Episode 29: Homeschool Guru David Rodriguez

EP29_FLSJ: Homeschool Guru David Rodriguez

On this episode of the Fast Lane with Sara Jayne podcast, Sara Jayne talks to David Rodriguez about problems with the U.S. education system, the work of John Taylor Gatto, the benefits of homeschooling, stigmas attached to homeschooling, and ways to create a more expansive understanding of what education is.

Episode Highlights:

• Sara Jayne shares personal situations she has experienced with homeschooling with her children.
• Sara Jayne introduces David Rodriguez, who shares how homeschooling became his mission.
• Why does he think there is such a stigma around homeschooling?
• Many employers like homeschoolers because they have their own minds.
• David Rodriguez is a principal at a private nontraditional school with graduation accelerations and apprenticeships.
• With homeschooling, playing is encouraged as a part of learning.
• Are homeschooled kids missing out on prom events?
• What are the fears people have about homeschooling?
• Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of knowing you did your best.
• The traditional education system is nearly impossible to individualize for each student.
• Concentration is an important tool in education.
• We didn’t inherit this world from our parents. We are borrowing it from our children.
• There are as my education forms as there are people.
• Not breathing and bleeding are the only serious emergencies in life.
• Create learning projects that your kids can model their own behavior from.
• When kids are removed from schools the school district loses money.
• Kids are spending more time with strangers in schools than their actual families.
• The school system in the United States is a $700 billion overall industry.

3 Key Points:

1. David Rodriguez is working on the GATTO Project that stands for “Get All The Thinkers Out” of our schooling based on the work of John Taylor Gatto.
2. David Rodriguez defines homeschooling as, “When a leader creates an atmosphere where personalized learning can occur.”
3. The world is a classroom. You can learn from anyone and anywhere in your life with self-directed learning.

Resources Mentioned:

• Fast Lane Facebook
• Fast Lane on Apple Podcasts
• David Rodriguez’s Linktree links
• GATTO Project
• Book: The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
• Book: The Multiple Intelligences by Howard E. Gardner