🐴 "That's not knowledge" — MythBusters' Adam Savage goes viral

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Now to our regularly scheduled programming: We've been exploring a fascinating tension in education this week. From MythBusters' Adam Savage going viral with a scathing critique of standardized testing to Peter Thiel's $100,000 bet against college, a common thread emerges — what if conventional schooling has become optimization for a game nobody plays in real life?

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🎙️ WHEN "SOCIALIZATION" MEANS AGE SEGREGATION

Every parent considering alternative education has faced "the socialization question." But T.K. Coleman turns this concern upside down in our latest podcast with a provocative insight: traditional schooling might be creating the least natural social environment your child will ever experience.

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Think about it: When else in life are you exclusively surrounded by people of your exact same age?

Coleman points out that after graduation, young adults often struggle because "they no longer have the luxury of an artificial campus where everyone is your age... You're in an environment where there are people five years older than you, 15 years older than you."

Real socialization prepares children for the world as it actually exists—diverse, multi-generational, and based on shared interests rather than shared birthdates.

💡 DEEP DIVE

THE GREAT TEST-TAKING DELUSION

We went mini-viral on TikTok this week with our 60-second clip of MythBusters' Adam Savage delivering a surgical (dare we say savage?) takedown of the standardized testing industrial complex. And like all viral moments, it hit a nerve precisely because it articulated something millions of us have felt but couldn't quite name.

@unstandardizedgenius

Mythbusters Adam Savage’s savage roast of standardized education #AdamSavage #Education #Mythbusters #LearningRevolution #OpenEducation

Savage, never one for pulling punches, blasts our obsession with tests that measure everything except understanding.

Here's the thing about testing: it creates the perfect illusion of educational progress. Politicians get neat, color-coded charts. Administrators get funding. Parents get report cards with reassuring numbers. Everyone gets to pretend we're building a generation of thinkers.

What we're actually building: memorization machines.

"It teaches kids that science and math and engineering are all things to memorize," Savage continues, "[when] there are these unfettered landscapes of the untried and the untested if you really are looking, and that makes them beautiful."

The secret that actual scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs all know is that real learning happens through direct experience—trying things out safely until you reach conclusions you can defend. This approach forms the core of what made MythBusters revolutionary as an "educational" show that never set out to be educational.

"I'm not an educator," Savage admits, "but every science teacher you've ever had who did that in class is like your favorite science teacher, right? I mean, that direct experience instead of just being told."

We’ve taken the inherently fascinating fields of science, math, and engineering—disciplines built on human curiosity—and transformed them into soul-crushing memory exercises that most children come to despise.

When we choose open education, we're not just seeking a different classroom setting. We're rejecting a system that treats knowledge as something to be memorized rather than discovered, tested, and experienced.

Watch Adam's full explanation on YouTube →

📊 TRENDS WE'RE WATCHING

THE $100,000 BET AGAINST COLLEGE

In 2010, Peter Thiel launched what critics called "the most misdirected philanthropy of the decade." The Thiel Fellowship pays talented young people $100,000 to skip college and build something important instead.

Fourteen years later, that "misguided experiment" has launched 11 companies worth over $1 billion each, including Figma (acquired by Adobe for $20 billion) and Ethereum. Meanwhile, student debt has ballooned to $1.7 trillion and college costs have increased 1000% in real terms over 40 years.

Michael Gibson, the fellowship's co-founder, explains they applied Elon Musk's engineering approach to education: challenge requirements, remove what can't be justified, then optimize what remains.

Watch Gibson's full speech on disrupting academia →

PERSONAL TUTORS FOR ALL (MAYBE)

Khan Academy's "Khanmigo" AI tutor is making waves with Sal Khan's bold claim that it will democratize one-on-one tutoring for all children.

The demos are impressive:

• It identifies specific math misconceptions rather than just flagging wrong answers

• Students can debate historical figures and literary characters

• It provides writing feedback through Socratic questioning

For teachers, it promises to generate lesson plans and handle administrative tasks.

But can AI really replicate the emotional intelligence of great human tutors? Will it reinforce existing educational inequalities? And who exactly is storing and analyzing all those recorded student conversations?

🛠️ TOOLS OF THE WEEK

MATH IS EVERYWHERE (IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK)

"Anytime you're taking something that's chaotic and you're bringing order to it, that's math."

This insight from a recent Simply Charlotte Mason podcast changes how we see everyday activities. Math isn't just worksheets and multiplication tables—it's in bird calls during nature walks, the "rule of thirds" in photography, music rhythms, and even organizing pantry shelves.

Start noticing math in your everyday moments. Not just to point it out to your children, but to let your own growing appreciation become contagious.

Explore the beauty of math →

12 PODCASTS FOR BUSY PARENTS

Between planning lessons, answering endless questions, and tackling that mountain of laundry, finding time for educational research feels impossible.

We've curated 12 outstanding education podcasts that transform mundane moments—driving carpool, prepping dinner, folding laundry—into valuable "professional development." These hosts become trusted friends, offering practical advice and reminding you that you're not alone on this journey.

Discover all 12 recommended podcasts →

CROWDSOURCED BOOK SCREENING

Ever picked up a children's book only to discover content you weren't ready to discuss with your 8-year-old? A new platform called ScreenItFirst aims to eliminate those awkward moments.

This crowdsourced site lets parents anonymously flag and view potentially sensitive content in children's books with actual screenshots from the pages in question. The site's tagline is, "The right book at the right time builds a healthy mind"—emphasizing timing and appropriateness rather than censorship.

Check out ScreenItFirst →

That’s all for this week!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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