Elon Musk in Seattle this year.
Elon Musk in Seattle this year.

In an interview for Chinese television, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he has created a new kind of grade school for kids.

Musk told the interviewer that he has established a small school called Ad Astra, meaning “to the stars.” The year-old school only has 14 enrollees at this time, Musk’s five children and other children of SpaceX employees. He said it will expand to about 20 kids by September.

“There aren’t any grades, there’s no grade one, grade two or three type of thing,” he told the interviewer. “I’m making all the children go in the same grade at the same time, like an assembly line. Some people love English or languages, some people love math or music, different abilities at different times. It makes more sense to cater the education to match their aptitude and abilities.”

Musk also stressed the idea of teaching problem solving, or “teach to the problem, not the tools.” So instead of teaching the kids about screwdrivers or wrenches, he says he would present them with an engine and ask them how to take it apart.

Why start a school? “They weren’t doing the things I thought should be done,” he said. He even hired a teacher away from his kids’ former school to teach the kids at Ad Astra.

“It seems to be going pretty well,” he says. “The kids really love going to school. That’s a good sign.”

Watch the interview below, the school comments start about 25 minutes in.

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