OPINION — George Washington was 16 years old when he joined Lord Fairfax on a monthlong surveying expedition to the western edge of Virginia.
Amelia Earhart was 10 when she caught her first glimpse of an airplane at the Iowa State Fair. Her love for aviation was aroused in 1908 but wouldn’t awaken until later in life. She was homeschooled until age 12, at which point the family could afford formal schooling.
In her early 20s, Amelia worked odd jobs to save enough for her first flying lesson which occurred on Jan. 3, 1921, at Kinner Field near Long Beach. Six months later, she purchased her first airplane. She would later go down in the record book as the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Utah Legislature will decide in the 2023 legislative session whether K-12 education funding will break from the status quo and support individual education opportunity. Utah’s initiative is called the UT-Fits Scholarship. The scholarship is simple but powerful. Tax-dollars allocated for education are sent back to you so you can give your child an education that fits their unique needs. The bill is known as HB 215 and is closer to becoming law, as it recently cleared the Utah State House and now must be passed by the full Utah Legislature.
Families across the country are finding success replacing one-size-fits-all industrial era schooling for non-traditional education models more in line with the knowledge era. These smaller, individualized and personalized settings like microschools help fast-track young learners in identifying and developing their specific talents.
Commonly known across the country as Education Savings Accounts (ESA), scholarship money for any K-12 child is deposited into a digital wallet for that school year to be used for tuition or education tools and services. ESAs are not vouchers because the state gives the money directly to the parents to use on approved expenses, rather than the state paying the education providers directly.
Gov. Spencer Cox indicated his support for a bill to fund individual learning scholarships.
What makes an individual thrive? When evaluating curriculum, some learners may gravitate towards George Washington, valuing real-world knowledge over school memorization. For others, Earhart’s modality aligns where passion fuels learner outcomes. How individuals go about signaling competency to future employers varies greatly. What is certain with both the nation’s first president and pioneer aviator — zip codes, testing assessments and college degrees weren’t factors in measuring educational outcomes.
Engagement looks different for everyone regardless of pathway. Three time New York City Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto reminds us there are as many ways to educate as there are fingerprints.
ESAs move the needle from coercion towards freedom, enabling families to select which religious, secular or political curriculum wins out. Book banning and contentious school board meetings no longer hold relevance.
Because families are the primary providers and nurturers of children, and because court rulings affirm children are not mere creatures of the state, it follows that families should choose what institutions, if any, preside over a child’s mind.
When parents find the policies of conventional schools aren’t to their liking or aren’t working for their children, ESAs act like pressure relief valves. Without them, parents have little recourse.
ESAs unlock your child’s personalized learning plan. The UT-FIts Scholarship funding can go towards tutors, learning therapies like dyslexia remediation, curriculum, online classes, books, software, field trips or pay for tuition at a private school, or any combination of these.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean alone appears daunting. Amelia inspires hope that oftentimes — self-doubt isn’t overcome until after boarding — somewhere along the journey mid-pursuit.
Leaving behind conventional schooling for more holistic learning takes faith. Fuel is also needed as families discover which education model maximizes lift for propelling children skyward.
Change is Utah families having options and becoming commander-in-chief of their educational destiny. As with Washington’s expedition, our quest for knowledge begins with empowering growth by stepping into unfamiliar territory. Learning is impactful when acting for ourselves and not being acted upon. Personal freedom is found on the frontier of daily risk and reward.
Submitted by RYAN SCHUDDE, St. George.
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