For me, mid-July was the deepest part of summer. Growing up on the North Carolina coast, summer was the time of year for many of our local businesses, and therefore long, busy, and salty. Meanwhile, school felt like a thousand days away. Even recently, I would have said it was a sin for kids to have to go to school in July.
To be honest, we children who were near the shore were not really in danger of being subjected to such cruel torture.
Local businesses and politicians were well aware of how hot and humid seasons would affect the local coastal economy; they proactively ensured summer holidays for school-age children so as not to undermine their own workforce (after all, seafood platters are not something people eat themselves), and so they really had no choice in the matter. I don't think I would have made a different choice.
Now, nearly 30 years later, on this hot summer day, I tell you how thrilled I am that last Monday my two oldest children started school in July — and that their mother and I chose it for them.
As I wrote this, I remembered those '90s summers on the Crystal Coast and winced a little, but please don't call Child Protective Services. That discomfort quickly gave way to palpable gratitude, and maybe even a little pride.
We often associate these days with summer laziness, but for a growing number of North Carolina families, this week is circled on the calendar as “back to school” for year-round students. What was a crime when I was a kid now feels like a blessing, as a parent who understands the value of educational freedom.
But the essence of this blessing has nothing to do with the year-round schedule, but with the fact that the choice to choose a different education and community for our children existed in the first place. When my wife and I bought our first home in the area, with our shared dream of filling it with kids, that choice wasn't there.
The lack of multiple educational options wasn’t a big concern for us as parents in 2013. As parents, we are products of North Carolina public schools (long summer breaks!) and inherited a solid foundation for productive lives. In 2024, that consideration is very different.
Fortunately for our family, and countless others across the Tar Heel State, we had choices. But those choices didn't magically appear; they came from good policy.
Over the past decade, conservatives in the state legislature have worked to enshrine educational freedom into law while respecting the constitutional mandate to ensure that all children have access to a quality education.
The Opportunity Scholarship program may have cracked the seal on school choice in North Carolina, giving low-income kids struggling in public schools a chance to pursue private options where they could outperform. The program has gradually expanded, and last year the Legislature removed all income restrictions, effectively making it a universal school choice voucher available to every North Carolina student. (Finding enough funding for it is another matter, though.)
During the same period, North Carolina’s overall ethos regarding education became more aligned with the freedom to choose what is best for your child. Importantly, calls for school choice reached a fever pitch during the pandemic panic of 2020, as parents faced bureaucrat-mandated school closures and increased awareness of politically corrupt public school curriculums. At the same time, homeschooling numbers exploded in our state, which already boasted favorable laws for homeschooling.
Since 2014, this ethos has slowly been fostered, encouraging education advocates willing to invest in providing new educational options. One of those advocates is Robert Ruddy, who spent a lifetime growing a thriving business before taking up the cause of educational options that help kids thrive.
Mr. Rady founded Thales Academy, a classical education school, in a temporary facility behind his corporate offices in 2007, teaching about 30 students. Today, the school serves more than 6,000 students at 13 campuses across three states. Much of this rapid growth has come in recent years as calls for education reform have grown and responsive lawmakers have responded by enacting new systems.
As any good businessman will tell you (and Ruddy is pretty good at business), even a passion project needs a minimum of certainty to encourage its pursuit, and enthusiastic parents, politicians and policymakers pushing for education liberalization provided more than enough support to make the investment.
According to Thales Academy's mission statement, this is an investment to “impart knowledge to students, teach them how to think for themselves and provide them with the tools they need to reach their full potential.”
This is a blessing that our family will remember for a lifetime, if not longer. With all the political news and opinions this week, what I felt most strongly was a deep sense of gratitude for those who are committed to providing good policy and education choices in our state.
“Thank you to the entrepreneurial advocates for education who are giving thousands of families across North Carolina great choices. Watching our daughters walk to school on Monday, knowing that this is the school and community we chose for our children, filled us with pride and hope, even in the middle of July.
