Blue Horizons Knowledge Academy is a sanctuary of education for children from kindergarten to fifth grade. Nestled in Daytona Beach, our microschool offers a tailored knowledge-based curriculum, limited to 12 students, ensuring a focused learning experience. Parents seeking a holistic, tech-free learning journey for their children find solace in our one-room schoolhouse setting.

How It All Began

After more than thirty years of teaching, I am finally able to share my dream with students who deserve a knowledge-based-education tailored to their exact needs.

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Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t in elementary classrooms. More recently, I’ve watched the learning gap grow wider, with students learning less and less.

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Today’s students spend too much time on laptops and tablets—tapping instead of writing, being read to instead of reading. In some schools, teachers are praised for the amount of time their students spend on computer-based reading and math programs. Two of the most critical subjects for building strong foundations are being handed over to computers for at least an hour every day. This is passive learning. The children aren’t absorbing or retaining the concepts and skills these programs aim to teach. This, among other things, has pushed me to this point.

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I grew up devouring books, surrounded by friends and family who loved reading too. Now, it’s rare to see a child in public school reading for pleasure. Books sit untouched on classroom shelves because curriculum demands leave no time to explore them. Students have developed an aversion to reading—it feels like a chore. And why wouldn’t it, when "reading" means black-and-white worksheets, robotic storybooks on tablets, and an endless string of tests?

The same problem affects math and other subjects, many of which are barely taught anymore or are squeezed into awkward hybrid lessons. Students are rushed through concepts just to take another test, without time to truly learn or master anything.

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I want something better. I want children to be excited for school again. I want to nurture their natural curiosity, not extinguish it before they even leave elementary school.