Feeling like she had no control over her time in school, KC chose a more independent path at PLC. She used her new found voice to become a leader in the PLC community and the larger community and to explore her options for what comes next in her journey.
KC attended Cairn University. Graduating in 3 1/2 years, she took her first post-college job working for a firm in Philadelphia, PA, that she had interned with during college. ” I know that my experience now would not have been possible without the leadership and life skills I learned while at PLC.”
KC shared her story at our self-directed learning celebration in spring 2013:
Stuart and Cindy, KC’s parents, describe how making a life outside of school has changed their family:
Princeton Learning Cooperative has changed “our” lives—not just our 16-year-old’s but the whole family’s. When traditional schooling isn’t a good fit for a child, her entire extended support system is strained on a daily basis. After just the first month at PLC, her stress and ours began to dissipate; after six months, we now have to consciously recall what it felt like to be in a constant tug-of-war with the “system”. Our daughter has gone from dreading getting out of bed each morning to pushing us to be sure she doesn’t miss a minute of her totally voluntary program.
Ownership in her own outcome—and perhaps the shock of not being compelled to participate in activities with no meaning for her—has resulted in an academic schedule far more rigorous than was the case in high school in terms of purposeful learning. Without all the filler and camouflage, she’s able to recognize the substance of her “class” material and appreciate it. Now that she is a participant in the design and planning of her weekly objectives and commitments, she has assumed full responsibility for meeting those obligations and organizing her time to do so.
Toward that end, the new mindset has, by necessity, carried over into extra-curricular life as well. A kid who required regular, at times daily, monitoring and counseling to keep her head in the game is now a young woman fully involved in her future, both short and long-term, and has found purpose sharing her first-hand understanding as a faith-based counselor and mentor to the next generation. This is entirely of her own volition. We just provide the taxi service to twice-weekly activities—which she arranges with us in advance. (Who’d have ever thought?)
Adolescents are developing stories, often surprising and certainly not predictable. It would be unrealistic to suggest that any or every child would find their muse in the same program. We can, however, wholeheartedly commend PLC for facilitating a conscientious, attentive, and thoroughly professional learning and growth experience for our daughter.