Greetings!

Last week we shared Dave Hoffman's story—a public school administrator who unschooled all six kids.

He dispelled the myth about learning gaps among homeschoolers by pointing out the even larger gaps created by schools that breed conformity.

This week, a Reddit post offers something rare: an honest homeschooler sharing the real gaps they experienced. Plus, what makes you irreplaceable in an AI world, and why a 3D printer could be the solution to your screentime woes.

Let's dive in.

THOUGHT: The 5 Real Gaps Homeschooling Creates
TREND: What Makes You Irreplaceable?
TOOL: Creation Beats Consumption

The 5 Real Gaps Homeschooling Creates

Critics have spent decades warning about homeschool learning gaps. Then an actual homeschooler shows up on Reddit with a refreshingly honest list of real gaps they experienced—before going on to attend an Ivy League school:

1. Collaboration skills and taking input from others on group projects
2. Sitting through repetitive content when you've already mastered the material
3. Listening to others' presentations and giving constructive feedback
4. Meeting deadlines over pursuing perfection
5. Separating school from the rest of life to avoid burnout

Ask yourself: Are these the skills that make you a thriving, curious human being?

Or are they the skills that make you good at filling out forms and sitting quietly through PowerPoint presentations?

One gap you can fix in an afternoon at the DMV. The other kind is more stubborn.

Read the post

What Makes You Irreplaceable?

Ed Elson, host of the Prof G Markets podcast, asks a simple question: "What would make me irreplaceable in an AI world?"

His answer: Curation, Curiosity, and Connectivity.

Curation means selecting the tone and frame of a message. Developing taste. Reading widely, and choosing narrowly.

Curiosity is about building creative range. Exploring outside your lane, chasing ideas without immediate payoff, and connecting dots others don't see.

Connectivity means showing up with warmth and follow-through. Being the person who brings the group together, who makes others feel smarter when they work with you. Trust is impossible to automate.

Most schools teach what AI does best—standardized knowledge, recall, following instructions. The 3 C's, on the other hand, can't be standardized. They're hard to test and harder to measure. So schools struggle to teach them.

The observant reader might notice the similarity between these 3 C's and the ones essential to learning talked about in the Open Education book: Choice, Competency, and Connection. Families pursuing an open education have been prioritizing these skills all along.

Read the full article

Creation Beats Consumption

Speaking of Reddit...

A mom tried everything to pull her teenage son away from screens. Sports didn't stick. Clubs didn't stick. Art classes didn't stick.

Then she bought a 3D printer – the "Bambu Lab P1S" – thinking of it as a creative tool rather than a screen time solution. Now, he spends 1-2 hours daily painting 3D models. The phone is still there but it's no longer the default. The shift wasn't about removing technology—it was about redirecting it.

Isaac has a rule in his house: Make a YouTube video before you watch YouTube. Create before you consume. Make before you take.

Read the full post