Grown Homeschoolers in GWS

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Tim Ahearn
Dawn Shuman Borchelt
Erin Roberts Cosgrove
Peter Griffin
Jamie S. Hopkins
Vanessa Keith
Emily Murphy
Mae Shell
Seth Smith
Jenine Turner

GROWN HOMESCHOOLERS IN THE DOCUMENTARY

Tim Ahearn · Hammond, Ind.
Age 29. Started homeschooling in 6th grade

As a homeschooler, Tim was interested in the martial arts, astronomy, engineering and electronics. He and his younger brother spent much of their time playing outside and taking things apart. This led the Chicago native to a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, and a job as an electrical supervisor at Bethlehem Steel. At the time of the documentary, Tim is struggling to reconcile his ardent desire to homeschool his four children with his wife’s general reluctance to the idea.
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Dawn Shuman Borchelt · Accokeek, Md.
Age 23. Started homeschooling in 3rd grade

Dawn's early years were dominated by reading, baby-sitting, and work with her church. At age 17, she decided to pursue a degree from St. John's College. After college, Dawn married her teenage sweetheart, fellow homeschooler and photographer, Matt Borchelt. At the time of the documentary, Dawn is Director of Religious Education for a Unitarian Universalist church near Washington, D.C.>
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Erin Roberts Cosgrove · Pittsburgh, Pa.
Age 24. Started homeschooling in 2nd grade

Erin, who nearly a decade ago wrote a chapter in the book about homeschooling teens, Real Lives, grew up with horses and a strong interest in 4-H. Erin began college at 17, later to graduate from West Virginia’s Bethany College with a double major in political science and communications. Erin planned to work political campaigns in Washington, but instead the grown homeschooler married a political science professor and moved to Pittsburgh, Penn. At the time of the documentary, Erin is juggling business school and a marketing job at a software start-up.
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Peter Griffin · Brooklyn, N.Y.
Age 27. Lifelong homeschooler

Homeschooling was a struggle for Peter, who at one point rued his decision to skip school. Reading and history were early favorites of Peter, who grew up dyslexic in a single-parent household with his siblings and artist mother. Peter initially flunked out of community college, but then worked his way into Vassar College and graduated with a degree in history. At the time of the documentary, Peter is a museum liaison for the New York Historical Society and one course shy of a Masters degree in Museum Education.
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Jamie Smith Hopkins · Odenton, Md.
Age 23. Lifelong homeschooler

Very family-oriented, Jamie grew up thinking that she would be an artist or a piano teacher. By her early teens, it was a foregone conclusion that Jamie would go into graphic design or a field related to animation. Classes at her local community college spurred an interest in journalism, however, which Jamie pursued at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. While at the university, Jamie met her future husband, Ed Hopkins. At the time of the documentary, Jamie is currently living with her husband and working as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun.
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Vanessa Keith · Unity, N.H.
Age 31. Lifelong homeschooler

When Vanessa started homeschooling, there wasn't a name for homeschooling —she simply didn't go to school. Living on a land grant, Vanessa studied the basics with her parents and performed seasonal work in the New England area. In her late teens, Vanessa struck out on her own and lived in Canada and Northern Vermont, some of the time with her boyfriend (who also homeschooled and did seasonal work). After eight years, Vanessa moved back home to Unity, NH, next door to her mother. At the time of the documentary, Vanessa is living close to the earth and makes her living by working at a greenhouse, picking apples, selling crafts, and helping the local recycling center.
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Emily Murphy· Bainbridge, Pa.
Age 28. Started homeschooling in 4th grade

Emily began homeschooling because she was too advanced for school. As a homeschooler, she read and studied a lot, having an early interest in museums and history. At age 13, she worked for her first museum. For college, Emily attended St. John's College and loved every minute of it. In fact, right out of college, Emily wrote a book about the history of St. John's College for the school's 300th anniversary. Following college, Emily worked for the Maryland State Archives for a few years. At the time of the documentary, she's finishing her Masters degree in American Studies at Penn. State-Harrisburg, and plans to start work on her Ph.D. after graduation.
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Mae Shell · St. Albans, Vt.
Age 23. Lifelong homeschooler

Mae grew up playing with her three younger sisters and has always been very family-oriented and artistic. Yet, Mae also enjoys computers and has an interest in technological gadgets. Her diverse interests combine at the local library, where she works as Technical Services Manager. Mae tried a few community college classes at age 17, but decided against pursuing a degree. A the time of the documentary, she is struggling to improve her social life.
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Seth Smith · Columbia, Mo.
Age 30. Started homeschooling in 5th grade

Competitive cycling dominated the teen years of Seth, who dreamt about being a national-class cyclist before family conditions forced him to give up the sport and focus on art in college. Seth found that his heart wasn't in the arts, however; a couple years into college, Seth left Missouri's Truman State University for wilderness work in Idaho, Colorado and Alaska. At the time of the documentary, Seth is back in Missouri, by his family, working as a reference librarian and attending graduate school while grappling with his homeschooler identity.
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Jenine Turner · Rochester, N.Y.
Age 19. Lifelong homeschooler

Growing up in Virginia, Jenny took advantage of the area's numerous homeschooling clubs and continued to explore her interest in gymnastics, a sport she began at age three. Although Jenny had to give up gymnastics for college, she has wasted no time getting involved in her field of study. At the time of the documentary, Jenny is working with a graduate student in natural language processing at the University of Rochester, where she plans to get a degree in computer science.
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