Can young people learn without hourly direction from an adult?

Anyone who witnessed the  flurry of team building and excitement Week One would be full of hope.  New relationships were forged; old friendships rekindled.  One new Middle School Eagle, summed up the mood: “I got more done in the last two days than in two months in my old school.  And it was fun too!”

Yet we know by October  some parents will begin to doubt.   Who could blame them? Report cards and standardized tests will be given at other schools.  Grandparents will raise concerns about college.  All we will have by then are one or two Exhibitions and a few dozen Khan Skills, which likely will be a bit rough.

This year’s Overarching Question will become all too real: “Must a Hero Conquer fear to find True Love?”

Yes, we could point out that our first graduating Acton Academy Eagle from Guatemala has been accepted to the University of California at Berkley to study Math and Neuroscience.   But one data point is no antidote for deep unease.

Here’s a Hero Story you can bookmark for when you need some reassurance.  And when you read it,  you likely not only will feel better about trusting young people to take learning into their own hands, but begin to realize just how high they can soar.