Danielle Strachman (1517 fund):
“I remember the first time I went over to a homeschooler’s house; it was a totally different experience. The children were so excited for me to get there. They would ask if I could stay for multiple hours, if I could do math and science and reading. They were just oozing with enthusiasm.”
“The students I was working with who were in public and private schools enjoyed that I came over to help them. But they didn’t like what we had to do because we had to do all the homework stuff from school. They appreciated that I would try to do it in a way that would work for them and make it more fun. But it was just very different when you go over to someone’s house who is abundantly overjoyed to see you and is enthusiastic about learning.
I found that this extended to many homeschooling families that I worked with, and I ended up working with a homeschool co-op. That was a group of secular homeschoolers in San Diego, and I loved working with that group. That group actually really influenced my own way of thinking about what it means to be an educated person and a learner.”
The woman who started that group came to me one day and said, “Hey, you know, I’ve been thinking about starting a charter school. Would you do it with me?”
Alec school 