Gavin’s school experiences prior to trying a self-directed approach at PLC weren’t terrible, but they weren’t satisfying either. And shouldn’t learning be satisfying? Gavin thought so. His curiosity simply ran deeper than the material covered in his classes. In addition to a conscientious eagerness to learn whatever is at hand, he has extensive interests in math and science, especially in astronomy. At PLC, Gavin utilized the flexibility of homeschooling to progress with math at a quicker pace than school could accommodate and to study the physics behind various cosmological events. He has consistently taught classes on the cosmos and other scientific curiosities, which are well-liked by the other kids. And he even had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an astrophysicist!

The flexibility in learning outside of school also gave Gavin the space to study subject areas that are more challenging for him at a slower pace. Languages do not come easily to him, so he asked his French teacher to slow down a bit. This request was easily met in his small class and benefited the other kids as well. Gavin also struggles with spelling. Writing at PLC is primarily done in one-on-one tutoring sessions, so Gavin was able to work on strategies to help him with his spelling specifically while offering opportunities to write about topics that most interest him…like space! Through this experience, he realized that despite particular struggles with writing, there are aspects of writing that come naturally to him, such as organization. This realization made writing much more enjoyable for Gavin.

The flexibility and freedom to learn in his own way, at his own pace really helped Gavin to both excel in his areas of strength and greatly improve in his areas of struggle. The combination of those experiences has given him that deeper satisfaction in learning that he was longing for.

Gavin wrote this essay in Writers’ Workshop about his experience at PLC:

Growing up I tried many different schools. First, I went to a gifted and talented school, then I tried a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) school, I even tried online learning then public school. But none of them fit me well. I never got to do the things that I enjoyed doing. It was always just the curriculum, and that was just too restrictive for me.

Halfway through my eighth-grade year, I started looking for other kinds of schools. I found out about self-directed learning through my mom and thought it would work well for me. We went and tried out some schools. They were either way too self-directed, or they were too similar to a public school.

One day my mom told me about another self-directed school she found. It was called Princeton Learning Cooperative (PLC). We went there to check it out. When we visited, it seemed nice; it had a good structure and gave students freedom to learn what they wanted at their own pace. I decided I wanted to look into this school more. Later, I got to shadow for two days, and I loved it. Everyone there was so friendly, even when I was just visiting. They made me feel at ease even when I knew none of them, and the classes were great. The classes were interactive and had some hands-on experiences, which fit me well.

Then after Christmas break that year, I transferred to PLC. Ever since I moved to PLC, I have been pushed to try new things and to work hard. For example right now writing this. I used to hate writing and I would never try hard to get better at it, but ever since I have started the writing classes at PLC I have had a lot more freedom in choosing what I want to write making it much more enjoyable. Before PLC I never had the drive to try in school. But now that I get to pick my classes and have all of these amazing people pushing me to try, I feel this is the first time I have truly enjoyed school and pushed myself to achieve.

Right now, I’m in my second year of PLC, and it has been wonderful. Whenever I have a new interest, I know I can bring it up to my mentor. PLC mentors always do their best to accommodate students’ interests. That has been one of the highlights for me, getting to try all of these new topics and seeing if they are something I am passionate about. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, they have made online schooling fun and interactive. Overall, my PLC experience has been great!

–Gavin, Fall 2020