To My Past — I Wouldn’t Be Who I Am Today Without You

“However critical I am of those in my past who attempted to control my life, I must also always be grateful to them. They gave me early experiences which formed my current worldview. They gave me tools with which I was able to break out of the prisons they constructed around me and then build my own life, a life which looks nothing like they want it to but a life which I inhabit very happily.”

Confessions of a Homeschooler: Iris Rosenthal’s Story, Part Two

“It is my desire that people know and define me by who I really am, and not as some ‘failed product of home education.’ I hope that by sharing my experiences I can somehow prevent them from happening to someone else. I remember how hard it was for me to adjust to being outside of the homeschooling bubble and in some ways, eight years later I am still adjusting.”

TeenPacters Speak Up: Part Eight, TeenPact and Mixed Emotions

“Ultimately, I can’t help but be disillusioned. We were 15, 16, 17 and 18-year-olds in positions of power over our peers. There were obvious in-crowds and out-crowds. At the beginning of each class, the staffers almost immediately established who were the ‘good kids’ and the ‘problem kids’ and treated them as such throughout the program.”