“So...how do they turn out?” In other words: “Will I still be doing my child's laundry in 2035?” It can be hard to make the mental leap from a child happily playing with stuffed animals, or a teenager yelling at a video game, to a well-adjusted adult.

We get anxious. We start playing mental games to reassure ourselves, turning a passing interest in tapirs into a question like, “Wouldn’t you like to become a zookeeper someday?” and stilted conversations about how many years of math you need to get into a zookeeping program.

We don't have to do that. Kids need our support, but they don't need us to direct their futures. Graduates from Sudbury schools, and other forms of self-directed learning like unschooling, figure out their futures for themselves just fine. They get jobs, go to college, and date and have hobbies and have full lives, just like people who go to more conventional schools. School is not a requirement for a decent life.

Our oldest graduates are about 30 this year. Here's a brief snapshot into a few of their lives.

Cassidy, class of 2011: Cassidy is finishing her MS in Human-Computer Interaction and will start a job as a UX Designer this May. In her free time, she’s currently potty training her rescue puppy Lazlo.

Nicole, class of 2013: Nicole is currently working as a legal secretary at a global law firm in the Loop. In her free time she enjoys playing volleyball/working out, seeing her friends, and reading or listening to podcasts.

Kimberly, class of 2015: Kimberly will be graduating summa cum laude next month from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A. in Communications. She is set to receive a number of distinctions, such as the Wayland Maxfield Parrish Award (highest GPA within her major).

Matt, class of 2017: Matt is pursuing a degree in business with a focus on marketing. Matt is also training for a 100-mile bike ride at the end of May.

Here's an internal study of alumni from one of our older sister schools, the Circle School in Pennsylvania.

Sound like the kind of future you want for your child? Contact us today to learn more, or download our e-book, "Is Self-Directed Education Right for Your Child?"