Learning to Learn

Brad Pierce's schoolteacher told him he could choose any subject to study after he mastered math and English. Brad, now a junior at Baylor, chose history. His teacher also allowed him to select his own textbooks and took him on field trips to NASA, a bread factory and an orange juice manufacturer.
Incidentally, the school that offered him such freedom also helped him earn a 1380 on his SAT. Brad, 20, and his brother Shay, 21, also a Baylor student, were homeschooled by their mother, Tammy Pierce of Dickinson. She says she found homeschooling gave her an "incredible opportunity" to educate her children "exactly to their uniqueness."
When Brad, now internal student body vice president, was 17, he was admitted to Baylor the year before the University discovered that Texas requires students without a recognized high school diploma to be in school until 18 or take the GED. Brad says he would have taken the exam if it had been necessary to get into Baylor. 
"I don't think I would have thought the GED was a big deal. I am for keeping homeschoolers accountable," Brad says. "For one thing, I think they're great, so I encourage any chance for them to show off on standardized tests." 
Although some critics of homeschooling question whether the students have social skills or a commitment to community, neither is a problem for the Pierce brothers. Brad focuses on campus issues and tries to make Baylor a better place through his elected office. "I love the type of service I get to do through student government," he says. Shay is a community leader, formerly known as a dormitory RA, for the fourth floor of Penland. The revamped position heavily emphasizes leadership and relational skills and is integral in creating a residential experience that focuses on community and spiritual growth.
Having time and flexibility to accommodate family activities and needs are two things that Brad liked most about being homeschooled. "We're very big on family. At school you go off and do your own thing, and you're never around the family." It also allowed the children to see more of their father, Randall, a process operator at a chemical plant.
During their high school years, the brothers were not taught at home but took courses at Lee College, a junior college in Baytown, and at San Jacinto College in Pearland. They left high school with three transcripts, one from their parents and two from the two colleges. Shay says some of his friends find his homeschooling background a novelty, but he realizes now that "we were able to avoid many of the negative things about high school."
At Baylor, history is still Brad's first choice. He majors in it with a minor in English and plans to attend law school after graduation in May 2004. Looking back on his education, he says he wouldn't have studied anything different, but he is planning to read the classics, departing from his pre-college preference for nonfiction. 
Shay, who earned a 1430 SAT score, is a computer science major and hopes to move to Austin and become a programmer when he graduates in August 2003. 
Both men are pleased with their choice of college. Shay says he chose Baylor over A&M because Baylor pursued him and because of its Christian heritage. "It's smaller, more personal and has a beautiful campus," he says.
His brother agrees. "Baylor has exceeded my expectations," Brad says. "It's a great place, and the people are genuine."
As for their primary teacher, Tammy Pierce also is pleased with her sons' education. A speaker at a homeschool conference she attended said that the best thing parents can teach their children is how to learn. "That is my mantra," she says. "If you can teach that one thing, they can go on to learn everything. That was the huge, successful thing we did."