A mother of two has chosen to withdraw her daughters from traditional education, citing her belief that the school environment resembles a 'prison'. Cassyanne Clark has removed her daughters Bug, 8, and Bunny, 9, from formal schooling due to her disagreement with the structure of classrooms, the prescribed lessons, and the curriculum.
She has her own reason for homeschooling her kids.
Clark, acknowledging that parents have varied reasons for homeschooling, remarked, "I do think the school is a prison. A child sits in a classroom for eight hours a day and is told not to speak to the person sitting next to them, to raise their hand before speaking, and often denied permission to use the restroom. They receive merely one hour of sunlight a day."
She further asserted, "I personally believe that children learn more from the outside world than from sitting in a classroom studying subjects they will never use again."
To provide her daughters with an alternative education, Clark spends between £400 and £500 (~$500-600) monthly on private tutoring. She emphasizes that the remainder of their week is dedicated to creating lasting memories, from learning to cook from scratch with their grandmother to taking swimming lessons and occasionally working through educational workbooks.
Clark, a beauty business owner, firmly believes this approach offers a superior quality of childhood for her daughters. She stresses the importance of reading, writing, and developing good social skills, noting, "They don't need to be in education for that amount of time. Apart from knowing times tables, anything else - Algebra, etc. - you can Google or do on a calculator."
She is a successful business owner without any formal education background.
In a video that has garnered nearly half a million views, Clark expressed her philosophy, "I believe common sense and learning from others are crucial. I am an advocate for reading books and studying, and I hope my girls will adopt the same habits." She also conveyed that experiencing the world firsthand, such as traveling, is more valuable than classroom time.
She revealed her willingness to help her daughters achieve qualifications and is contemplating private schooling as a future option. "My girls have watched their mum and their family build incredible businesses and not rely on anything else," she said. "I haven't got one GCSE and I have build multiple amazing business, so it just goes to show that you don't need that."
"Whilst my girls still have me living and breathing, they can have me every day because one day I am not going to be here."
The online community largely supported Clark’s decision. Comments flooded in, with one user writing, "Schools are the biggest failure! They don’t learn or teach anything useful! Couldn’t agree more!"
However, some expressed reservations. One user shared, "I love this idea, but my mum allowed me to drop out of education after my GCSEs 25 years ago, and I wish she had encouraged me to stay."
While Clark's stance on homeschooling has sparked a mix of admiration and critique, it underscores an ongoing debate about the effectiveness and appropriateness of traditional educational models.
Whitney Kittrell, a 27-year-old single mother, tirelessly strives to provide a nurturing home for her two children despite the absence of their father. To ensure her kids do not feel any void in their family, she steps up to fulfill the role of a father. Read her inspiring story here.
