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A few weeks ago, I decided to go by the education section and browse the titles. I usually don’t read books from this section because I usually strike out with the books that I find (how many classroom stories can a person handle?) In the process of browsing through the section, I miraculously stumbled upon one of the best books about education I have ever read.

The book is called “The New Global Student” by Maya Frost, and the book contained ideas to which every educator should pay attention. I’m not going to condense a 220 page book into an entire blog post, but here is the scoop.

The author and her husband decided to take their four daughters (three of whom were in high school at the time) for a year of living abroad. They weren’t sure how the credits would work out and what they would do about graduation or college admissions, but they knew they wanted to go on the trip. After trying to make it work out, they ran into red tape that just wasn’t convenient for their plan. So what did they do? Did they try to change the system? No, they just bailed on the system all together. They stopped listening to what the system said they should do, and they just made decisions that were right for their daughters. They packed their bags and headed on their journey as a family, figuring they would worry about standardized tests, graduation requirements, and earning credits at some point further in the future.

Fast forward to 2-3 years later, and the question is: did the escape work? Were their daughters left to disarray and destitution after “losing” such a grand opportunity to be trained by the American Educational System? Are their daughters some of the thousands of college graduates with freshly-minted degrees but no job offerings? Nope. Their daughters are all-stars. They all entered college early (and didn’t even mess with that whole SAT/ACT thing, leaving the standardized tests in the dust), they were TA’s at the age of 17, and they finished college early. They also accomplished something that is dear to my own heart: THEY DON’T HAVE COLLEGE DEBT!

How were they able to pull off such a fantastic feat? They did it by gaining experience. Instead of playing the game that everyone else was playing, they just played their own game. They had a unique blend of online high-school and dual-degree credits combined with experiences abroad that all coalesced into creating unique, non cookie-cutter students who stuck out of the college admissions pile like a sore thumb.

But this book is about so much more than traveling abroad for a year. Perhaps the book’s greatest value is its real-life exploration of the idea that experience is more valuable than school. Yes, schools still have a role to play. Maya doesn’t think that schools need to be abandoned and shut down. But "education" can occur outside those walls. This is a group of people who have figured out that education is much more important than "school".

This book has profound implications, and it is not just some thought-up theory. It was a lived experience, and I was amazed at how many other students (whom she cites in the book) are doing the same thing. It has consequences for community colleges, vocational schools, study-abroad programs, and standardized testing. It has consequences especially for parents (who are the general audience of the book), and it has consequences for students who are looking to find alternative routes to a desired goal. The first chapter is the beginning of a whole new mindset, and if you are bored with doing the same thing everyone else is doing (spending thousands of dollars on test-prep courses, spending money on schooling that doesn’t produce results, etc.), then this book has some answers for you.

I’m not crazy enough to tell you that you should take your children and move to Spain so they can get out of high school early. Every parent needs to determine what is best for their child. But this book isn’t just about traveling abroad. It is about discovering better options for your child to get an education by following a non-traditional route. Everyone who is concerned about education should read it. It is funny, engaging, and most importantly, it is relevant. If anything, I promise it will make you laugh along the way. Now when was the last time you read a book about education that made you laugh?

If you can't beat them, don't join them. Just play a different game. You can dominate a game if you are the one who determines the rules. This book is about playing a different game, and you should learn about the rules that they are setting. It's a whole new ballgame.

Note: If you want to read the first chapter for free, Maya has posted it on her website HERE. It is a fascinating read and will give you an idea of some of the gems you will find in the book.