An interview with Eden Gold
It’s ok to wait to start formal curriculum until your kids are older. Other countries with successful public schools do this!
The landscape of education is undergoing a profound transformation, propelled by technological advancements, pedagogical innovations, and a deepened understanding of learning diversities. Traditional classrooms are evolving, and new modes of teaching and learning are emerging to better prepare students for the complexities of the modern world. This series will take a look at the groundbreaking work being done across the globe to redefine education. As a part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Amanda Melrose.
Amanda is a homeschooling mother of three from Connecticut. She has been homeschooling since 2019, when she and her husband made the decision not to enroll their first child in kindergarten. Since then, Amanda created the YouTube channel, eSchooled with Amanda Melrose, and the website eschooled.com. Both her YouTube channel and website are designed to help parents learn about homeschooling as well as to help all parents learn about the latest in education technology that is available for home use.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share the “backstory” behind what brought you to this particular career path?
We made the decision to homeschool my first daughter when she was around 3 years old. At the time I worked from home full time and my husband worked nights, so our schedule allowed us to keep our daughter home and not send her to daycare. When the time came to think about sending her to pre-school, we decided we could keep her home instead. Then we started thinking about never sending her to school at all, and the decision to homeschool was made.
In 2019 I gave birth to twins, and in the madness of COVID in 2020, I ended up leaving my job and embarking on the task of building a website and YouTube channel to help support my family while continuing to homeschool. It was only natural that I eventually ended up creating content about homeschooling.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was not expecting that so many people would believe the negative and outdated stereotypes about homeschooling. I have gotten quite a bit of “hate mail” from people who are strongly against homeschooling, usually based on false assumptions about it. I’ve learned that many people really do not understand what modern day homeschooling is like. People are also just not ready to accept that the design of public education might not be best for every child, especially in the modern world, where access to information is not limited the way it once was.
Can you briefly share with our readers why you are an authority in the education field?
I have been homeschooling for more than 5 years. My oldest would be entering 5th grade in the fall if she were in school, and my twins would likely be starting Kindergarten. So I have a lot of experience in homeschooling and raising children. On my YouTube channel, I educate people on homeschooling, and I also provide reviews of many different homeschooling curriculum choices, with an emphasis on education technology and online resources that can help any student, whether they are learning at home or in school. I have done a ton of research into the different options available for homeschooling parents, whether they want to teach the curriculum themselves, use a more self-directed curriculum, opt for an online program, or use a mix of the many different options available to them.
Can you identify some areas of the US education system that are going really great?
I honestly don’t think it’s going very well, which is why I believe homeschooling is growing at such a fast rate. In my community, I see parents pulling their children out of public school left and right, for many different reasons. I really view it as more of a last resort than a first choice for a child’s education.
Can you identify the key areas of the US education system that should be prioritized for improvement? Can you explain why those are so critical?
In my opinion, the rapid growth of homeschooling can teach the US public schools a lot. The reasons why a lot of people choose to homeschool have to do with areas where public schools are lacking. Some of these include: lack of services and assistance for children with learning disabilities, schools turning a blind eye to bullying problems, a long school day, not enough freedom and flexibility in educational choice for students, grouping students by age rather than ability, giving busy work to more gifted students while they wait for others to catch up, a focus on preparing for standardized tests rather than real learning, not allowing teachers more control over the curriculum and lesson plans, passing children on to the next grade when they haven’t mastered the subject material, and just an overall lack in education quality.
Homeschooling provides a more personalized education where students can work at their own pace, free of the stress and anxiety that often comes from being in public school. It also allows more time to pursue extracurricular activities, something that is often limited by the long school day combined with homework.
Please tell us all about the innovative educational approaches that you are using. What is the specific problem that you aim to solve, and how have you addressed it?
In homeschooling, you can tailor the education for each of your children based on their unique learning styles and abilities. So if a child learns better by reading textbooks and doing book work, you can do that. If they prefer more hands-on learning opportunities, you can do that too. And I find that incorporating some innovative online educational resources can really help your children to learn faster and gain confidence so they can truly mastery the subject. Sometimes just minutes a day of the right program can really help your child make big leaps that might not happen otherwise.
With homeschooling, your child can go at their own pace. Learning doesn’t happen at a steady rate, there are usually leaps and jumps followed by periods of slower growth. Homeschooling allows children to take the time they need to gain understanding of a subject when they need to slow down, but also allows them to jump ahead when they’re really getting it.
In what ways do you think your approach might shape the future of education? What evidence supports this?
Homeschooling is the fastest growing form of education in the US, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. Online access to so many resources is making homeschooling more accessible, so parents aren’t required to do as much planning and creating curriculum like they had to in the past. Technology also makes it much easier to find other homeschooling families and build a community. So the whole “socialization” thing is really not an issue anymore.
AI is also rapidly expanding, and I’ve already seen some really great AI tutors being incorporated into online learning resources, such as on Khan Academy and CK-12. So much can be done at home or on the go now, there is less of a need for the classroom model of education. There are even online classes with real teachers that students can take. So you can really create a personalized education experience for each child. A “one size fits all” model of education just isn’t going to be able to compete with this.
How do you measure the impact of your innovative educational practices on students’ learning and well-being?
I have my oldest daughter take assessments periodically to see how she’s doing compared to her public school peers. If there is an area she needs to improve on, we take the time to focus on that area. In many states, homeschool students are required to take the same standardized tests as public school students, so that’s a way for us to gauge how well the homeschool community is doing as a whole. And students who wish to apply to college will usually need to take a standardized test. The research shows that homeschool students tend to perform very well on these tests.
What challenges have you faced in implementing your educational innovations, and how have you overcome them?
I think the biggest challenge is just not comparing your children to kids in traditional school. Homeschooling is not school at home. It’s very different. We don’t have to use the grade level system used in school. So one child might be “behind” in reading but “ahead” in math — but you have to resist the urge to compare. There is no “behind” because kids are working at their own pace and they aren’t being measured against other students. As long as you’re seeing growth year over year, you’re on the right track.
Keeping in mind the “Law of Unintended Consequences” can you see any potential drawbacks of this innovation that people should think more deeply about?
The type of parent that tends to choose homeschooling is usually the type of parent that would be active and involved if their child was in public school. So that could leave public schools with a lot less parent involvement, which would have a negative impact on the children still enrolled in those schools. Public schools need to work hard to attract parents to use their schools, because people have options now, and they don’t have to just automatically choose public school. If public schools keep the attitude that they don’t have to do anything to attract and keep families, they’re going to lose a lot of students.
What are your “5 Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started”?
1 . If something isn’t working, change it up!
2 . Some kids need more structure than others.
3 . It’s ok to wait to start formal curriculum until your kids are older. Other countries with successful public schools do this!
4 . Homeschool does not have to look like “school” at all.
5 . Do more hands on activities!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The signs always follow. They never precede.” — Neville Goddard.
Giving up my corporate job and building a YouTube channel has not been easy. I did it purely based on faith and the belief that I could accomplish what I set out to do. When times get tough, people often wait for signs of what to do next before they act. This quote always reminds me that you need to believe in yourself and what you’re doing FIRST, you need to have faith that you can accomplish your goals FIRST, and you need to act now, even if there are no signs that you’re on the right track. When you do this, only then will you see the signs you’re looking for.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Peter Gray. He has so much to teach us about the ways children learn best and the importance of unstructured play and self-directed learning. Everyone with young children and everyone in the education field should read his book “Free to Learn.”
How can our readers further follow your work online?
eSchooled With Amanda Melrose on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBhwktEfRUytcc2z_rr44kw
Website: eschooled.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaMMelrose/
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
Education Revolution: Amanda Melrose On Innovative Approaches That Are Transforming Education was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.