Age Guides
What We Mean When We Call Ten the Easy Year
Everyone says ten is the golden year, the calm before adolescence. But the way we talk about ten tells us more about adult anxiety than it does about the children.
Blog
Ideas, research, and practical guidance for raising free, capable humans.
7 entries to explore
Philosophy Why we stop asking why
Children ask the questions philosophers have spent careers on. Then somewhere around second grade, most of them stop. That's not a developmental milestone. It's a loss.
Opinion
The Case for Not Picking One Educational Philosophy
I spent months looking for The Method before I noticed that every educational philosophy was saying the exact same thing — and they were all partially right.
Philosophy
What Montessori Gets Right
After years of reading every educational philosophy I could find, I keep coming back to a handful of Montessori principles. They work underneath everything else.
Age Guides
What Does 'Age-Appropriate' Really Mean?
When my daughter was three, two well-sourced articles told me opposite things about her in the same week. Both used the phrase 'age-appropriate' as though it meant something specific.
Philosophy
Unschooling Is Not What You Think It Is
I mentioned unschooling at a family gathering and watched my mother-in-law's face cycle through confusion, concern, and horror. So let me try to describe it honestly.
Opinion
Why I Built a Site Comparing Every Educational System
It started with a spreadsheet. Fourteen educational philosophies, each with columns for core principles, criticisms, and my own notes. The spreadsheet got too big. So I built something.
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