Rosanne interviews Brett Pike, founder of Classical Learner Homeschooling, about the growing homeschooling movement as an alternative to traditional education. They explore the history of public education, the Prussian model designed to create obedient workers, and how classical learning teaches children to think critically rather than blindly follow authority.
Classical education and homeschooling curriculum development
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Brett Pike reveals how the American public school system was deliberately designed by John D. Rockefeller using the Prussian model to create obedient workers, not independent thinkers. This system prioritizes compliance and authority worship over critical thinking skills.
Classical learning teaches children through three phases - grammar, logic, and rhetoric - developing critical thinking skills that the elite still use for their own children. This approach creates independent thinkers who can identify manipulation and communicate persuasively.
Millions of families now homeschool, with explosive growth after COVID-19 when parents witnessed actual curriculum content. Homeschooling provides freedom to customize education, travel, and focus on real-world skills rather than standardized compliance.
Brett Pike recommends focusing on critical thinking over memorization, developing concrete skills, and implementing the 'semester rule' of entrepreneurial activities. This approach builds confident, capable children prepared for any challenge.
“Classical education, learning is broken down into three phases of grammar, logic, and rhetoric... this is the education that the managerial class, right? Like this is the education that the elites still get today, that they give their children.”
— Brett Pike▶ 44:45
Classical education teaches children to think critically through three phases: grammar (language rules), logic (identifying fallacies and coherent thinking), and rhetoric (persuasive communication). Unlike public school which emphasizes memorization and obedience to authority, classical education develops independent thinkers.
“John D. Rockefeller, the man himself... he creates the general education board, get the famous quote, I want a nation of thinkers, not a nation of a nation of I want a nation of workers, not a nation of thinkers.”
— Brett Pike▶ 26:21
The public school system was created using the Prussian model after Napoleon's defeat to create an obedient population. John D. Rockefeller later brought this system to America with $10,000 grants, stating 'I want a nation of workers, not a nation of thinkers' to ensure compliant factory workers.
“He is thriving. He's only seven and he's reading at a sixth grade level and we have the freedom as a family to travel as we wish.”
— Rosanne Austin▶ 2:35
Homeschooling allows children to develop critical thinking skills, follow their interests, gain entrepreneurial experience, and avoid the anxiety and depression common in public schools. Families also have freedom to travel and customize education to their child's needs and pace.
“What I do with my critical thinking and discernment class is I write two fake newspapers... we go over every claim that's made point by point... we study something called the logical fallacies.”
— Brett Pike▶ 13:52
Critical thinking is taught by helping children identify logical fallacies like appeals to authority, appeals to emotion, and ad hominem attacks. Children learn to evaluate sources, check for manipulations, and categorize information into 'I know and how I know,' 'I think I know and why,' and 'I heard and where I can look.'
“There's millions of people homeschooling now... that's the problem the system had is that people took their kids out and they said, wait a second. And they saw what the kids were learning on the zooms.”
— Brett Pike▶ 34:58
Millions of families are now homeschooling, with a massive increase after COVID-19 when parents saw the actual curriculum on Zoom calls. Many parents chose not to send their children back to public school after witnessing what was being taught.
“I actually have a rule that I give me... the semester rule that every semester, your children should do one thing, entrepreneurial... what that does is it not only gives them the experience that they could fall back on... it also develops the mindset.”
— Brett Pike▶ 19:53
The semester rule suggests that every semester throughout childhood, children should do one entrepreneurial activity. This could be simple like a cookie sale or lemonade stand, building experience in sales, marketing, and business that makes entrepreneurship feel natural as adults.
A framework for parents to assess whether traditional school or homeschooling aligns with their family values and goals
Examine your values
Identify what's most important to your family - critical thinking, creativity, following interests, or conformity to systems
Assess current curriculum
Review what your local schools actually teach, attend school board meetings, and ask specific questions about content
Consider your child's needs
Evaluate whether your child thrives with structure and peer interaction or needs more individualized attention and flexibility
Research alternatives
Look into homeschool co-ops, classical education programs, Montessori methods, and other educational philosophies
Start small
Try supplementing current education with critical thinking exercises, entrepreneurial projects, or summer learning programs
The public school system was deliberately designed by Rockefeller to create workers, not thinkers, using the Prussian model that prioritized obedience over critical thinking
John D. Rockefeller created the General Education Board with $10,000 grants to spread the Prussian system, stating 'I want a nation of workers, not a nation of thinkers.' The Prussian system was originally designed after Napoleon's defeat to create an obedient population.
Classical education teaches grammar, logic, and rhetoric to develop children who can think critically and communicate persuasively rather than simply memorize facts
Brett Pike explains that classical education follows three phases: grammar (language rules), logic (identifying fallacies and coherent thinking), and rhetoric (emotionally connecting with people to share ideas) - the same education the elite still give their children today.
The hidden curriculum of public school teaches children to outsource their thinking to authority and be emotionally dependent on external validation
Brett Pike notes that students spend 15 consecutive years never studying what they want to study, always in 45-minute blocks, raising their hand for permission, which creates adults who can't make independent decisions and need constant authority approval.
Homeschooling exploded after 2020 when parents saw what children were actually learning on Zoom calls and chose not to send them back
Brett Pike reports millions of families now homeschool, with a massive increase after COVID-19 when parents witnessed the actual curriculum and decided to keep their children home permanently, causing funding problems for public schools.
Children must learn to defend their rights by understanding constitutional law, affidavits, and legal tools, not just memorizing that rights exist
Brett Pike emphasizes teaching children about the American Revolution, Bill of Rights, and practical legal tools like affidavits and conditional consent, stating 'you don't have rights unless you know how to defend your rights.'
Intellectual self-defense requires teaching children to identify logical fallacies like appeals to authority, appeals to emotion, and ad hominem attacks
Brett Pike teaches courses using fake newspapers to help children identify common manipulation tactics: 'this is right because Fauci said it' (appeal to authority), emotional commercials asking for money (appeal to emotion), and name-calling instead of addressing arguments (ad hominem).
Education should focus on three core elements: critical thinking over memorization, development of real concrete skills, and real-world entrepreneurial experience
Brett Pike recommends the 'semester rule' where children do one entrepreneurial activity every semester throughout childhood, building experience in sales, marketing, and business that creates adults comfortable with entrepreneurship rather than only nine-to-five work.
As a former prosecutor, Rosanne recognized how she was conditioned to ask permission for everything as an adult, despite having a law degree and prosecuting cases
Rosanne shares her awakening that despite being a lawyer and prosecutor, she still had to ask permission to leave the office early or take time off, realizing she was repeating childhood patterns of seeking authority approval.
Homeschooling provides freedom for families to travel and customize education, like having a seven-year-old reading at sixth grade level
Rosanne shares that her son Asher is thriving in homeschool, reading at sixth grade level at age seven, and the family has freedom to travel for her Fearlessly Fertile world tour throughout Europe without being confined by traditional school schedules.
The Frankfurt School developed an ideology in the 1930s to break families by over-sexualizing children from a young age, which is being implemented in schools today
Brett Pike explains that inappropriate sexual content in elementary schools stems from a communist ideology dating to the 1930s Frankfurt School, noting that book burnings in that era targeted books teaching children about changing sex and inappropriate sexual content in schools.
The public school system was deliberately designed by Rockefeller to create workers, not thinkers, using the Prussian model that prioritized obedience over critical thinking
▶ 1:22Classical education teaches grammar, logic, and rhetoric to develop children who can think critically and communicate persuasively rather than simply memorize facts
▶ 44:45The hidden curriculum of public school teaches children to outsource their thinking to authority and be emotionally dependent on external validation
▶ 5:53Homeschooling exploded after 2020 when parents saw what children were actually learning on Zoom calls and chose not to send them back
▶ 34:58Children must learn to defend their rights by understanding constitutional law, affidavits, and legal tools, not just memorizing that rights exist
▶ 9:06Intellectual self-defense requires teaching children to identify logical fallacies like appeals to authority, appeals to emotion, and ad hominem attacks
▶ 13:52Education should focus on three core elements: critical thinking over memorization, development of real concrete skills, and real-world entrepreneurial experience
▶ 18:52As a former prosecutor, Rosanne recognized how she was conditioned to ask permission for everything as an adult, despite having a law degree and prosecuting cases
▶ 7:14Homeschooling provides freedom for families to travel and customize education, like having a seven-year-old reading at sixth grade level
▶ 2:35The Frankfurt School developed an ideology in the 1930s to break families by over-sexualizing children from a young age, which is being implemented in schools today
▶ 32:23“Public schools provide a quality education that prepares children for success”
CONSIDER: Public schools were designed by Rockefeller using the Prussian model to create obedient workers, not independent thinkers
“Homeschooling creates socially awkward, isolated children”
CONSIDER: Homeschooling creates better socialization and millions of families now provide rich community experiences
“Children should follow authority without question”
CONSIDER: Children must learn to think critically and defend their rights, not blindly obey
“I want a nation of workers, not a nation of thinkers.”
“You don't have rights unless you know how to defend your rights.”
“Don't be surprised when you give your kids to Caesar that they come back Romans.”
“The real mark of a great education is, is that learner able to figure it out?”
“We worked so hard to bring this boy here. Now we have this blessing. What am I going to do with him?”
“When you send them away for all that time, you're missing out on the best stuff.”
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Rosanne observed this shift in all successful clients featured on her podcast over 200+ episodes, noting when 'the switch flips' from chasing energy to confident readiness
Being ready to receive has an innate emotional maturity, confidence, peace and calm that is decidedly different from the desperate energy of 'when is my baby gonna get here?'
Rosanne describes recognizing this shift in all women who achieved success on her podcast, noting it's 'truly a beautiful thing' to observe when the transformation happens
There's a difference between valid emotions and lifestyle self-pity that keeps you stuck in the same patterns for months or years
Rosanne distinguishes between honoring real feelings of frustration, sadness and grief versus staying stuck in 'nothing ever works out for me' thinking that becomes self-sabotage and prevents progress on the fertility journey.
Your mindset is the foundation of your fertility journey experience - thoughts, beliefs, actions, results is logical and linear
Rosanne explains that everything begins as a thought, so staying stuck in 'nothing works for me' thinking creates self-sabotage, while believing your desire is meant for you creates different actions and results.
