rebuild the sovereign self

resurrect genius and imagination

rewild the learning environment

and finally, restore rigorous academic standards

Einstein said genius is connecting disparate dots, applying a truth from one sphere of knowledge to a truth from an entirely different sphere. And eureka! The genius breakthrough occurs, and society quantum leaps forward.

The dilemma? The minds of our collective future hold fewer dots, fewer truths to connect. Without seeds of knowledge planted and tended, society stagnates and then declines.

In mathematics, the US ranks dead last of 33 OECD nations (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), despite spending more per student than any country except Luxembourg and Norway. Framing the problem differently, only 22% of American 12th graders are proficient in math. This is a staggering national crisis. No wonder Harvard University recently created a remedial math course; their incoming freshmen were illiterate in the language of logic.

Another example of surrendered standards: in 1976, a young child had a vocabulary of 1500 words. Today, a child of the same age commands only 640 words. Words are the building blocks of thought, of expression, of listening, reading, and understanding. With drastically fewer ways to construct life experience, our children cannot create castles in the sovereign kingdoms of their minds, instead being limited to scant shelters in occupied territories.

The descendants of Shakespeare and Tolstoy, Socrates and Aristotle, Newton and Einstein deserve better. But before we can reclaim their standards as our own, we must once again speak their languages: words and numbers, passion and logic. GOLD GROVES ACADEMY is dedicated to creating the richest mindscapes and planting the seeds of greatness.

at

Gold Groves Academy

children learn mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, and classic literature using nature as our classroom.

children also learn by doing

GOLD GROVES ACADEMY is not a building. It is a community on acres of God’s greatest creation: rolling hills, meadows, forests, and streams, all on the Pacific Ocean coastline. The GOLD GROVES ACADEMY child learns to grow food, and understands – from first-hand experience – the importance of pristine, nutrient-rich soil. The GOLD GROVES ACADEMY child learns from the world’s leading artisans how to make pottery, furniture, clothing, and even repair an engine!

And the GOLD GROVES ACADEMY child becomes wise. Because these are not lessons projected on a screen. These are unforgettable, immersive experiences.