In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.
“I think I always was looking to create a more flexible model,” says former public school teacher Jill Perez. “In my mind, I was always thinking, ’ How do we get this model to evolve?”
Jill didn’t start out in education. She studied anthropology and nonprofit management in college and began working on fundraising at the YMCA. When she discovered how much she enjoyed children’s programming, she went back to school to become a teacher. Throughout her career, she taught middle school math and social studies in public schools, taught at Rutgers and Seton Hall, and supervised student teachers. Throughout it all, she kept thinking there should be a more flexible approach.
Then came COVID-19 and a new openness to different educational models. Jill created a small learning pod that kept growing and eventually became Tranquil Teachings Learning Center in New Jersey. Today it serves pre‑K through eighth grade, with 140 students enrolled, though not all attend every day.
The weekly schedule features traditional academics Tuesday through Thursday, with math, literacy, science, and social studies. Jill calls Mondays and Fridays the “application days,” where they apply what they’ve been learning. Mondays focus on STEM, agriculture, language, fitness, and civics. Fridays feature theater, creative writing, art, and graphic design, often coming together in a student production. Families can choose five days, three core academic days, just Monday or Friday, or a combination. “So you really can create the schedule that works best for you,” Jill explains.
A mother of four, Jill understands the need to be flexible. She’s used public school, Montessori, and other arrangements with her own children. Two currently attend Tranquil Teachings, while her older daughters are in high school and college. Jill doesn’t view one setting as right for every child. “I really wanted to create a model that embraced everybody’s family needs and put parents back in the driver’s seat,” she says.
Her location is also unique. She purchased a three-acre farm, but she can’t use it for classes because it’s zoned residential. Fortunately, she’s able to lease commercial space next door while she tries to get a zoning variance. But she can use the farm property, including the barn and gardens, for outdoor recess—students spend at least an hour outside daily—and small group activities. She also incorporates breathing exercises from her yoga background and healthy eating to ensure “education in an environment that speaks to the whole human,” she says.
Jill describes the school’s priorities as the “three A’s”: academics, agriculture, and American values. Civics lessons introduce primary documents and American history. And with New Jersey being the Garden State, the focus on gardens and farming is important.
New Jersey doesn’t offer the kind of broad school choice policies available in some other states, so families are footing the bill themselves while also paying school taxes. If funding became available, Jill would look into it, but she’s wary of requirements that could erode homeschool freedom (her students are considered homeschoolers) or force schools to teach to a test.
To Jill, another important part of Tranquil Teaching is its encouragement of unity in a time of divisiveness. “We’re building community here. And that’s how I look at it,” Jill says. “We’re really doing more than just teaching math and science. It’s community building. It’s setting the tone for the next generation. I really believe firmly that we need to make sure America exists for another 250 years.”
