In March of 2021 I was introduced to Matt Beaudreau as a guest on my podcast at the time... Book of Experts.
Matt was a GREAT guest, but that conversation almost didn't happen.
I was interviewing business owners at the time, and I invited Matt to appear becuase one of our common friends challenged me that I would regret it if I didn't.
That conversation ended up changing the course of my career and life, as well as our full family.
As a side note: If you watch that original interview you can see about halfway through the interview my eyes light up. When Matt explained how his school with over 100 learners is able to function BETTER and with only 2 adults in the mix because the students are running the school... I was shocked.
One year later, we are on the cusp of opening Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale.
While our daughter is one primary motivation (we wanted this experience for her, and regret that we didn't know about it to provide the same for our 4 older children)...
... this journey also feels like coming full circle for me. You see, a lot of people don't know I was trained to be a teacher, and that my M.Ed is in Student Development. I was basically trained to be a school administrator. A lot of my friends are teachers or principals.
But the world of education drove me nuts. It felt like a bubble and out of touch with the real world.
So for the last 20 years I have prospered in the business world, as a consultant and entrepreneur. Little did I know that there existed an approach to education that marries:
- Independent Learning
- Real-world application (doing something others find useful)
- Entrepreneurial Freedom
- With Kindness and Character Education
- And all while keeping the highest academic standards
That "secret school" is called Acton Academy. It started over 12 years ago in Austin, Texas. In fact, I recently recorded an interview with Acton Founders Jeff and Laura Sandefer.
But today, I want to challenge you to ask yourself...
When you think about your children, their education and preparation for life, are you playing checkers or chess?
The board looks the same. The game is totally different.
My friend Matt is back with inspiration that reminds us of the opportunity in front of every single one of us. Will we hit reset on the process of education, or will watch the world pass us by?