We're Preparing Kids for the Wrong Future
Education is Not Just About School
This one feels a little different to write…but this is what’s sitting on my chest, and I can’t ignore it anymore.
There’s a question I keep seeing everywhere right now:
“What will the future look like for our kids?”
And underneath that… a quiet panic.
AI is advancing faster than we can track.
Jobs are shifting. Entire industries are being rewritten in real time.
And we’re all sitting here trying to prepare children for a world we don’t even understand yet.
So naturally, the question becomes:
“What should they be learning to prepare them?”
And my answer is probably not what people expect.
Because for us… education was never about school.
And I don’t care if they have the highest grades or know how to build AI.
My kids have experienced just about every version of education you can imagine.
Public school.
Private school.
Language immersion.
Homeschool.
Roadschool.
Unschool.
Nature school.
Worldschool.
Montessori.
We aren’t chasing the “perfect” model.
We’re paying attention.
To them.
To the world.
To what actually matters.
The future doesn’t belong to the kids who followed directions perfectly.
It belongs to the ones who know how to think.
Who can adapt.
Who can connect.
Who can learn something new quickly.
Who aren’t afraid to try, fail, and try again.
Those things aren’t built through one system.
They’re built through exposure.
Exposure to different environments.
Different people.
Different ways of thinking.
Different problems to solve.
Exposure to real life.
This doesn’t require you to quit your job.
Or homeschool.
Or travel the world.
Or do anything super extreme.
We’ve had seasons of all of that…
and seasons of none of it.
Offering these opportunities to your child isn’t “extra”… it’s just, intentional.
Alternative education isn’t actually about where your kids go to school.
It’s about how you design their life.
Where are they being stretched?
Where are they building real skills?
Where are they interacting with people outside of their age group?
Where are they learning how to navigate the world—not just perform in it?
For us, that’s meant prioritizing things like:
Learning how to solve problems.
Learning how to communicate.
Learning how to take an idea and see it through.
Learning how to manage themselves.
Learning how to notice what’s happening around them.
Learning how to be in their bodies and take care of their health.
Learning how to try things that feel uncomfortable.
Not perfectly. But consistently.
Both inside and outside of their classrooms.
AGES 4-7 | In the early years, it’s less about academics and more about foundations.
Are they moving their bodies in big, meaningful ways? Are they developing coordination, strength, and confidence in how they exist physically?
Are they beginning to understand how the world works? Where food comes from, how things are made, what happens when something is broken?
What content are they absorbing; books, podcasts, movies, music, conversations?
Are they being given space to be curious, without everything being immediately answered or structured?
At this stage, the goal isn’t information overload or “grade level reading”, it’s orientation to the world.
AGES 6-9 | As they grow, you start to see more independence and competence emerge.
Are they beginning to solve simple problems on their own before asking for help?
Can they follow curiosity—finding answers, using resources, figuring things out?
Are they able to start and finish small projects? Not perfectly, but with ownership?
Are they experiencing what it feels like to be capable?
This is where confidence quietly builds. Not from being told they’re able, but from experiencing, “I can figure things out!”
AGES 9-12 | And as they move into later childhood, the shift becomes more internal. This is where executive functioning, emotional awareness, and identity need to be at the forefront. Children are no longer just interacting with the world, they’re beginning to understand their place within it.
Are they learning how to manage their time, energy, and responsibilities?
Are they developing emotional awareness and regulation—understanding what they feel and what to do with it?
Are they starting to think beyond themselves and immediate tasks— considering consequences, making connections, and asking bigger questions?
Are they being invited into real conversations about life, challenges, and decision-making?
This stage isn’t just about skill-building, it’s about self-leadership.
These aren’t things that come from a single curriculum or educational environment.
Across all stages of early childhood development, there are a few things that matter more than anything else:
Connection
Exposure
Environment
These aren’t taught through instruction, they’re absorbed.
Through watching someone build something.
Through being included in real conversations.
Through trying something and failing.
Through interacting with people of different ages, backgrounds, and perspectives.
The biggest gap in traditional models of education is that they prioritize information transfer, but limit the environment where real-world integration happens.
Alternative education, at its core, isn’t about rejecting traditional school.
It’s about expanding the environments where learning takes place.
It’s recognizing that:
Critical thinking is built through problem-solving.
Communication is built through real interaction.
Confidence is built through experience.
Resilience is built through discomfort.
And capability is built through doing.
And yes… it would be easier to keep them busy.
To fill every hour.
To put screens in their lap.
To follow the default path.
To trust that the system will take care of it.
But that ease comes at a cost.
Because when kids are constantly directed or entertained…
they don’t learn how to direct or push themselves.
And at some point, that matters more than anything else.
So what does this look like in real life?
Understanding where things actually come from—
Food, electricity, waste… not just consuming them, but questioning them. Visiting facilities, discussing where the poop goes, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts or doing a family garden to plate project.
Learning how to build and make things—
Carpentry or sewing projects, cooking meals, trying (and failing) at creating something from scratch. Using tools (even when it takes longer to include kids), fixing something - let them watch, go to craft festivals, maker-faires.
Figuring out how to manage themselves—
Keeping time, organizing their things, navigating responsibilities. Use timers, calendars, lists, and get them involved early. Make systems simple and age appropriate, let them fail sometimes!
Practicing communication—
Talking to adults, sending emails, learn texting etiquette, introducing themselves, practicing eye contact and difficult conversations, learning how to engage with the world around them. (Performing arts is a must for this!)
Taking ideas all the way to completion—
Starting little projects or “businesses,” hitting roadblocks, learning what it means to follow something through. BOREDOM (this is when the magic happens!) Puzzles, recipes, games, help them follow through!
Facing fears—
Heights, public speaking, swimming, bugs, try something new… doing things that stretch them beyond what’s comfortable. Sometimes “I don’t like that” or “I don’t want to” are actually code for “I just don’t know what to expect.” Growth lives in discomfort.
Teaching others—
because nothing solidifies learning like having to explain it.
These opportunities don’t come from a curriculum.
They come from connection. And prioritizing them over everything else.
From being in different environments.
Meeting different people.
Being part of communities where skills are lived, not just taught.
So go and do these things with people outside their comfort zone.
A neighbor who has a big garden? I bet they’d show your kids a thing or two.
A friend with a teen who’s really into art? I bet they’d sit down with your kid.
A cool event your child shows no interest in…. go anyway.
Because when kids are around people doing real things…
They learn in ways no system can replicate.
And I think, in a lot of ways… most kids are being prepared for a version of the future that no longer exists.
The future may be uncertain, but needing kids who know how to navigate uncertainty is not.
We need more kids growing up knowing how to think, adapt, and lead.
And that starts with what we, as parents, choose to prioritize right now.
If you’ve been feeling that tension, that quiet sense that something about the current model isn’t enough…
You’re not wrong.
You’re just seeing it clearly.
And the answer isn’t to burn everything down or run away and hide.
It’s to start designing, intentionally.
Small shifts.
More exposure.
More connection.
More real life.
Because the future may be uncertain…
But raising humans who can navigate it?
That part is absolutely within our control.
The question shouldn’t bet be “what school should they go to?”
It’s, “what environment(s) will shape them?”
Because that’s what ultimately prepares them for the future we can’t predict.
If you’re reading this and thinking… okay, but where do I even start?
You start with…. Capacity.
You cannot redesign your family’s life or education if you’re already operating at your limit.
Most people don’t need more ideas,
they need more space to actually implement them.
And that doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from reducing your mental load.
Putting simple systems in place.
Understanding how your family is wired.
Getting clear on what actually matters.
It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated.
But it does have to be intentional.
And if you want support with making changes, you can book a session with me here!→
P.S. A handful of you asked about “the witch” and some other stories after my last substack… It feels slightly unhinged to put that story on the internet, so I’m deciding how much of that world I want to open up 😂 —but I promise it’s coming.
I feel like I’ve said some of these words verbatim this week about traditional school frameworks lacking critical skill building we need in an AI world. Excited to follow along and learn more!