For intentional parents who refuse to outsource character formation to chance.
Know what to look for when
character matters more than career - and identify if a school can deliver.
If report cards aren't your definition of success, this is for you.
A focused, no-fluff guide — because overwhelmed parents don’t need another 200-page book.
I'm Angela. I've spent 17 years in education, built schools from scratch, and I'm raising five kids of my own. I know what to look for—and soon you will too.
My dream is that within the hour, you will feel a sense of clarity about your mission as a parent, and how it applies to your school choice.
You’ll have a good sense of what quality, whole-person education should look like, and how to spot it.
No more being confused by fancy websites of institutions that look nice (or maybe they seem more like really fancy prisons). You'll be armed with a list of EXACTLY what to ask and what to look for to give your family the highest chance of finding a school (or daycare) that aligns with your values.
After seventeen years in the world of education, I have a highly tuned sense of when a school is up-to-snuff in my books, but it wasn't always like that.
I was sitting in an upper-level business class in college, getting my first rundown of how one actually gets a bank loan, when it hit me: this was the first time anyone had formally taught me about this part of managing money.
I'd been in school for sixteen years. What about everyone who wasn't a business major? Who skipped college? Whose high school didn't offer a finance elective? Were we all just supposed to figure out taxes, car maintenance, and how democracy actually works... by vibes?
I started dreaming of a school that did more than produce impressive transcripts. One that turned out actual capable humans who could, I don't know, change a tire without calling their dad.
So I built them. And guess what? Kids petitioned for a longer school day. (Yes, really.) A pediatric psychiatrist enrolled her own sons and wrote to tell me her anxious kid had turned into a confident leader. And yes--academics were still going well.
But here's the thing: there aren't enough people trained to run schools like this. When life pulled me away, I watched a school I'd built drift under new leadership. And when I landed back on the other side—now a mom of five, touring schools, sitting through admissions presentations—I realized how hard it is to evaluate what you're seeing when you've never been behind the curtain.
Parents don't know what questions to ask because (shocker!) no one's taught what actually matters. I wrote this book to fix that.
It's not you...
If you've felt lost trying to evaluate schools, it's not because you're bad at this.
It's because schools market themselves like businesses now. They lead with test scores, college acceptance rates, and shiny facilities. They know those things look like success.
But none of that tells you whether your kid will become a capable, kind, independent human. None of it tells you if the adults there are people you'd want your child to become. None of it reveals whether your kid's love of learning will be nurtured—or slowly crushed under worksheets and sticker charts.
You've been handed the wrong rubric.
So you tour schools, sit through presentations, and leave thinking "that seemed nice?" or "something felt off?" but you can't say why.
You're not bad at evaluating schools. You've just never been given the right criteria. (Until now.)
Here's how it works.
Step 1: Understand why it matters.
Each section explains why a particular aspect of education shapes who your child becomes. Not fluffy theory—real, practical insight into what's actually going on in your kid's brain and heart. You'll never look at a classroom the same way.
Step 2: Know what to ask.
You'll get specific questions to bring into admissions interviews—the ones that cut through polished marketing and reveal what's really happening behind the scenes. (Fair warning: some schools won't love these questions. That's useful information.)
Step 3: Know what to watch for.
Questions only get you so far—people can say anything. So you'll also get a checklist of what to actually observe when you're in the classroom. What do you see? What's missing? What should make you run?
Bonus: Take it with you.
Download the summarized checklist and bring it on your tours. Tuck it in your bag, look like you know exactly what you're doing. (Because you will.)
Imagine This:
✓ Walking into a school tour knowing exactly what to look for
✓ Asking questions that cut through the marketing fluff—and noticing when you don't get a real answer
✓ Trusting your gut because now you understand why something feels off
✓ Making the decision without months of second-guessing
✓ Feeling peace instead of panic about your child's education
At this point, you may have some doubts.
"What if I can't afford the good schools?"
There's a whole section on that.
Spoiler: it's more possible than you think, and I'll show you how families actually make it work.
"What if there isn't a good school in my area, and I realize the only option is home school?"
You might. But you also might find something you didn't know existed. Either way, you can stop torturing yourself with tours. The book also covers what to do when nothing checks all the boxes.
"What if I'm being too picky?"
You're not. You're being intentional. There's a difference.
Closing your eyes and hoping for the best doesn't magically turn a mediocre option into a great one. It doesn't protect your kid from bad attitudes, bullying, pornography exposure, learned helplessness, or the slow drain of joy that happens in the wrong environment.
"Picky" is what people call you when they've already settled.
"Is this just for crunchy alternative-education people?"
Nope. But here's the uncomfortable truth: a lot of mainstream schools aren't addressing the things that actually shape who your kid becomes. Character formation, independence, critical thinking, joy—these often get lip service at best.
Some alternative approaches take these things seriously. Some don't. Traditional schools? Same mixed bag.
This book isn't about pushing you toward any particular style of education. It's about looking the real issues in the face—regardless of what kind of school you're considering—instead of writing them off because they sound "crunchy."
The questions work whether you're touring a public school, a classical academy, a Montessori, a Christian school, or your own kitchen table.
FAQs
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How long does this take to read?
An hour or less. -
Is this a physical book?
No — it’s a downloadable PDF you can read on your phone.
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Here's what you're getting:
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A short, focused guide (not a 300-page parenting tome) built around 8 essential questions every intentional parent should ask before choosing a school.
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Each section includes:
— Why it matters for who your child becomes
— What to ask in the interview
— What to observe in the classroom -
Plus a downloadable checklist you can tuck in your bag and bring on every tour.