You might say this is a cheat post. I will go straight to the point. It was expected to be a busy week. This weekend, we are moving from Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI) to Taman Paramount (TP). So, there will be no time for “the usual weekly blog”.
There’s still a lot that goes on…
Packing and cleaning before the move!
But this post is a tribute to our humble home in TTDI, the changes we are facing.
TTDI has served us well. We grew from a house with 7 Elementary School Eagles, and NOT intending to have a Middle School, to running two studios within few months of operation. Within one year, we seemed to be limited by the physical space.
Our address was 44, Taman Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail. The names of Za’aba and Tun Dr. Ismail represented two prominent figures of early Malaysia. Za’aba was a Malay scholar and the Tun Dr. Ismail was Malaysia’s first ambassador to the United States of America. Isn’t it beautiful, that ActonKL’s address was a representation of both scholarship and American-Malaysia relationship?
We had few families from the TTDI neighborhood. Even I moved to this neighborhood, to live conveniently and commute via bicycle. The parks, the community, the memories, and the convenience (for some of the community members) is what we will dearly miss.
Taman Paramount is the start of a new journey. A place where all our community members have more space to grow. There is also fantastic park 7 minutes walk away, Taman Aman. Next to the park is Taman Paramount LRT station. There’s much more to be explored in the heart of Petaling Jaya, the oldest planned estate in Malaysia.
Does that mean we will stay in Taman Paramount? To answer this, I will need to explain more about the Acton Academy’s model.
The Acton school model is one of a micro-school. A micro school is a school that’s small, with no more than 150 students. So, rather than having a big school, it remains small, such that every student and family know each other.
The way Acton Academy expand is by forming a network of micro-schools. Each school is independently run while sharing best principles and shared services together. Like any human learning endeavors, each school can only choose to be world class in a few things. So, each school will evolve to its own uniqueness. I envisage a maker-school, a school specializing in exploring, language-specialists, science schools, computer science creatives, or even a school which is obsessed with Minecraft. Each modified best to serve its local community, or reflecting the niche that the founders have intentionally carved out to be.
Austin and Houston are leading the way, with seven and three Acton Academies each, as well as other micro-schools. Jeff Sandefer once said there can be more than 50 Acton Academies in Austin. It does have a strong headwind, as the city is going through a period of boom. Even the renowned writer of 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss has moved to Austin.
Adjusted by population, the Klang Valley (2,793 square kilometers and 8 million population) can have 250 schools. Almost every 10 square kilometers there can be one micro school. Imagine that within 3-5 kilometer radius from your home, you have four to five such micro school to choose from. Imagine that your family can travel around the world, with a global network of community support for learning and experience. Imagine that you are part of a change that cultivates a new generation of heroes. If we continue to grow, we will always be closer to the communities that we serve.
It will happen so long we continue to do our work and serve, whether it is in Taman Paramount or Taman Tun. The journey is long, brick by brick. Taman Paramount will be our enlarged home so that we can continue to serve the mission of each person who walks through our doors will find a calling and change the world.
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