Dear Mrs. Nachzen,

My name is Joanna Brenner (alias “Jonah”). I just became a junior at the University of Mobile and am currently majoring in political science. Before I started my college career, I homeschooled. Our family began this practice when I was in the sixth grade after moving out of state. There were many advantages to homeschooling that we discovered along the way, but the most valuable, in my mind, was the love of learning it gave me. I guess it also socially isolated me in a way because during my first week at college, I was rudely awakened by the fact that most of my fellow students were not interested in learning for the sake of itself. This made me very cynical toward other people, even when I ‘met’ fellow bulletin board enthusiasts my age who seemed to enjoy knowledge. A couple of months ago, I guess, I came in contact with a newcomer to this board. Berckums and I immediately started a conversation about Stephen Hawking. As we sparred over the posts, I discovered that this individual had a lot of knowledge and was fun to converse with (putting prepostions at the end of sentences is about the extent of my rebellion against authority; everything else is accidental). We began exchanging e-mail and discovering that we had a lot in common. I’ve never experienced someone who is so much like me. It’s scary. I was shocked to find that he was only 14. Could this much wisdom and maturity be coming from someone so young? I thought. It facinated me. So, anyway, each of us wants to meet the other, face to face, to see what we’re really like. Electronic impulses only tell you so much about a person. As a post script, I wanted to mention that I think it’s wonderful that you’re considering homeschooling next year. That’s great. Berckums is definitely the sort that would benefit from that kind of education. He is obviously a self learner/teacher. The freedom to study what interests him at his own pace can only nourish his love of learning. It certainly did mine. I hope to some day meet the woman who has reared such an interesting son.

Jonah