Hits close to home… had these exact thoughts a little over seven years ago. At one point I was convinced that sending my son to a public school would be child a

Hits close to home… had these exact thoughts a little over seven years ago. At one point I was convinced that sending my son to a public school would be child abuse… actually I still kinda feel that way, but I’ve softened my stance a bit. I read up quite a bit on unschooling, which sounds great on paper but is probably only feasible when both parents are enthusiastically committed. Sudbury schools are probably the closest thing to unschooling without having to do it yourself, but there’s probably less than 100 such schools in the entire world. One big realization I’ve had is that children really grow when their parents aren’t around. Schools may suppress agency, but so do parents. There’s a reason that all the stories in this article are about apprenticeships and first jobs—the outside world will always be a much richer source of new and unexpected interactions and discoveries than anything inside the home. Maybe that’s my suggestion: get your kid out of the house and around other trustworthy adults as much as possible. (I moved across the country to live near family just to make this happen)