Bringing Back An Ancient Model of Education
This week I interviewed Paul Bennet, founder of Cicero Learning, serial entrepreneur, and #girldad to three daughters.
Sailing around the world with his family, the idea for Cicero began on a boat somewhere off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Paul's daughters, Stella, Cleo, and Jade, had their first Zoom class (over a pretty janky internet connection).
Cicero is a simple but ancient premise based on one-on-one learning with stellar teachers to build individualized curricula around their personal learning goals.
Stella workshopped her college essays with a literature teacher, Cleo went deep on marine science with a biology teacher, and Jade discovered Latin cum magister eius.
Paul found pairing their daughters with an educator for personalized learning pushed them farther than a traditional classroom experience ever had before.
And it makes sense that students would be more invested in an education they’ve chosen, are intellectually curious about, and learn from a teacher they’ve developed a personal relationship with.
The girls learned to love learning as they crossed oceans and explored far-flung places.
Click on the image below to watch our conversation:
In my conversation with Paul, we discuss:
The value of 1:1 learning and building trust between teacher and student.
How choosing content for courses based on individual interests is crucial to developing student agency.
Why intellectual curiosity is the #1 marker for a successful life.
Success stories of kids who formerly "hated reading", and learning in general.
When I ask my students what stirs their curiosity about life, often they can’t point to specific subjects or interests yet.
In my view, the problem lies in the traditional model. Students are told what to learn, how, and when to learn.
They lack agency in conventional school settings and standardized curriculums and haven’t yet had the thrill and the joy of genuine intellectual engagement!
As a college coach and an entrepreneur, I see novel ideas and perspectives emerge at the intersection of multiple disciplines.
Cicero offers a unique opportunity allowing students to learn through the classic frameworks but choose the content they want to engage in.
By allowing choice, students cultivate an intellectual edge. This also happens to be precisely what colleges are looking for in applicants.
Paul’s adventurous and eclectic approach to life coincides with his view that education should incorporate a student’s core interests and curiosities. This perspective fits perfectly with our thinking at HeartSpeak.
You can learn more about Cicero Learning and develop a 1:1 personalized curriculum for your child here.
Then go to The HeartSpeak Program for Inner Education and the seven-week curriculum here. Give your daughter the social and emotional tools to navigate a complicated young adulthood.