth Star, as didNorth Star member BenRosser.

After being well fed andfully inspired, thebrunch attendees gen-erously responded toour appeal to help uscontinue our practice ofworking with all inter-ested families, regard-less of their ability topay our membershipfees.

These donors gave over$19,000 for the currentyear, and made pledgesover the next three tofive years of another$18,000. We had onedonor pledge to match

Dear North Star,

Every issue I get of Liberated Learners I read immedi-ately. I love hearing the kids’ stories. Meanwhile, myissues of Psychology Today and Family TherapyNetworker pile up unread.

Rock on, you guys! I am so impressed with your amaz-ing organization and your amazing kids. Huge con-gratulations on your new home. I can’t wait to see it. IfI had lots of money I’d send a lot more but reading yournewsletter inspired me to give something. Happy springand keep up the amazing work.

All the best,

Katherine Waddell, TherapistNorthampton, MA

Dear North Star,

Several years ago, after an exchange of email withKen Danford, I visited North Star and found the

experience quite moving. While what I observed –young people hanging out, taking a couple of classes,

and going off to lunch didn’t seem all that out of theordinary, when I thought about what they were actu-ally doing and how much it differed from the norm, Iknew it was extra-ordinary for sure.

I am inspired by what is possible whenever I readLiberated Learners, and I want to express my supportand encouragement for the work you do.

Thanks,

Michael SklaroffSaugerties, NY

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Dear North Star,

THANK YOU for everything you have done forEthan. North Star is not just a fun place to beand a cool place to learn, although it has cer-tainly been all that and more for Ethan. Mostimportant to me as a parent was that it saved Ethan. Ibled for him as he endured his public school experi-ence. My only regret is that Ethan didn’tcome to North Star a year sooner.

It does not take a huge leap of imagination to compareand contrast what Ethan’s life has been with what itwould have been like without North Star. It has beenan incredible experience watching Ethan recover andgrow into a happy, intellectually curious person whogenuinely enjoys being part of a caring communitythat values people of all ages, interests, and talents. Iam convinced that this could not have happened in aconventional school setting.

As an educator and a scholar, I am fascinated withNorth Star and the unschooling concept; I wish well-meaning people in the world of education reformwould pay more attention to it. As a parent, I knowthat we can’t afford not to. Thank you again for a fan-tastic six years and the bright future you have beeninstrumental in illuminating for Ethan.

Barbara MathewsMother of Ethan Mathews

(Editor’s note: Ethan will be attending theCommonwealth College Honors Program at theUniversity of Massachusetts this fall.)

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This spring Olivia hasbeen a central part ofthe witty socializingand verbal banteringthat occurs in NorthStar’s main room. Her

involvement, her laughter, her smile, and aboveall, her comfort make it hard to believe that shespent her first week at North Star looking at thefloor and hardly talking to anyone.

Olivia spent the first portion of her time with usquietly scouting things out until she felt safe; thenshe blossomed. I have always noticed Olivia’scaring and thoughtfulness and empathy, and I findit painful to hear how she felt socially ostracizedduring her school career. Her more relaxed andcomfortable demeanor at North Star warms myheart and is one of the North Star stories I cher-ish. I hope her writing will inspire others to feelsome measure of hope and empowerment. We allwish her well with her transition to college, andwe will all miss her presence.—K.D.

I have had unusual schooling since kindergartenwhen I began my Montessori years. As a school,Montessori worked well for me and I made somefriends. The problem was that, as I reached theupper levels of the school, the amount of studentsmy age dwindled. In my fifth grade year, after wecame back from winter break, I was the only girl inmy grade and the oldest girl in the school. Unlikethe girls a grade below me, I enjoyed climbingtrees more than talking about make-up and boys.Throughout that last year at Montessori, my par-ents and my neighbor and best friend’s parents hadbeen discussing where the two of us should go.They decided on a local private school. At thatschool I spent a year being teased and ridiculed.Midway through the spring I knew that I would notbe going back in the fall. Our next step was for meto go to public school for the first time in my life.If we thought that I would fit in better there, wewere very wrong. The only way I made it throughthe day was knowing that when I got home my bestfriend would be getting home too, and we could go

climb trees and play like the old days.

I made it through middle school atHampshire Regional and then moved on to highschool. It was not until I was in eleventh grade,when my mom was at a presentation where a for-mer member of North Star talked about how wellhomeschooling had worked for her, that we real-ized that leaving school might be a possibility. Wespent hours talking about it before we even set upour first visit with Ken, a year and a half ago. Onthe first visit Ken asked me a little bit about what Iliked to do and after his big North Star speech hegave me a tour. In the following week I came andvisited like many new members do. I did not wantto give up my old school life completely so for therest of the year I attended three classes in the morn-ing at HRHS and then I took the PVTA bus toNorth Star where I would fill up my days withclasses there.

Being at North Star gave me lots of time todo the kinds of things I wanted to do. I was able tocontinue the music lessons that had become over-whelming when I was in school. The most impor-tant way I spent my free time away from North Starwas helping my older sister with her children. I hadtime with my nieces that I never would have had ifI were still at school. I also enjoyed going on sev-eral day trips with North Star. One of the mostmemorable North Star trips happened on my 17thbirthday. It was a rock climbing trip and I learnedhow to belay, and I got to do it for Ken.

In my two years at North Star, my favoriteclass by far was writing with Susannah Sheffer. Inthis class I was able to open up and explore mywriting skills. Writing was something that nevercame easily to me, so a class that was dedicated towriting was perfect to keep me going once I leftschool. Susannah and the rest of the North Starstaff helped me through a particularly rough patchlast year, serving not only as teachers but as coun-selors as well.

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the total given by thebrunch attendees, andthis gift will match boththe short-term andlong-term gifts. Thisunprecedented successmeans that North Starnow has the funds weneed to renovate ournew building withoutworrying that this willprevent us from beingable to provide scholar-ships to families whoneed that help.

We now have resourcesto consider larger pro-jects such as construct-ing a disability ramp atthe new building andstill retain some fundsas a reserve for thefuture. We are gratefulto everyone who partici-pated in this monumen-tal event!

Amidst these end-of-the-year activities, theNorth Star staff andBoard of Directors hasbeen involved innumerous outreachactivities to share ourwork with others. OnMay 16th, Ken Danfordand Susannah Shefferpresented a workshopabout homeschoolingand North Star at theWestern New EnglandRegional Social WorkConference. On May19-20th, North Star

Olivia

At the beginning of this year I decided thatI wanted to continue the same kind of schedule,taking an English class and a Psychology class atHRHS and then going to North Star for the rest ofthe day. As the year went on I found that I was nolonger filling every North Star moment with class-es but instead I was socializing and having friendsfor the first time in years. As the year continued,my parents and I discovered that I only needed totake a few more classes at the high school and thenI would be able to graduate and receive a diploma.This meant a lot to me because of all my schoolshuffling; I had never graduated from a school. InJune I walked across the stage at John M. GreeneHall with the rest of my Hampshire Regional classand received my diploma.

I wish I could return to North Star nextyear but instead I will be attending MassachusettsCollege of Liberal Arts in North Adams,Massachusetts. This is a big step for me. Eventhough I will not be a member of North Star, Iintend to come back and visit as often as possiblebecause North Star has changed my life, and I don'tcare if that sounds cheesy. It was challenging tobalance a schedule of high school and North Star,but being able to make friends and learn the way Iwanted to learn was just what I needed.t

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hosted it first workshopfor people interested inreplicating our model.North Star Co-Founderand Board PresidentJoshua Hornick orga-nized and led this work-shop for five partici-pants, who came fromPennsylvania,Michigan, Nebraska,and Virginia. We havecontinued to be intouch with these peopleas they consider theirown plans for the com-ing fall. We hope thatthis first effort will leadto more such work-shops and conferences.

At the end of June, Kenattended the AlternativeEducation ResourceOrganization’s annualconference in Troy,New York. He offered awell-attended workshopon how the North Starmodel compares toalternative schools andhomeschooling co-ops.He also participated inpanel discussion withZoe Neill Readheadfrom Summerhill, RonMiller from GoddardCollege, Jerry Mintzfrom AERO, and repre-sentatives of Montessoriand Reggio Emiliaapproaches.

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q Our New Building

135 Russell Street (Route 9)Hadley MA 01035

413. 582.0193 or 582.0262www.northstarteens.org

Help support

North Star

Contributions like yourshelp fund our operatingcosts. We rely on dona-tions to generate memberscholarships, staffsalaries, and improve-ments to our space andresources. Please help uscontinue to grow.

Name

Address

City State and Zip

Phone email address

Contribution:

q $50

q $100

q $250

q $500

q other

North Star is a project ofLearning Alternatives, Inc, anon-profit corporation underMassachusetts Law andSection 501(c)(3) of theInternal Revenue Code.

Contributions to North Star aretax-deductible.

Thanks for yourgenerosity.

# clip and mail to North Star 135 Russell Street Hadley MA 01035

Catherine Gobron and Ken will present a work-shop for the first time at the local NortheastOrganic Farming Association annual conferenceat Hampshire College in August.

Meanwhile, this issue of Liberated Learners willend as it began: We are moving! Your help,your energy, your donations, your support arewelcome as we undertake this huge project. Wewill be eager to share the update about our movein our next issue.

⊳ Our New Building!