Willow graduate credits his favorite teachers

WASILLA -- Public speaking engagements aren't an every day event for recent graduate Sammy Toothman, but he made an exception Tuesday night. Toothman had good reason -- he had a few people to thank.

Toothman, 19, was one of 51 who graduated from the Mat-Su Borough School District's Correspondence Studies School Tuesday evening, and he was one of two student commencement speakers. Tuesday afternoon, Toothman said he hoped to use his time at the podium to thank two very important people in his life -- his parents.

"I can never thank them enough," Toothman said. "My mom, she'd always push me to do my work myself. She'd say 'Do as much as you can right now, and see what you can do later.'"

Toothman is one of a growing population of home-schooled students who take part in a home-based program with coordination from the school district. For many students, homeschooling fits in ways public school simply doesn't. For Toothman, homeschooling allowed him to escape the personality conflicts that sometimes go along with public schooling, and gave him a chance to concentrate on learning.

It wasn't always easy. Changes to the homeschooling program he was involved in three years ago meant significant changes in the way work was sent in for grading -- some of the assignments had to be sent out of state for review, Toothman said. And although homeschooling allowed Toothman a lot more time to interact with his family, that, too, could be problematic.

As with any teen, arguments with parents over unfinished homework and chores were common, but Toothman said his family found ways to deal with it -- simply buckle down and do your work and, when the work is done, talk through the problems. The approach kept his relationship with his parents on an even keel, Toothman said, but sibling feuding was a little harder to ignore.

With his brother, Henry, just one year younger, also being homeschooled, the two brothers spent a lot of time together and found numerous ways to pester one another. The table they used for a study area was sometimes the only thing separating the two teens, until their father, Sam Toothman Sr., got a little creative.

"Dad had to put a couple of boards up so we wouldn't look at each other or kick each other," Toothman said.

Sibling arguing aside, Toothman said he enjoyed the homegrown education homeschooling provided. And he liked having time to be a part of other family adventures, whether it was falling out of a tree fort he and his brother made, hauling water in lieu of organized sports, or learning the ins and outs of emu raising with his family.

The emus, Toothman said, are a relatively recent family addition. Emus are Australia's tallest flightless bird, and resemble ostrich in that manner. They're friendly birds, Toothman said, and they make interesting pets. Now a flock of four, the Toothman family's venture into emu raising began after Marie, Toothman's mother, got interested in the emus a friend was raising. When a neighbor decided to stop raising emus, the Toothmans' flock grew. Illness cut the numbers back, but Toothman said they recently hatched two baby emus and have enjoyed watching them grow to full size.

With the milestone of high school graduation now behind him, Toothman said he's looking for employment. A social person, he said he's hoping to find work in a local gas station -- one close enough to allow him to continue helping his family with their work and the work of raising the emu flock. As for what's down the road -- Toothman has years to decide.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.