Breaking Free: Why the Traditional School System Is Failing Our Children—And What We Can Do About It
Breaking Free: Why the Traditional School System Is Failing Our Children—And What We Can Do About It
A mother’s powerful vision for education reform and what it means for raising independent, grounded children on the land
@racheldemp444 The school system #spirituality #spiritualawakening #fyp #spiritualtiktok #spiritual ♬ Last Hope (Over Slowed + Reverb) – Steve Ralph
The Weekly Phone Call No Parent Wants
Picture this: You’re getting called into parent-teacher conferences every week—sometimes twice a week. Your child is active, energetic, full of life. And every single time, you hear the same word repeated like a mantra: “Medicate.”
This is the reality one mother faces with her hyperactive 5-6 year old son. And it’s a story playing out in schools across the country.
The system’s answer to a child who doesn’t fit neatly into their box? Pharmaceutical intervention. Not curiosity about what the child needs. Not adaptation to different learning styles. Not questioning whether the system itself might be the problem.
Just medicate.
When the “Solution” Becomes the Problem
There’s something deeply unsettling about a system that views childhood energy and individuality as disorders to be chemically suppressed rather than gifts to be nurtured and channeled.
The word “pharmacia”—the root of “pharmaceutical”—has ancient origins meaning witchcraft and sorcery in Hebrew. Whether you take that literally or metaphorically, there’s truth in the symbolism: these medications are designed to alter consciousness, to make children more compliant, to put their natural spirits “to sleep.”
Many parents instinctively feel this is wrong but struggle to articulate why or to stand against institutional pressure. One mother shares: “I’ve always been one who won’t even take an Advil when I have a headache. And I didn’t even know this stuff—I just felt it was wrong.”
That intuition matters. When something feels fundamentally off, it usually is.
The Broken System: By Design or By Default?
Let’s examine what we’re actually asking of children in the modern school system:
- Sitting in desks for 8 hours a day in artificially lit rooms
- Separated from parents at ages as young as 5-6
- Removed from sunshine and nature during prime developmental years
- Fed processed institutional food in cafeterias
- Taught standardized curriculum that prioritizes compliance over curiosity
- Punished or medicated when they don’t conform
As one frustrated mother asks: “Maybe, just maybe, that system is completely broken. Maybe these children aren’t meant to sit in a desk in a corner for eight hours a day being fed poison in the lunchroom, taken out of the sunshine, taken away from their parents at 5, 6 years old and taught lies and control.”
When you put it that starkly, it’s hard to argue. This system wasn’t designed with children’s wellbeing in mind—it was designed to produce compliant workers for an industrial economy that no longer even exists.
A Vision for Education: The Schools of the Future
What if we completely reimagined education? What if instead of forcing children into a one-size-fits-all institutional model, we designed learning around how humans actually thrive?
For Boys: Reclaiming Masculine Purpose
Imagine young men learning:
- Carpentry and building trades – creating tangible things with their hands
- Animal husbandry – responsibility, patience, and the rhythms of life
- Land management – understanding ecosystems, soil health, sustainable practices
- Physical work outdoors – channeling energy productively in sunshine and fresh air
These aren’t just “vocational” skills—they’re the foundation of self-sufficiency, confidence, and purposeful masculine identity.
For Girls: Reclaiming Feminine Wisdom
Imagine young women learning:
- Natural healing methods – herbalism, nutrition, traditional medicine
- Medicinal gardening – growing remedies, understanding plant properties
- Food production – from seed to harvest to preservation
- Animal care – nurturing, observing, working with natural cycles
- Outdoor education – connected to seasons, weather, and the land
These skills cultivate feminine strength, intuition, and the kind of practical wisdom that’s been systematically devalued and lost.
The Balanced Generation
“I believe the generation that would come out of a school like that, the boys would be men again and the girls would be women again. That would be a generation that was balanced—the way that we’re meant to be.”
This isn’t about limiting anyone or enforcing rigid gender roles. It’s about recognizing that connection to the earth, purposeful work, and practical skills create grounded, confident, capable human beings.
It’s about raising children who know how to:
- Grow their own food
- Build their own shelter
- Heal their own ailments
- Think for themselves
- Work with their hands
- Live in harmony with natural cycles
These are the foundations of true independence and resilience.
The System Is Destructive—And That’s the Point
“The system, the government system, the way that it’s set up, it is set up for nothing but destruction and taking these souls out of these children.”
Strong words. But look at the results:
- Rising mental health crises among children and teens
- Epidemic levels of ADHD diagnoses and medication
- Loss of practical life skills across entire generations
- Disconnection from nature and natural rhythms
- Dependence on institutions rather than self-sufficiency
- Chronic health issues from sedentary indoor lifestyles
A system that produces these outcomes isn’t accidentally broken—it’s working exactly as designed. The question is: designed for what purpose?
“You’re Just One Person” – The Lie That Keeps Us Compliant
How many times have you heard it? “You’re just one person. You can’t change anything.”
It’s one of the most effective tools of social control ever invented. It keeps people isolated, discouraged, and passive even when they clearly see something is wrong.
But here’s the truth: Change has always started with individuals who refused to accept the status quo. And when those individuals connect with others who share their vision, movements are born.
“When there’s a whole collective of us ready to roll, ready to build, ready to live in our soul’s purpose, I believe the system’s about to change, and it’s gonna be us that changes it.”
Practical Steps: Building the Alternative NOW
You don’t have to wait for institutional change. Parents are already creating alternatives:
Homeschooling and Unschooling
Thousands of families have removed their children from traditional schools to create customized education at home. This allows:
- Learning at the child’s natural pace
- Education outdoors and through real-world experience
- Focus on practical skills and genuine interests
- Strong family bonds and parental involvement
- Freedom from standardized testing and artificial timelines
Homesteading with Children
Rural properties offer natural classrooms where children learn by doing:
- Gardening teaches biology, seasons, patience, and nutrition
- Animal care develops responsibility and compassion
- Building projects teach physics, math, and problem-solving
- Food preservation connects children to abundance and planning
- Outdoor play develops physical health, creativity, and resilience
Community Learning Co-ops
Groups of families are creating shared educational experiences:
- Parent-taught classes in various skills
- Shared resources and expertise
- Social interaction without institutional control
- Flexible scheduling around family needs and seasonal rhythms
- Children learning from multiple mentors with diverse skills
Apprenticeship Models
Connecting young people with skilled craftspeople and farmers:
- Real-world learning with immediate application
- Mentorship from experienced practitioners
- Development of marketable skills
- Understanding of business and entrepreneurship
- Pride in producing tangible value
The Land Connection: Why Location Matters
Moving to rural property isn’t just about space—it’s about creating the environment where children can thrive naturally:
Physical Health: Outdoor play, physical work, fresh air, and sunshine create strong, healthy bodies without gyms or organized sports.
Mental Health: Connection to nature, purposeful work, and freedom from constant institutional pressure reduce anxiety and build confidence.
Life Skills: Daily exposure to growing food, caring for animals, maintaining property, and solving real problems develops genuine competence.
Family Bonds: Working together toward common goals, sharing meals from your own garden, and facing challenges as a unit strengthens relationships.
Independence: Children who grow up understanding how things work, how to fix what’s broken, and how to create what they need become truly self-reliant adults.
The Vision Is Getting Clearer
“I believe that our visions are our visions for a reason. And I also believe the higher that we rise, these visions are getting more and more clear, and we are here to build.”
More and more parents are waking up to the realization that the emperor has no clothes. The traditional school system isn’t preparing children for success—it’s programming them for dependence and compliance.
The alternative isn’t just possible—it’s already happening. Families are:
- Leaving cities for rural property
- Homeschooling and unschooling
- Creating community learning networks
- Teaching practical skills over test scores
- Prioritizing character over credentials
- Building food security and self-sufficiency
- Raising resilient, capable, grounded children
Your Child Doesn’t Need Medication—They Need Purpose
That hyperactive boy who can’t sit still for eight hours? He doesn’t have a disorder. He has energy that needs a productive outlet.
Put him on a farm where he can:
- Help build a chicken coop
- Learn to care for animals
- Dig in the garden
- Chop wood
- Build with tools
- Explore the land
Watch that “problem child” transform into a focused, capable, proud young man when given work that matters and the freedom to move his body.
The same applies to every child being told they don’t fit the mold. The problem isn’t the child—it’s the mold.
The Future We’re Building
The system may be broken, but we’re not powerless. Every family that chooses a different path helps pave the way for others. Every child raised with practical skills and connection to the land becomes an adult who can think independently and live authentically.
“I do believe that in the future, things are going to change. You’ve always been taught, oh, you’re just one person. You can’t do anything about it. But when there’s a whole collective of us ready to roll, ready to build, ready to live in our soul’s purpose, I believe the system’s about to change, and it’s gonna be us that changes it.”
This isn’t just optimism—it’s a blueprint for action.
Conclusion: Choose Different
The next time a school official suggests medicating your energetic child, consider asking different questions:
- What if my child isn’t the problem?
- What if this system wasn’t designed for thriving, only for compliance?
- What if there’s a better way?
Land offers the canvas. Your vision provides the design. Your children are waiting for permission to be fully alive.
The schools of the future won’t look like the institutions of the past. They’ll look like gardens and workshops, barns and forests, kitchens and craft spaces. They’ll sound like laughter and hammering, animal sounds and running water, questions and discoveries.
And they’ll produce a generation of balanced, capable, grounded human beings who know who they are and how to live authentically.
That future starts with one family at a time choosing different.
Will yours be next?
At TheLandOutlet.com, we believe property ownership is about more than real estate—it’s about creating space for your family to live authentically, learn naturally, and build true independence. Rural land isn’t just an investment; it’s the foundation for raising resilient, capable children who know how to truly live.
