Don’t Just Opt Out—Opt Up

I’m raising standards for families ready to take the lead.

If you’ve been following my recent pieces here on The Reason We Learn, you already know how concerned I am about the collapse of American education. With this publication, I have tried to expose:

• The Illusion of Critical Thinking in Today’s Schools
  In “When the State Defines Education, Thinking Dies”, I explored how standardized education systems often suppress genuine critical thinking, replacing it with rote learning and compliance.

• The Quiet Disappearance of Writing Instruction
  My article “Elite-College Johnny Still Can't Read” discussed the alarming decline in reading and writing skills among students, highlighting the consequences of neglecting foundational literacy education.

• The Rise of Mental Health “Interventions” That Replace Academics
  In “Dear Schools: Stop Blaming Parents For Your Failures”, I examined how schools often prioritize behavioral and mental health interventions over academic instruction, sometimes to the detriment of educational outcomes.

• The Myth That Parents Aren’t Qualified to Educate Their Kids
  I challenged this misconception in “Yes You ARE Qualified to Homeschool Your Children”, providing evidence and arguments to support parents' capabilities in directing their children's education.

But exposing and explaining what’s wrong with American education isn’t enough for me: I have to do something. I have to offer parents an alternative. That’s why I’ve partnered with Cogito Learning Center to offer enrichment courses and private, customized tutoring for families ready to take charge of their children’s education.

Starting July 6, I will be teaching the summer courses below.

Novel Studies

Grades 3–5: Stuart Little by E.B. White
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:30–6:00 PM ET (July 8 – July 31)
Students will strengthen reading fluency, comprehension, and creative expression while reading the adventures of Stuart Little. Guided discussions, vocabulary building activities, and creative writing projects will make this classic story come alive.

Grades 6–8: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Thursdays, 6:15–7:15 PM ET (July 10 – July 31)
Through Wilson Rawls’ classic novel, students will reflect on loyalty, perseverance, and emotional growth, connecting personal experiences to timeless themes.

Grades 9–10: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Thursdays, 7:30–8:30 PM ET (July 10 – July 31)
Students will explore science fiction, social commentary, and speculative imagination in H.G. Wells’ groundbreaking novella, connecting literary analysis with discussions about innovation, humanity, and future possibilities.

Grades 11–12: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Wednesdays, 6:45–7:45 PM ET (July 9 – July 30)
Students will delve into Steinbeck’s portrayal of dreams, loneliness, and moral responsibility, engaging deeply with historical context, ethical dilemmas, and literary analysis.

Logic Courses

Grades 6–9: The Fallacy Detective
Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 PM ET (July 8 – August 12)
Students will learn to recognize faulty reasoning, spot fallacies, and build strong thinking habits through real-life examples, creative challenges, and discussion.

Grades 9–12: The Art of Argument
Wednesdays, 8:00–9:00 PM ET (July 9 – August 13)
Students will study formal and informal fallacies, media manipulation, and structured argumentation, building the skills of clear reasoning, persuasive communication, and critical evaluation.

Vocabulary and Language Courses

Grades 6–8: Words Matter
Sundays, 3:30–4:30 PM ET (July 6 – July 27)
Students will explore the precise meaning, origin, and cultural power of important words like fairness, rights, empathy, and democracy, strengthening their critical thinking and expressive abilities.

Grades 9–12: Words Matter
Sundays, 4:45–5:45 PM ET (July 6 – July 27)
Older students will take these same essential terms to a deeper level—exploring how they're used in media, politics, and activism, and how clarity of thought depends on clarity of language.

Grades 6–8: Vocabulary Development
Sundays, 6:00–7:00 PM ET (July 6 – July 27)
Through classic stories and creative activities, students will expand their vocabularies naturally, strengthening comprehension, oral communication, and writing skills.

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These aren’t fill-in-the-blank classes. They’re for students—and families—who want something more this summer.

By something more, I mean more than busywork and checkbox assignments. More than silent classrooms and passive consumption. More than games and “infotainment.” More than a system that keeps lowering expectations while insisting everything’s fine.

These courses are for families who want their children to:

• Be challenged to think independently

• Learn how to engage with complex ideas and meaningful texts

• Discover that their minds are capable of more than they’ve been led to believe

• Develop confidence not from inflated grades, but from real growth

• Expect more from themselves—and their education

If you’re one of the many parents who feels your child hasn’t been truly challenged in school this year, or maybe any year, this is your chance to take the lead and raise the standard yourself, at home.

There’s still time to register, and if you’re not sure which course would be best for your child, sign up for a free 30 minute consultation. For more information about individual courses, including pricing, visit CogitoLearningCenter.com/courses.