Elon Musk is not only a billionaire with so many industries he is involved in aiming to build a better future for his fellow man. Apparently, of the many futuristic endeavors, Musk being an educator can be added to his list of accomplishments.
A father to five boys, Musk created a school for them which he called Ad Astra, which means "to the stars" in Latin. Like many of his endeavors, the school is non-traditional and quite radical in its concept in the sense that there is no grade level structure a conventional school has.
According to Pulse, there are 20 students in all at Ad Astra as of 2015. Other students of the school apart from his five boys are children of selected SpaceX employees. Apparently, the schools are small and relatively secretive.
Ad Astra does not even have its own website, social media account, or even a known application process that the Daily Mail named it as the most exclusive school there is. Musk reveals that the children go through the same grade at the same time, like an assembly line.
Musk believes that it makes more sense to cater to the children's education that matches their aptitudes and abilities. He adds that regular schools are not doing the things he thought should be done.
He puts a premium on teaching the kid's problem solving, focuses on the problem and not use tools, he said. Accordingly, the children learn context, education becomes more practical and the retention is higher.
Ad Astra is housed in a mansion Musk bought in California. One of the teachers in the school is the boy's teacher at Milford School. He scoffs at the school's system, which he believes is not doing the things that were necessary.
Admittedly, Musk says he is not sure how long Ad Astra will continue. To him, all that matters is that the kids are happy.
