Kerry McDonald’s LiberatED podcast conversation featured Marisa Palmer, cofounder of Acton Academy Madison West in Madison, Wisconsin. Formerly an investment banker and hedge fund analyst in New York City, Marisa and her husband moved back to the Midwest and enrolled their son in the local public kindergarten.
From Kerry’s blog:
“It’s actually one of the best districts in the state,” Marisa told me, “but our son was coming home just miserable and exhausted. He was five years old and he was coming home with stacks of worksheets, which I knew for him would be challenging because he loves to build, he loves hands-on learning. After a couple weeks, he was still coming home saying he hated school.”
Marisa then tried a top-ranked traditional private school for her son, which she said was better but still lacking. “After a year, he was still coming home saying that he hated math and he hated reading,” she said.
Her husband stumbled upon the Acton Academy education model after listening to a podcast and urged Marisa to listen as well. They were hooked. The learner-driven approach that empowers young people to take the reins of their own education resonated with them, so they applied to become Acton founders and, in 2022, were accepted into the Acton Academy Network, which now includes over 300 schools and thousands of learners. FEE’s new Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Tobin Slaven, is the cofounder of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and I’d highly encourage you to read his weekly articles here at FEE.org.
Marisa opened her school in January 2023 with 4 students, and today has 15 K-5 students, including her eight-year-old son. She is adding a middle school and expects to expand to about 75 students within the next three years, as more families gravitate toward unconventional education models and the positive impact they can have on students.
Marisa has seen this impact first-hand. She told me a recent story about how she got her son some books for his birthday and they were driving in the car with them when this conversation unfolded:
“Mom, I love books. Do you know why I love books?” he asked.
“No, buddy, why do you love books?” Marisa replied.
“Because I love reading, and do you know why I love reading?”
“No, why do you love reading?” she asked.
“Because I love learning. I want to learn forever,” he told her.
“It was such a 180,” Marisa told me, referring to how much her son hated reading and learning in the traditional schools he attended.
The positive impact of many of these emerging school models on the lives of individual learners is remarkable, but it’s even bigger than that. Just imagine the human progress and prosperity that would occur if every child grows up with the deep love of reading and learning that this boy exudes. Imagine the discoveries, the inventions, the masterpieces. When childhood curiosity is retained—or rekindled—we all benefit.
That’s what’s happening at Acton Academy Madison West.
