I am thrilled to see so many educational alternatives, it's way past time. I will definitely go listen to the Jordan Peterson interview. I homeschooled beginning in 1990, when it was violently opposed by nearly everyone, including First Lady Barbara Bush. After I was finished with my children, I tutored for a national homeschool group called Classical Conversations. I cannot overemphasize how much I learned from my time with them. In order to do my job, I had to teach myself intensive grammar and a very effective writing program, then I moved up to middle school, where I taught myself Latin, formal logic, and a writing program that is really the most incredible thinking program I have ever encountered. Their selection of novels for the students is superb. Any child who graduates from that program will be more than well equipped to stand up to anything a woke university throws at them. As they say, "Recovering two generations of learning", because parents get the education of a lifetime. It is all accomplished through small communities, and they exist in every state, as well as military campuses worldwide.
We looked into CC and while it has lots of good things going for it, we are concerned about the corporate structure and a history of questionable business practices so we will be trying for something more grassroots. I had hoped to join a Memoria Press/HLS campus nearby but there isn’t one. I am so glad to hear you are a fellow homeschooling family!
My late wife was a special ed teacher. She was once an executive that I stole away in a fit of passion. In the process of home schooling our nephew who was a brilliant autistic child, we both learned a lot, so much so my wife got a Master's in order to teach. My sister who had also been a teacher before becoming a stock broker warned about teaching - you will adore the work but will be killed by administrators. So my wife was. Her student's parents loved seeing progress in their children long abandoned for an inability to learn. None the less, administration demanded following approved curricula. As the economy collapsed after the '08 decline, the class size exploded from 8-12 students to 16 or more. My wife simply couldn't cope and was often in tears about her inability to manage so many children, many on behavioral plans. The students, she felt, were being ill-served but complaints went nowhere particularly her classroom size where space for 12 was tidy, possible and more meant packing too tightly. She resigned in the middle of the next year feeling profound failure.
Perhaps we should have sought alternative schools for her new found talent but we didn't. OTOH, she felt some of her teaching peers were unqualified and others excellent. While we were never concerned about money being quite secure in past savings, she felt others not so well off could hardly afford to teach. So to a certain extent teaching is a profession where the zeal and joy are killed by poor leaders, others simply go along to get along - a race to the bottom. Add to that all those seeking their fortune via gaining education, few ever want to become teachers.
Perhaps these alternate schools can gain traction once society understands that our kids are not well served in the current model. But the Unions will fight tooth and nail to prevent that challenge. And given Union donation corruption, politicians will join them. I can hope the public can become more aware and demand improvement.
I just listened to the Jordan Peterson interview about the Acton School two days ago and then your article. Now I will send this to my son and daughter-in-law! It's a must listen! Luckily we have a school near us. The Sudbury School is a similar concept. https://hvsudburyschool.com/the-sudbury-model-of-education/ I will admit it is a scary concept to let the child have complete control of what and when they learn. But, after researching more, I hope this type of un-school will be considered for my grandchildren.
Homeschooling mama of several under 11. Just stumbled upon your lovely blog! Thank you for this courageous piece! There are indeed lots of options and models these days. Public school should be a last resort for catastrophic circumstances - and even then, it would have to meet specific criteria.
Our family does about 2-3 hours of sit-down schoolwork a day. This involves discussion and appropriate workbooks. The rest of the time we spend outside, practicing musical instruments, and in myriad activities (sports, dance, 4H, homeschool social gatherings, you name it). While we are fortunate that we can live on my husband’s income, it does entail material sacrifice (but is so worth it). We will soon be enrolling in a classical studies co-op where the kids will be learning Latin, classical studies and eventually logic and rhetoric among other things.
It’s a lot of work but I cannot imagine a viable alternative at this time.
Educator for over 30 years... never joined a union or believed in tenure because I felt both protected more bad teachers than protected good ones. Had to find alternative organization to join for my torte insurance because no teacher should step into a classroom without a policy to help pay for a lawyer in the event that you are sued.
As a dad looking at school alternatives for our homeschoolers, I read this with much fun and got very fascinated with the Acton model.... then I noticed that most promotional videos have kids glued to screens. I know a certain pediatrician in Round Rock area who would not be happy with me should I let my kids have that much screen time "for the purpose of learning and promoting exploration," So alas, Acton, as is, isn't going to work for my family. I wonder what it would take to have no screen time at a learning environment that has all the positive aspects of Acton?
Yes, I’m very pro-Luddite, so Acton’s embrace of all the “high tech” learning tools rubs me the wrong way. if we ever stopped homeschooling, it would only be for a classical Christian school (that was truly Christian, not just in name only), so we’re obviously not the Acton demographic (in the interview, he lightly ridicules classical learning).
They could have changed their policy, but I believe last I heard that Valor schools do not allow any screens. We have friends who teach there and it seems like a wonderful school, have you looked into it?
Great stuff man, encouraging! What a vision of colonial America there...
I am thrilled to see so many educational alternatives, it's way past time. I will definitely go listen to the Jordan Peterson interview. I homeschooled beginning in 1990, when it was violently opposed by nearly everyone, including First Lady Barbara Bush. After I was finished with my children, I tutored for a national homeschool group called Classical Conversations. I cannot overemphasize how much I learned from my time with them. In order to do my job, I had to teach myself intensive grammar and a very effective writing program, then I moved up to middle school, where I taught myself Latin, formal logic, and a writing program that is really the most incredible thinking program I have ever encountered. Their selection of novels for the students is superb. Any child who graduates from that program will be more than well equipped to stand up to anything a woke university throws at them. As they say, "Recovering two generations of learning", because parents get the education of a lifetime. It is all accomplished through small communities, and they exist in every state, as well as military campuses worldwide.
That is amazing! Yes, I’ve heard great things about classical conversations!
We looked into CC and while it has lots of good things going for it, we are concerned about the corporate structure and a history of questionable business practices so we will be trying for something more grassroots. I had hoped to join a Memoria Press/HLS campus nearby but there isn’t one. I am so glad to hear you are a fellow homeschooling family!
My late wife was a special ed teacher. She was once an executive that I stole away in a fit of passion. In the process of home schooling our nephew who was a brilliant autistic child, we both learned a lot, so much so my wife got a Master's in order to teach. My sister who had also been a teacher before becoming a stock broker warned about teaching - you will adore the work but will be killed by administrators. So my wife was. Her student's parents loved seeing progress in their children long abandoned for an inability to learn. None the less, administration demanded following approved curricula. As the economy collapsed after the '08 decline, the class size exploded from 8-12 students to 16 or more. My wife simply couldn't cope and was often in tears about her inability to manage so many children, many on behavioral plans. The students, she felt, were being ill-served but complaints went nowhere particularly her classroom size where space for 12 was tidy, possible and more meant packing too tightly. She resigned in the middle of the next year feeling profound failure.
Perhaps we should have sought alternative schools for her new found talent but we didn't. OTOH, she felt some of her teaching peers were unqualified and others excellent. While we were never concerned about money being quite secure in past savings, she felt others not so well off could hardly afford to teach. So to a certain extent teaching is a profession where the zeal and joy are killed by poor leaders, others simply go along to get along - a race to the bottom. Add to that all those seeking their fortune via gaining education, few ever want to become teachers.
Perhaps these alternate schools can gain traction once society understands that our kids are not well served in the current model. But the Unions will fight tooth and nail to prevent that challenge. And given Union donation corruption, politicians will join them. I can hope the public can become more aware and demand improvement.
I just listened to the Jordan Peterson interview about the Acton School two days ago and then your article. Now I will send this to my son and daughter-in-law! It's a must listen! Luckily we have a school near us. The Sudbury School is a similar concept. https://hvsudburyschool.com/the-sudbury-model-of-education/ I will admit it is a scary concept to let the child have complete control of what and when they learn. But, after researching more, I hope this type of un-school will be considered for my grandchildren.
Yes, one of my heroes is Peter Grey, and his book Free to Learn talks about the Sudbury school at length, really interesting!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0465084990/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1682091272&sr=8-1
Thank you for your comment!
Homeschooling mama of several under 11. Just stumbled upon your lovely blog! Thank you for this courageous piece! There are indeed lots of options and models these days. Public school should be a last resort for catastrophic circumstances - and even then, it would have to meet specific criteria.
Our family does about 2-3 hours of sit-down schoolwork a day. This involves discussion and appropriate workbooks. The rest of the time we spend outside, practicing musical instruments, and in myriad activities (sports, dance, 4H, homeschool social gatherings, you name it). While we are fortunate that we can live on my husband’s income, it does entail material sacrifice (but is so worth it). We will soon be enrolling in a classical studies co-op where the kids will be learning Latin, classical studies and eventually logic and rhetoric among other things.
It’s a lot of work but I cannot imagine a viable alternative at this time.
God bless you! That sounds like the most worthwhile work there is.
kudos to you for taking this on. IMO a wise choice.
Thanks for the article. It gives me hope.
For that matter, look how well Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" sold in colonial America.
Anyway, did not Frank Zappa teach the masses thusly: "Go to college to get laid. Go to the library to get an education!"?
Educator for over 30 years... never joined a union or believed in tenure because I felt both protected more bad teachers than protected good ones. Had to find alternative organization to join for my torte insurance because no teacher should step into a classroom without a policy to help pay for a lawyer in the event that you are sued.
As a dad looking at school alternatives for our homeschoolers, I read this with much fun and got very fascinated with the Acton model.... then I noticed that most promotional videos have kids glued to screens. I know a certain pediatrician in Round Rock area who would not be happy with me should I let my kids have that much screen time "for the purpose of learning and promoting exploration," So alas, Acton, as is, isn't going to work for my family. I wonder what it would take to have no screen time at a learning environment that has all the positive aspects of Acton?
Yes, I’m very pro-Luddite, so Acton’s embrace of all the “high tech” learning tools rubs me the wrong way. if we ever stopped homeschooling, it would only be for a classical Christian school (that was truly Christian, not just in name only), so we’re obviously not the Acton demographic (in the interview, he lightly ridicules classical learning).
They could have changed their policy, but I believe last I heard that Valor schools do not allow any screens. We have friends who teach there and it seems like a wonderful school, have you looked into it?
https://www.valoreducation.org/
I just started to look! It sounds fascinating - and opening in PHX where we are moving to, so definitely will look into it.
More like medium security these days, and eventually heading for maximum.
Yes, the good and the beautiful seems wonderful, we have some of their stuff, it’s gorgeous