Paula Penn-Nabrit, of Ohio, is the author of Morning by Morning: How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League. It's the story, you may recall, of how Paula's boys - Charles, Damon, and Evan - were accepted into Princeton University and Amherst College.
Paula wrote to tell me she's going to be visitng my old stomping grounds this week (she thought I was still living in Amherst, Mass.) to attend commencement. Evan, 23, is graduating magna cum laude from Amherst College. The young man is a little older than the average grad because he chose to interrupt his education to help care for his dad while he went through a very tough time.
I would have enjoyed visting with this active mom who is an OSU (Ohio State) law school grad and who interned with the late Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress. May sunny weather make a strong comeback on Evan's special day.
For further reading: Like many families, Paula and her husband, C. Madison, encountered skepticism from family members when they decided to home educate. In their case, the criticism was very-close-to-home. This review reveals that "three of Penn-Nabrit and C. Madison's biggest critics lived right under their roof."
Update: The North Star self-directed learners will be hosting Paula and Co. for a book signing on Friday, May 26th, at 1:00 p.m., 104 Russell St., Hadley.
