“I can do it better.”
Like many disruptive ideas, Push Academy was born out of necessity, difficulty, and the dawning realization that: “I can do it better.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic, school functioned like a dry cleaners for many parents. You dropped your kid off. Some time passed. You picked your kid up. Hopefully they learned something in between. As difficult as the pandemic has been, it’s had a huge silver lining: the distance learning model made education completely transparent. If you cared to tune in to your child’s Zooms, you could see exactly how your kid was being taught. The newfound transparency made parents ask a simple question: “Is this the best they can do for our kids?”
“Give a fool a hammer, and the whole world becomes a nail.” There are are unfortunately two pandemics going on right now. COVID-19 is the obvious one. But the other is much more insidious, and harder to spot. The first symptom is fear. Over the past year, we have been overcome by fear. Some families have been driven almost completely indoors, away from parks and playgrounds, whether by misguided city mandates, or simply by fear. Secondly, we’ve placed entirely too much faith in technology, with kids spending hours every day receiving lessons by screen. The reality is that distance learning is a paltry effort compared to real, in-person education. We should not fool ourselves into letting distance learning supplant real school. Let’s close the distance.
Close the distance.
Let’s take it outside.
Here in San Francisco, we are fortunate to have a mild climate. Even on the coldest days, it’s still possible to play and learn outdoors. It’s how kids were meant to learn. Brains work better in the fresh air. Kids run around, explore, release tremendous amounts of energy. Not only are we better outdoors, we are safer outdoors. So let’s take it outside!
Push Academy currently has daily programs taking place outdoors at Midtown Terrace Playground.
Our unique Math & Chess program is held at Midtown Terrace with the following schedule:
Tuesday: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Wednesday: 2:45PM - 4:30PM
Thursday: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Friday: 4:00PM - 6:00PM
In this chaotic time, parents of young kids should be opportunistic educators. But working parents cannot do it alone. Push Academy is here to provide creative and effective homeschool ideas. Parents should not have to be in this role. But, here we are, for the forseeable future. So let’s embrace this challenge, and Push Academy will provide the tools and ideas to supercharge your homeschooling. Lean in to it, and both you and your children will be better for it.