Planet Tyrus – Why Traditional School Isn’t Working

Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Tyrus
Guest: Mackenzie Price (Founder, Two Hour Learning & Alpha School)

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode of Planet Tyrus dives deep into America’s educational crisis with guest Mackenzie Price, founder of the innovative AI-powered Alpha School. Tyrus and Price discuss why traditional schools are failing students, what an AI-driven “two hour academic day” looks like in practice, and how “guides” (not teachers) and mastery learning could reinvigorate schools. The episode pulses with Tyrus’ candor, wit, and Price’s can-do optimism—plus plenty of eye-opening anecdotes for parents, educators, and anyone concerned about the next generation’s future.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Traditional School Isn’t Working

• Schools as Babysitters: Price bluntly states, “That whole industry has just been this kind of languishing, you know, babysitters... The problem is the way the traditional school is doing it now is not doing a good job” (01:43).
• Loss of Core and Life Skills: Tyrus laments the reduction of hands-on/elective classes: “They had so many different outlets and they seemed to reduce it to just classroom break time... Once the curriculum and the lesson plans dumbed down, you’ve lost. I think you’ve lost because when you’re not learning, you’re also not interested.” (02:03).
• Dumbing Down & Lack of Challenge: Both agree that today's schools avoid challenging students and that fear of failure has led to mediocrity. “Failure was not feared. Like if you failed, that was the blueprint for how you pick up the pieces and get going.” – Tyrus (04:51).

2. The Alpha School/Two-Hour Learning Model

• Overview: Personalized, AI-driven, “two hour daily academic model” followed by afternoons of life skills, projects, and passions.
• AI & Personalization: “When kids get like a one-to-one tutoring experience, they can learn 2, 5, 10 times faster… We can assess and understand exactly what a kid knows…then build a personalized lesson plan” – Price (13:21).
• A Typical Day at Alpha School:
  • 8:30am — “Limitless Launch”: Group physical challenge & growth mindset exercise (14:15).
  • 2-hour Core Learning Block: 25 minutes each in math, reading, language, science—AI tutors adjust content and pace.
  • After lunch: Life skills workshops—leadership, teamwork, public speaking, entrepreneurship, survival skills, outdoor activities (15:57, 16:32).
• Mastery & Growth: “By lunchtime, they’re done with core academics…our classes top 1% across all grade levels, all subjects. The results are amazing.” – Price (14:36).
• Test to Pass: Life skills culminate in performance-based assessments run by third parties—e.g., Mars colony project, Navy SEAL fitness tasks, or outdoor camping challenges (16:46).

3. Socialization, Motivation, and Real-World Preparation

• Coaching Social Skills: Price pushes against the claim that AI-driven schools lack socialization: “You can coach kids on how to be interesting and how to be interested in other people, how to become creators and contributors, not consumers” (18:03).
• Beyond Sports: Schools borrow coaching ethos to create academic mastery: “In academics...for whatever reason…the way that traditional school does it is like you may not know your multiplication table, but we’re gonna move you up the grade levels no matter what. That’s…an education crisis” (18:23).
• Motivation Over Mandate: “90% of what creates a great learner is you’ve got to be motivated...if a kid’s not doing well, it’s our system’s fault. That means we haven’t plugged into the right motivation” — Price (45:16).
• No Homework Culture: “We are not a homework school. So our kids can get their work done in the two hours a day. The one thing I will say is we do have some kids who come in so far behind that they need an hour a day to catch up—case by case. But no, we are not a model that’s built around homework.” – Price (52:30)

4. Rethinking Teachers as ‘Guides’

• Guides, Not Teachers: Alpha ‘guides’ are not required to have teaching degrees; about 40% come from traditional backgrounds, but others are athletes, entrepreneurs or performers. Key is motivational skill, not “subject expertise” (26:46).
• Division of Labor: AI handles lesson delivery; guides focus on emotional/motivational support; Dean of Parents handles parent communication (27:00).
• Data-Backed Relationships: 96% of Alpha students love their guide, 85% believe their guide is transforming their life (29:39).
• Teacher Empowerment: “Teachers can understand that they have this ability to implement technology that allows them to guide students. Instead of being the sage on the stage, they’re the guide next to a kid.” – Price (58:19).

5. Criticisms, Pushback, and Equity

• Concerns About Screen Time: Critics worry “these are kids sitting on, you know, computers interacting with robots.” Price counters: “That’s two hours, which is less than in traditional schools” (44:03).
• Pushback from Public Education: Price shares her charter school applications were mostly denied and unions are hesitant, but: “We’re opening up a bunch of private schools throughout the country… If you build it, they will come.” (42:27). Tuition starts as low as $10,000/year at some locations, with scholarships and ESA programs expanding access.
• Customization, Not Indoctrination: “Our goals are teach kids the academic information, not instill beliefs or values. We’re focused on that. Families should do that.” – Price (63:30)
• Curriculum Transparency: Parents can review Alpha’s curriculum, and AI-taught curriculum reduces the risk of teachers inserting personal beliefs, a common parental concern (63:30).

6. Memorable Quotes & Key Anecdotes

• On Motivation and Failure:

  • “Failure was not feared...that was the blueprint for how you pick up the pieces and get going.” — Tyrus (04:51)
  • “At our schools, failure is fuel. We want kids to fail forward and often.” — Mackenzie Price (05:00)

• On Social Skills:

  • “Most of your friendships issues were solved. Some of the greatest lunchbox trades in history...That’s a negotiation.” — Tyrus (03:16)
  • “We have workshops around how to become a spy, where we’re actually teaching how to read body language, how to engage in conversation, how to look somebody in the eye, how to shake a hand.” — Mackenzie Price (48:56)

• On Traditional School Grading:

  • “My daughter had done, and she got a 64 on it. And I was like, man, that’s almost a D minus. And she’s like…that’s C plus.” — Tyrus (05:45)
  • “They’ve gotten rid of grades…I live in Austin, Texas. One of the very best school districts in that area…elementary school kids...are going to get rid of grades and just going to give A’s or M’s [mastered].” — Price (06:46)

• On Technology in Education:

  • “Chatbots and education are cheap bots…. we tried a chatbot feature at one point. And kids will figure out how to get, you know, game the system…” — Price (36:50)
  • “What our kids are getting, which is this very engaged thing. There’s a huge difference between staring at a screen while your teacher’s staring at their phone… and what our kids are getting.” (37:42)

• On Early Learning:

  • “Read, read, read and play with them. Just read and play. That’s what you should do. Let them go get their hands dirty. Play in the mud puddles and read to them. That’s the key.” — Price (57:28)

• On Social Media & Parental Pressure:

  • “You think that has a lot to do with how much social media has influenced parents' behaviors? Because everybody wants to put on their social media their best foot forward…But my child’s a straight A student.” — Tyrus (07:49)

7. Listener Q&A (60:00–65:23)

• Uniforms? Price prefers individuality: “For me, uniforms scream out like…stodgy. Be told to do everything.” (60:14)
• Technology as Distraction: Price describes Alpha School Tech’s strict guardrails and the use of AI to monitor focus, preventing gaming or off-task behavior (61:26).
• Parental Concerns on Curriculum and Social Issues: AI-led curriculum offers clarity and less subjective influence, and parents have transparency. Price emphasizes the need for school “cultural fit” and a surge in educational choice (63:30).

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• [02:03] – Tyrus on the disappearance of life skills and electives in schools
• [04:51] – Tyrus & Price: reframing failure as fuel
• [13:01] – How Alpha School’s AI-driven model works, day in the life
• [16:32] – Project-based life skills: survival skills, Mars mission, Navy SEAL challenges
• [27:00] – The redefined role of “guides” vs. teachers
• [45:16] – Motivation is the core driver of learning
• [52:30] – No mandatory homework; school-day learning only
• [63:30] – How AI can immunize curriculum against controversial teacher views

Tone & Takeaways

Tyrus keeps the conversation lively and punctuates tough subject matter with personal stories, humor, and “real talk.” Mackenzie Price brings optimism, data, and a clear rejection of status-quo bureaucracy.

Key Takeaway: The Alpha School model—personalized, AI-driven learning with a heavy focus on life skills and guided mentorship—aims to reignite the love of learning, social confidence, and real-world readiness in kids failed by the “babysitting” approach of traditional K-12 schools. Price insists schools must finally answer not just to test scores, but to students’ drive, character, and adaptability.

For More Information

• Follow Mackenzie Price on Instagram: @futureofeducation
• Learn more or find an Alpha/Time Back school: focus.school

“There has never been a more exciting time to be a 5 year old or a teacher…Instead of being the sage on the stage, they’re the guide next to a kid.”
— Mackenzie Price (58:19)