Elon Musk, known for his innovative ideas in the tech world, has now ventured into the realm of education with his experimental new school, Ad Astra. Located in Bastrop, Texas, near one of SpaceX’s facilities, this school is open for children aged three to nine. With only 48 spots available, competition is fierce to be a part of what Musk calls the “next generation of innovators.”
Musk’s journey into education began a decade ago when he decided to pull his own children out of their prestigious private school in Los Angeles. He set up a makeshift school in a SpaceX conference room, where the children were taught by a tutor alongside some of Musk’s colleagues’ kids. Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with traditional schools and wanted to implement his own ideas, such as a curriculum that involves battling robots with flame-throwers, excluding music, sports, and languages.
One of the unique aspects of Musk’s school is the concept of having all children progress through the same grade at the same time, similar to an assembly line. This approach seems to have resonated with Musk, as he now has plans to open a university that will combat what he refers to as the “woke mind virus.”
While Musk is not the first celebrity to delve into the education sector, his unconventional methods stand out. Other celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, Will Smith, Pitbull, and Oprah Winfrey have also ventured into educational initiatives, with varying degrees of success. For example, Kanye West’s Donda Academy faced controversy, and WeGrow, a project by the founder of WeWork, ended abruptly.
Despite the challenges faced by celebrity-driven educational projects, the trend of personalized schools as a status symbol continues to grow. These endeavors serve as a reminder that education is a complex and nuanced field that requires careful planning and execution to be successful. As Musk pushes the boundaries of traditional education, only time will tell if his unconventional approach will yield the desired results.
