Why a mom just like you decided to open a school...

School: You sit at your desk. You listen to your teacher. You copy down the notes she writes. You do worksheets. You do homework. You take a quiz. You listen to your teacher. You copy down the notes she writes. You do worksheets. You do homework. You take a quiz. You study. You take a test to see if you remembered it all.

And you repeat this until you die... just kidding. (kind of)

But seriously, this is totally what we do! Like   h o n e s t l y   every child I know who goes to school does this. Private school. Public school. Charter school. And we don't know better. I mean, I didn't know better. When every answer to every question we can think of is just a, "Alexa...?" or "Siri...?" or "Hey Google...?" away, is this learning model really the best we can do? How fulfilled by, engaged in, challenged by, and passionate about their education are your kids?

The first time I entered an Acton classroom, I felt like I had entered the twilight zone.

It was early last spring. A friend of mine, Mandy Callister, asked me to open a private school called Acton Academy with her. I was intrigued. I watched a million YouTube videos and a few Ted Talks, and agreed to tour an Acton Academy campus in Orange County. I had to see this crazy, upside-down school for myself before I made any decisions. We drove up together one hot afternoon. We met the director outside, and she walked us up the stairs to where her Elementary, Middle, and High school students were working. When we entered their studios, it was like there was light radiating out of the faces of those children. I had never seen anything like it before. To say these kids were "happy" is like saying that the weather in San Diego is "nice". These kids were straight up JOYFUL. And every Acton studio I've visited since then has been exactly the same.

I started to devour books about education. What on earth was Acton Academy doing to make these kids act like that, to look like that, to speak with such confidence and poise, to be so dang engaged in learning?! I HAD TO KNOW. The One World School House by Salman Khan, Courage to Grow by Laura Sandefer, Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning by Peter H. Johnston, The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich, How to Open A Private School in the Middle of a Pandemic by literally no one, and every book on the Montessori Method I could find... I could. not. stop. reading.

At Acton, they call their students "heroes". And they mean it. Young people on a journey to find their calling in life and to change the world. It's woven into every single detail. No tests, no grades, no homework, no lectures, no teachers---but rather GUIDES who inspire students to find the answers to their own questions. Heroes work on core skills at their own pace, set personal goals, and hold each other accountable. Instead of rules, there's a list of promises the heroes make to one another-- a list they collaborate on, write, and sign together. The classrooms are multi-age, tight-knit communities, and students are constantly mentoring and working with one another. There is character building, outdoor education, Socratic discussions, challenging real-life projects, community exhibitions, apprenticeships, music and art education. Why doesn't everyone do school like this?!

As of last August, there were over 18,000 applications submitted by people wanting to start an Acton Academy in their community, and there are currently 270 worldwide. The fact that we're opening an Acton Academy in San Diego is seriously one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. I always thought I'd use my passion and love for children to open an orphanage or become a foster mom, and I might still do those things, but for now...I'm opening Acton Academy San Diego East.

Reidy-my-Reid

I wish I could put my finger on exactly what it is that makes him so delicious. It's that impossibly sweet smell of honey and warm milk, his buttery soft skin, those chunky baby thighs, his stinky baby feet and the tiny bit of lint that's always between his toes, his ticklish little armpits, the steady stream of drool that leaves a ring around his collar, the two fingers on his left hand that he chews on all day, the giggle he makes when I gobble his cute little neck, that wide-mouthed toothless smile, and the way his eyes light up and he kicks his legs and flaps his arms with excitement whenever he sees my face. It's his high-pitched squeal, that pretend cry when he wants to be played with, how he sucks on his lower lip so his cheeks poke out, and the way he tucks his knees up while he's nursing. It's those dreamy blue eyes, his deep auburn hair, and his absolutely enormous man hands.

Watching Reid with his siblings every day is so precious. They run to my bedroom each morning, so happy that he's awake and can play with them. He's everyone's favorite toy and their silliest form of entertainment. Even Charlie never ever leaves Reid's side. We call him Reid, Reidy-Roo, Reidy-my-Reid, and Reidy-boy.





I feel like all the love I have in my heart for Reid might just burst out of my chest. That, or I might accidentally eat him. 

Together is my favorite place to be

"Mom, have you lost your mind?!"
(everyone bursts out laughing)
"Mom, what does 'Have you lost your mind' mean?
(everyone laughs even harder)
-Henry, age 4

How are you all doing?!

Charlie wants to know.

It's hard for me to imagine that just over two weeks ago, my kids were playing at their friend's houses, Kyle and I were at a dinner party, and I had toilet paper. I feel like the shock of everything has warn off enough now that I've been able to process my feelings.

I can remember Juliette's first prayer when everything changed. We were sitting around the dinner table when she said, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for all our blessings. Please help the people that have the corona virus that they can get better. And help everyone who is sick that they can feel better. And in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

First, can I just say, what on earth has happened? I, a stay-at-home-mom and assistant director of a private school opening this fall, had absolutely no idea that there was anything actually wrong---until the world suddenly shut down. There are people with degrees in epidemiology, infectious disease control specialists, international health organizations and committees --- why didn't we know that corona was THIS bad? Even when the nightly news made references to the virus a few weeks ago, I rolled my eyes at the whole thing because I'm sooooooo used to every single thing on the news being "breaking news" and "disastrous" and "unprecedented". I had become so desensitized to the media that I completely missed the warning signs. I wish that someone---anyone with any authority in the matter had said LOUD AND CLEAR, "Listen. I realize that none of you have any knowledge whatsoever about pandemics, so I would like to provide you with some information that
will be helpful in the coming weeks and months. Be prepared for the possibility that travel will be halted. Be prepared because there is a possibility that the schools will close. Be prepared because we might close non-essential businesses and your husband might lose his salary. You might have to distance yourself from people who don't live in your home for a few weeks. We are doing everything we can to stop this from spreading across the world, but if we are not successful, your life is going to look really different for a while." See? Not. That. Hard.

Life is so strange now. No schooling, baby showers, weddings, PTA, doctors appointments, orthodontist appointments, dance classes, play dates, book clubs, church meetings, youth groups, ---the things that have absolutely filled every spare moment of my life are suddenly non-existent. There is so much time to do all the things that there was never any time to do before, like teach my kids piano, bake, garden, and play games together. I feel guilty with relief on one hand, and desperately lonely for dear friends and loved ones on the other. I long for human connection, while fearing that any connection at all might risk the life of someone I love. Each time I run into someone (from 6 feet away) that I know, I always give the same answer to "How are you doing?"
I'm fine...We're okay! We're just making the best of a difficult situation!

Life with five kids sheltering in place looks like this...

First thing in the morning, the kids get dressed, clean their rooms, make their beds, brush their teeth, and I do their hair [except for Henry--- who just started doing his own hair and it's ADORABLE!]. For my own sanity, I have to maintain this small sense of normalcy.

The girls treated us to a spa day :)

We learned about birds, and then the kids made their own!

We begin each "school" day with Cosmic Kids Yoga, basically the cutest kids YouTube channel I've ever seen. There is Star Wars yoga, Moana yoga, Frozen yoga, Pokemon yoga, the list goes on and on. My kids take turns and pick which adventure they'll have each day. Then, we have a writing lesson. I say a word that relates to our mission for the day, and Henry and Juliette sound it out and write it on their white boards. Elle writes a sentence using the word with one adjective, and London writes a paragraph about the word using 4 adjectives. The kids each share what they've written, one at a time, and congratulate one another on their excellent writing abilities. Next is snack-time. After the snack, the kids have a mission to accomplish together. I line the kids up in a row and they all giggle and salute me, and then carefully follow my instructions. The missions originally started from an Instagram account called #happytotshelf, and I've now adapted my own missions for the kids. The missions involve them looking up facts and finding answers to big questions together, doing science experiments, art and design skills, me reading related books aloud to them, and finally cleaning up everything they've used throughout the mission. After the house is clean again, we have lunch. Following lunch, it's silent reading for London and online apps for the twins and Elle. The younger kids choose between Homer, Starfall, ST Math, and Freckle, and then London joins in with Khan Academy. The kids love doing crafts or puzzles in the afternoon, and we take walks when the weather is nice.

side note: I am actually really enjoying teaching my kids. They're learning, challenging themselves, and having fun, all while working from completely different places academically. It's remarkable how they're able to help one another with their schoolwork, which prevents them from getting lost or too frustrated. Despite being uprooted from everything they've ever been used to, there is light and joy in their eyes as we learn together. Elle misses her teacher and her friends the most of all, and I hope that being away from them will get easier for her in the weeks ahead.

One or two or four of the kids always help me make dinner, while Reid watches in his swing. We eat around the table, each person shares their favorite part of the the day, and then it's time to take a bath and read the scriptures. Kyle and I usually wrap up the day with an episode of 24, except last night, when we binge-watched 3 episodes of Tiger King on Netflix (ohmygoodness!). There are NINE seasons of  24!!! That's- like--- a whole lot of episodes, so I'm fairly certain we'll be adequately entertained for the remainder of this whole pandemic! Thank goodness for Jack Bauer.