Lee joined the Princeton Learning Cooperative in seventh grade and then transferred to the Bucks Learning Cooperative when it opened the following year. Being a self-directed learner allowed Lee the opportunity to explore many interests that traditional school could not have made possible, such as a fourteen-month project on early agricultural societies that included both academic work as well as raising and harvesting a field of wheat using pre-industrial methods. BLC’s flexible schedule meant Lee also got to attend The Art Students League in New York City during the week, and earn credit for graffiti lessons and work with a local circus group. Lee also enjoyed the opportunity to dual enroll in a local community college and do college-level academic work.

Lee has accepted a merit-based scholarship to Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo Michigan and entered as a Freshman in the Fall of 2020 as a theater major.

Testimonial by Jim, Lee’s dad:

Lee had done well in both private and public schools during childhood, but as we headed into the teen years, it became evident that what had worked in the past wasn’t going to work now. We knew Lee needed an environment where passions could inform and enhance one’s education, not interfere with it. And we were leery of the “teach to the test” mindset that saddled kids with burdensome amounts of homework day in and day out.

But we also recognized that Lee was not necessarily a candidate for at-home unschooling and needed guidance from trusted adults, as well as opportunity for social interactions during the day. What’s more, Lee had expressed a wish to develop the leadership qualities, and trying to advise our teenager as parents only went so far.

At BLC, Lee seemed to find both a balance between freedom and form, and the opportunities to develop confidence in social situations. Lee took the initiative both at BLC and in the larger learning cooperative community, teaching classes, helping with fundraising, and representing BLC at events, sharing passions with peers. Lee learned how to find common ground while pursuing a personal vision, something that hadn’t been happening in traditional school.

Now due to COVID, I get to eavesdrop on Lee’s first semester of college. I hear Lee doing in college classes what was learned at BLC: lighting up the discussion, bringing new and interesting things to the conversation, and often taking the lead.