Tim Tebow vouches for school choice, recounts experience with dyslexia 

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow told a Mississippi audience last week that school choice is vital because children are different and education should reflect this reality. 

Tebow spoke at the fifth annual Empower Mississippi Solutions Summit in Jackson. He addressed faith, family and the need for education models that account for individual strengths, challenges and family circumstances, rather than forcing every child into the same system. 

“Why is school choice so important? Because we’re not all created the same,” Tebow said. 

The goal of education should go beyond academics and test scores, according to Tebow. He challenged the narrow way states often define success in K-12 schools and urged parents, educators and mentors to think more carefully about education. 

“We think of education as just reading, writing and arithmetic, or just where you go to school,” he said. “But education in its Latin form means ‘to lead into.’ Where are we trying to lead boys and girls into, and what does it really mean to have a good education?” 

Tebow drew on his own experience growing up with dyslexia. He was homeschooled but was allowed, under Florida law, to play sports at his local public high school, which eventually led to a college football career at the University of Florida; Tebow also played professional football and baseball. He said individualized support and mentorship made the difference. 

He argued many young people today struggle because their environments fail to recognize their unique gifts. Tebow cited statistics showing high levels of anxiety, depression and hopelessness among teenagers and said states are not meeting the full needs of children. 

Tebow also criticized the common message that children can be anything they want without regard for their actual abilities. 

“Why would you tell them that?” he asked. “You’re talking to a 12-year-old who has dreams of being LeBron James. If he can’t dribble, he ain’t going be LeBron James. You can’t. He probably has a different awesome, unique gift, but when we tell kids, ‘You can go, and you can be whatever you want to be,’ sometimes we just don’t have that gift. But what we should tell kids is that whatever you choose to be, you have the chance to be your best in doing that.” 

Tebow said constant comparison, driven by social media, worsens these struggles and undermines confidence. 

“In my opinion, it starts in being valued and believed in,” he said. 

This belief, he argued, starts at home. Families should have the freedom to choose education options aligned with their values and their children’s needs, Tebow concluded. 

“Every family situation is so different. It’s different for different abilities and different disabilities,” he said. “It’s different for families with dyslexia.” 

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Meaning Matters)