More parents are seeking freer and more flexible learning models for their childrenâand education entrepreneurs are stepping up to meet that demand.
âThe fact that we were fearing people was also very problematic to me,â said Perez of her decision to launch Tranquil Teachings. âThe schools were encouraging our children to keep six feet apart and to not be near someone while they were having lunch. That was so contrary to the message that I felt as a parent I wanted to share with my own kids,â she said. Bringing people together was a key catalyst for Perez in building the Tranquil Teachings community.
This sense of community-building with like-minded people was what prompted Stacy Joyce to enroll her eight-year-old son, Dash, part-time at Tranquil Teachings. When the schools shut down in the spring of 2020 and switched to remote learning, Dash voiced how much he hated school. In response, his parents un-enrolled him from the local school and embraced homeschooling instead. âWe wanted to provide the most normal environment possible. We go about our lives, we donât have our child wear a mask unless in a medical office,â said Joyce.
Dash spent much of last year in homeschooling-related enrichment activities that were held outside, in addition to working on his home-based academic curriculum. âIt was great to be outside all day, but sometimes itâs cold and I donât want to spend the day out in the woods,â said Joyce, who works as a yoga instructor. âI really appreciate that Jill has been able to create this community. The more we stay away from school, the less and less that seems like an option to return to,â she added.
Perez has also been able to create a community for teachers who no longer want to comply with their schoolsâ COVID policies in the greater New York and New Jersey area. âThese are our thinking teachers,â said Perez. âI was able to take some of these teachers and bring them here and theyâre wonderful. They have a lot of skills, theyâre questioning things. And they are loving what they are doing in a way that they havenât in years,â she said.
















