Community : Meet Our Students
Matt Kuslich
Age 17
Dayton, Texas
Cynthia Smith had always opted to homeschool her three sons "because I wanted them to feel free to be their unique selves, without a lot of peer pressure," said the single mother from Dayton, Texas. But when her oldest son, Matt Kuslich, began a tumultuous journey that led to a diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome, it became critical that Matt have access to a high-quality curriculum that he could do at his own pace in the quiet of their home.
"We chose Keystone National High School because we wanted a serious education with a real transcript that would prepare him for a good college," said Cynthia. When Matt's problems surfaced, Keystone turned out to be "more than I ever could have expected," she said.
Keystone, a fully accredited, independent study program serving students in all 50 states and around the world, offers at-home, self-paced study and education to more than 20,000 students each year. The teaching staff provides guidance to students using telephone, email, electronic bulletins boards and online chat.
"We chose Keystone National High School because we wanted a serious education with a real transcript that would prepare him for a good college... Keystone turned out to be more than I ever could have expected."
"The teachers were unbelievably supportive during a horrific time," said Cynthia. Before he was correctly diagnosed, Matt, who is now 17, was "very unstable, suicidal, had occasional psychosis, occasional catatonia, and we even had a call to 911," said his mother. Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological condition that causes a person to make sounds, words, or body movements ("tics") that are beyond his control, and is often accompanied with depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"While we were cycling through doctors, diagnoses, and medications, there were weeks when his symptoms were so bad that Matt was unable to do any quality schoolwork," said Cynthia. "Sometimes I wondered if he'd ever make it through anything, despite how highly his IQ had tested."
Just before the Tourette's problems began, Matt underwent scoliosis surgery, having 12 vertebrae fused, so he had already fallen somewhat behind in his studies. Cynthia said with the onset of the Tourette's, she fully expected Matt's instructors to say they couldn't deal with someone taking so long to complete his work. "No matter how badly things were going, the Keystone teachers were extremely helpful and understanding about his need for extra time with assignments."
Cynthia is especially appreciative of Alan Ameigh, Matt's geometry teacher at Keystone. "He is the most patient guy on the planet," she said. "If he spent as much time with all of his students as he has with Matt, the man would never sleep."
Matt is doing much better now, and his studies are on track. In addition to taking several medications, keeping structure in his day is helpful with managing the Tourette's. He keeps a strict schedule of studying during regular school hours and then exercising at the gym and helping at his family's newspaper business in the afternoons. His favorite subjects are world history and geometry, and he enjoys writing poetry and short stories and practicing speaking Spanish. He also keeps busy with Tae Kwon Do and playing the trumpet, trombone and piano.
"I would describe Keystone as being a rather fun and hard school," said Matt. "My favorite part is the challenge. I like how intriguing the courses are."
Matt's brother, Jim Kuslich, 15, is also enrolled with Keystone, and his youngest brother, Lars Kuslich, 13, will enroll when he's ready for high school, too. Cynthia says what she likes best about Keystone is all the writing the students are assigned. "I love this! They've had to write serious research papers, and it's so good for them."
"I would describe Keystone as being a rather fun and hard school. My favorite part is the challenge. I like how intriguing the courses are."
The Keystone curriculum often inspires discussion with her family, Cynthia said. "The questions asked on the essays really provoke thought. I like to chat with the boys to get them to start thinking about a subject, and then they go off and do their work."
Cynthia enjoys the opportunity to be a part of her sons' learning process -- without having to create her own curriculum and be their sole instructor. "As a working mom, my days are pretty busy, so having someone besides me to provide guidance and grade tests is wonderful," she said. "The teachers always seem to know how to bump Matt and Jim in the right direction."
Before Matt's diagnosis and treatment, he thought his chances of completing high school seemed unlikely. Now, he looks forward to attending college and toys with becoming a psychologist or an English teacher, or perhaps working with computers or in his family's business. "He's kind of casting around, trying to figure out the limitations of his condition and what he wants to be," said his mother.
"We are so grateful to the Keystone instructors for treating their students as unique individuals," she said, "and most of all for refusing to give up on Matt."
