#037 - Obsessive interest can be a superpower

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💡 THOUGHT

"My kid is obsessed with just one subject. Should I be worried?”

Our short answer: Feed your child’s interest with all the resources you can gather. It will likely shift over time. When kids do these deep dives, they're learning how to learn. The obsessive approach often yields richer results than the traditional method of dividing subjects into neat 50-minute segments.

For example, Matt’s son once wanted to learn everything about diamonds—their history, value, and market appraisal based on colors and shapes. After a few weeks, he moved on to a different topic. Similarly, Isaac recently heard about an “unschooled” student who spent a whole year focused on fishing. Later, when he became interested in math, he applied the same “obsessive” mentality and learned it fast.

The ability to focus intensely and solve problems becomes a superpower in the real world.

– Matt & Isaac

P.S. Subscribe and stay tuned for our first Q&A podcast episode, where we answer this and a half-dozen other questions from families.

📊 TREND

Education at a Crossroads

The 74 reports on the latest data from the 2024 State of the American Student report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Some key points

• Academic recovery since the pandemic is happening too slowly

• Younger students especially, are falling behind

• Almost nobody is happy with one-size-fits-all models

The path forward, according to the report?

1. Flexibility: Schools must adapt to students, not vice versa

2. Personalization: Embrace new staffing and scheduling approaches

3. Technology: Leverage AI for tailored learning experiences

4. Transparency: Provide honest, accessible data on student performance

5. Urgency: Act now to prevent losing a generation to pandemic effects

We hate to say, “We told you so,” but…

🛠️ TOOL

The Tennis Ball Sandcastle Challenge

Summer is fading, but please forgive us for trying to keep the sunny vibes alive for a few more weeks. We’re excited to try out this educational beach game inspired by one of the creators of Google Docs (hat tip to LetGrow.org):

You'll need:

• Full-size shovel

• Small digging tool

• Tennis balls (you can never have too many)

How to play:

1. Build a big sand pile

2. Carve tracks down the sides

3. Roll balls and watch the fun unfold

Finally, let the kids take charge – exploring their ideas and learning through trial and error.

If you can’t picture it, read the full article – a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Note: Wet sand allows for better sculpting and more intricate and stable designs. When creating tracks, flat surfaces tend to work better than deep channels for smooth ball rolling.

(WORD) OF THE DAY

Petrichor

And if early rains spoil your beach day, at least you can fall back on today’s word of the day:

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)