Quality of life is a broad measure of how well a person or community is able to live, flourish, and experience meaning but all too often in Western societies people are led to believe that their standard of living determines their quality of life; ie. the more money and possessions they have the better their life will be. But one’s economic status does not produce a good quality of life. In fact people with more modest material resources may experience a higher quality of life if they have strong relationships, meaningful work, good health, security, community, leisure, and a sense of belonging. This is not something achieved through wealth.

Having lived and traveled in other countries for extended periods throughout my life I have come to know, at least for myself, what constitutes a good life. A question to be asked when evaluating quality of life is,

“Does this society create the conditions in which most people can live healthy, meaningful, secure, connected and fulfilling lives?”

This question is particularly important for education. If we define the purpose of education merely as producing economically productive workers, we have adopted a very narrow definition of human flourishing. A broader conception would ask whether education helps people develop the knowledge, capabilities, relationships, judgment, creativity, agency, and civic capacity necessary for a good life. In the United States this is not happening which is what has led me to write my book “Brave New School”, which addresses the roots of the systemic failure and how we can begin to address it.

A good quality of life might be represented by five fundamental human needs:

• Belonging: I am connected to other people.

• Agency: I have some control over my life.

• Security: I am not constantly threatened by poverty, violence, illness, or instability.

• Purpose: My life has meaning.

• Flourishing: I have opportunities to learn, create, love, contribute, and become more fully myself.

That is potentially a very powerful framework for thinking about what schools should prepare children for: not simply employment, college, or economic competitiveness, but a good human life. And to know that they deserve that and that the society they belong to wants that for them.

Currently popular economics correlates people's wellbeing with their consumption of goods and services. However this approach is always criticized as being too narrow to measure quality of life. Human wellbeing doesn’t depend solely on the consumption of commodities which means the per capita measure of GDP is a highly inaccurate tool for measuring quality of life.

Nobel laureate economist and philosopher, Amartya Sen, is renowned for an economic theory known as the Capability Approach. This approach puts value on freedom and social justice focusing on providing people with the tools they need to live a fulfilling life. In particular it shifts the question from how much people possess to what people are actually able to be and do. This will require a major mindset shift in American society.

Some of what constitutes a good quality of life for me are the following:

• Having the resources for comfortable housing, food and leisure time

• Access to quality healthcare without worrying about how to pay for it

• Connection to people and groups in my community

• The ability to live without depending on a car for getting around

• Walkable streets and parks where people can gather for social time

• Vacation time to spend with loved ones and travel to new places

• Freedom from violence, crime, discrimination, and excessive insecurity

• Access to cultural events that represent global diversity

• Intellectual pursuits that excite me

• Feeling valued and respected by the country I am a part of

• An environment that is clean with plenty of access to places of natural beauty

• Meaningful work that engages and inspires me

I could go on but I think it’s important for us all to allow ourselves to ponder what we need to create a good life for ourselves and to take steps towards achieving it.

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We often assume that because more people can read than ever before, we are living in the most literate society in history. Yet literacy is so much more than the ability to decode words on a page or read short catchy phrases on social media. It is the ability to sustain attention, interpret and analyze complex ideas, distinguish evidence from opinion, and engage deeply with the written word. By that definition, many people argue that we are entering a post-literate age.

A post-literate age is not one in which people cannot read. Rather, it is one in which reading is no longer the primary way that people acquire knowledge, communicate, or make sense of the world. Images, video, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and short-form digital content increasingly are shaping how people learn, think and interact. In a post-literate world the ability to think deeply and engage in constructive discussion and idea building is threatened with being lost. This means that the wisdom and experience of all the ages recorded in writing may well not carry the same influence into future generations.

For centuries, books encouraged habits of mind that were slow, reflective, and analytical. Reading demanded concentration and patience. It invited readers to follow long arguments, weigh competing ideas, and imagine perspectives beyond their own. Literacy fostered not only knowledge but also critical thinking and democratic participation. Today the primary method used to teach reading relies on a phonetic approach and learning to read for meaning and joy is disappearing from our schools. In high schools whole book study has been replaced by short passages, digital navigation and multimedia communication. Students no longer need to read whole books, they can use AI for summaries and interpretation.

The world is changing rapidly. The advent of technology has changed everything. The acquisition of knowledge is available instantly at the press of a button. Computers allow us to access any information with no effort and to communicate with people across the globe with ease. In person meetings have been replaced by remote events allowing participants anywhere in the world to gather without ever meeting in person. Human neural pathways are changing to adapt to the new world which raises profound questions for educators. Instant information is valuable but we must ensure that we do not lose the ability to evaluate evidence, recognize bias or misinformation, make informed decisions or read and write complex text. These skills are essential for healthy social living and creative problem solving.

The educational challenge of the next generation is not to choose between books and technology. It is to preserve the cognitive benefits of deep reading while embracing the new literacies required in an AI-driven world. Schools that succeed will likely teach both: they will use AI and digital tools to expand access to knowledge, while deliberately protecting the time and practices that cultivate sustained attention, critical reasoning, and insightful reflection.

Any thoughtful future educational goals should not simply focus on what students know but rather on how they think. Are they able to recognize manipulation and misinformation, can they collaborate with people whose opinions and culture might be different from theirs, can they ask insightful questions and can they exercise good judgement? These are the skills that we must cultivate if we want to find solutions to some of the most urgent problems facing our world today.

We can’t count on yesterday’s intelligence to provide us with the skills to navigate a rapidly evolving and uncertain future. We must straddle both worlds even as the future is unknown. What we know is that the neural pathways in the brain are changing. Tomorrow’s intelligence must preserve some of the neural strengths that pave the way to qualities such as perseverance, resilience, patience and humility. Without these qualities the ability to negotiate and collaborate, in other words, to live democratically and in harmony with each other, is limited. I hope our communities and schools can recognize this as an urgency and make it a priority in any future educational goals.

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The content of what is taught in schools is determined by politicians, business leaders and the publishing industry. It is outrageous to think that we have given power and control over an entire profession to people who are driven only by self interest and have no expertise in the field of education. The needs of children are not even considered. It’s all about data collection, submission, control and training children to become workers that will fit into a corporate slot. How useful to life and living is it to be able to answer questions about a random piece of text? How useful is it to be able to perform on fill in the blank tests? How useful is it to ask children to be engaged in something for 45 minutes and then at the ring of the bell stop and switch to another thing? And then we tell them they can’t talk with each other. How useful is that to the development of communication and social skills? I wonder how adults would do in such an environment.

Because the model we use for schooling has not changed from the days of Horace Mann (almost 200 years ago) and because we all go through it we rarely, if ever, challenge the model. Even though most of us know, on some level, that this standardized way of “training” children is counter to what research says and what prominent educators throughout the ages have said, we don’t entertain the idea of change. We are stuck in an antiquated system, run by people with no experience in teaching, that has no relevance for children who must enter a broken and socially divided society and be prepared to contribute to its healing. How does any of this make sense?

I propose that this must start with parents, the guardians of children, and those who care most deeply about their wellbeing. Parents must start talking with each other and organizing to bring their ideas and requests to teachers and school boards. It is their right and their responsibility to ensure that their children’s learning and social needs are met. Before going before school boards, however, they need to have clarity about what they are asking for. And I propose they use their wildest imaginations to create a vision of an educational environment that would engage and excite them and their children. This will involve many meetings and conversations with other people committed to working together to create a new model. Even though it is all we know we must let go of the old model and the belief that it worked well for us. In most cases it didn’t but we have never known anything else. Inviting children to participate in this conversation is essential. After all, they surely know best what kind of learning will most engage them and be the most useful to them. Given all the information about what is needed to live a fulfilled life and the freedom to choose what to learn children can think very creatively outside the box, unconstrained by societal conditioning. Invite them to choose their own areas of learning and they will thrive.

My book provides the reader with a broad history of schooling in the United States with many models of good schools and good teaching. It is not out of reach. It also provides statistics that are a clear indication that what is being done currently is not a success story. We just need to look at the substance abuse and mental health issues among teenagers, as well as the incarceration rate of young people. We need to take a leap into the unknown trusting our own and our children’s intuition. We are desperate for change and must pave the way to a brighter future for our children. After all the future belongs to them. My book is a clarion call for action dense with ideas and models of how to do it. It is filled with hope for a better future.

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In the US we had to make all our own appointments if we needed any kind of specialist care and sometimes the waits for appointments were long, even if the need was urgent. Here we have a general practitioner (GP) who acts like a gatekeeper. It has been easy to make appointments with our GPs and they always get back to us promptly once a request is made. If we need medication a prescription is sent to our nearest pharmacy and it is free for us as seniors, (for others they pay £10). It’s not that there aren’t genuine, caring people in the American health care sector, it’s that they are severely limited by insurance companies, who pay them, and dictate the kind of care they can offer, as well as allowing no time for collaboration between carers.

The Brits love to criticize themselves and I have heard my share of complaints about the National Health Service but there are also many who share my sense of gratitude for the service we get. Completely free health care is, at times, taken for granted by those who haven’t experienced having to pay for every doctor visit, every prescription and all care. People in the US and other parts of the world die because they can’t afford life saving medicines and treatments. Offering free health care services to every person is a demonstration of a system that views all its people as worthy and of value. It is part of a safety net that every society should have in place.

This doesn’t mean that there are not challenges to be overcome. At this time there are areas of the country which are experiencing staff shortages which leads to longer waits to be seen. After Brexit many of our beloved Eastern European immigrants who worked in the social care sector left the country and then Covid hit and there was another exodus from the profession. This shortage of staff has caused a strain on those who remain. And yet research shows that the collaboration that exists among staff, their ongoing professional training and their mentoring programs all help to maintain engagement and morale. They are still underpaid and overworked but are greatly valued and appreciated.

Recently we celebrated International Nurses Day and the International Day of the Midwife in the UK. I joined in a service at Bristol Cathedral to celebrate the extraordinary dedication of nurses and midwives across our health and care system, our communities, and beyond. There were two very moving testimonies. One was from a deputy chief nursing officer in mental health, who described her childhood growing up in Rwanda in a community that was grounded in caring and kindness, and how this experience led her to work in mental health where listening and respect are so essential. The other was from a midwife who talked about the joys and challenges of working with mothers and babies. Both of these presentations stressed the collegiality and collaboration between the different carers and the difference this made in their work. At the service we were given a pamphlet, titled “A Celebration of Brilliance”, that included a heartfelt message of thanks. Included in that message was this: “We celebrate the countless acts of compassion, skill, advocacy and leadership that take place every single day, often unseen, but deeply felt.” It was an honor to participate in this service of thanksgiving. And I feel deeply grateful for all who keep it running with such dedication and compassion.

There is much that is not working so well in England at the moment, but the National Health Service is not one of them. As a system it works very well.

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Writing has now become a habit for me. Every morning I get up, meditate and then make myself a cup of tea and begin my writing time. For so long I had ideas about education swimming around in my head with no satisfying outlet. Now that many of them have made their way onto paper it has freed up my mind, making it less cluttered and more present.

Much has changed during the course of writing this book. Keeping it updated with the current state of upheaval in the US has not been my goal. The situation we are in has been building over decades of neglect of human welfare while placing the focus on the expansion of capitalism and profit making. Of course over time this cannot work. It only serves the owning class, leaving the working class way behind. And now we have huge numbers of people who struggle to make ends meet leaving them without support to survive. Drug addiction in the US is the highest in the world. Violent crime in the US is the highest in the Western world. The wealth gap is the highest in the West with 40% of wealth going to 1% of the population. Anxiety, depression and other mental health problems are at a disproportionately high rate with little to no government support to help people recover and heal themselves. These statistics are a glaring clarion call that the system has failed and change is needed.

America has always felt itself to be a model of democracy with no willingness to learn from older and more experienced democracies. This arrogance has left it isolated in the global family. Today it is not a democratic country. It is entrenched in a top down model that seeks to hold onto power at any cost. When only half the population votes it is not a representative government and when those in power seek to disenfranchise voters of the other party we are faced with dysfunction and authoritarianism.

My book, while exposing the history and context of the United States, is about how we can change to create a better functioning, kinder society. It is intended to empower people to take back their power and to show them how to begin the journey with each other and claim their voice over everything that impacts their life. This must begin with education. If we are not modeling and teaching our children how to be kind, how to solve conflicts, how to express their opinions or how to deal with difficult emotions then we are not preparing them to create a kind society. By teaching only a standardized curriculum we can guarantee that our future society will be uninspired and disengaged. It takes a lot of motivation, time and work, as adults, to unlearn the competitive and compliant behavior we pick up in school. We learn to go along with a pecking order in society with some people getting more respect than others which leads to division and isolation. This is just wrong. All human life is equally worthy. It is much easier for our children to grasp this than adults, as this is how they come into the world. So let’s not take it away from them during their formative years in institutional schooling.

My book is a call to action, but it is also meant to provide hope and optimism. Change is not out of reach. We have had many people throughout our history who have shown us a better way. There are models today that are evidence of what is possible. I highlight these in my book. I hope they will inspire readers to take back their power and begin the journey towards a brighter future.

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I also find that the intense global situation precipitated by the Trump regime requires some time off, some much needed soul soothing distance from the vicious reality facing us all. And Singapore is the perfect place for it, an isolated little haven of stability, where life goes on no matter what murderous war mongering is happening elsewhere. Here, under a well functioning benevolent dictatorship, there is no crime, people have their basic needs met, everywhere is clean and well organized and the beauty of the rain forest is integrated into city life. Trees and plant life grow on the buildings and the environment is well respected and cared for. I love spending time in this corner of the world.

There is a long way to go to repair the enormous harm done by empire building. The arrogance of any country to assume they have a right to enter someone else’s country and tell them how to run their nation is abominable, especially in the 21st century after so much should have been learned from past failed empires. The fallout from the British Empire’s and Russian Empire’s domination of lands and cultures so far and different from their own is still being felt. The failure to understand and accept that arbitrarily drawing lines to divide up nations was dividing people and tribes, and imposing systems on them that were not in alignment with their culture and way of life. It shows a leadership that is led by a lust for power and control and has no appreciation for models of government and living that are different from their own. And it is always inspired by a quest to gain ownership of natural resources, wherever they happened to be.

While superpowers spend their money and talent on gaining power and control outside their own country and creating division and hate within their own country other smaller nations quietly take care of their own people and culture placing human welfare and communal wellbeing as a major priority of government. Singapore is one such country, but I can name many others whose people are happy and well cared for with their basic needs met. Instead of investing in military adventures and building bigger and more damaging war machines and weapons they are investing in their people, creating societies that are secure and happy. How incredibly insane the American lust for global power seems after spending time outside the US where their global status is crumbling. Looking at what is happening inside the US, increasing homelessness, increasing incarceration rates, increasing hatred of differences, increasing drug use and mental health crises, increasing poverty and the list goes on, leaves me wondering who or what is in charge. What kind of mentality would leave their own people behind in order to gain power in other parts of the world? It boggles the mind to consider how people with such a warped sense of morality and priorities could ever gain the reins of control, surely a huge systemic failure.

This brings me to my book, Brave New School, currently in the editing phase, which addresses the issue of how America arrived at this place and how we get beyond it. We all go through a system of schooling that denies us the opportunity to think outside the box. Original thinking and idea building are not encouraged in our system of education. We are systematically conditioned to accept the way things are, and even to believe that they are better than anywhere else. Our history of genocide, slavery and occupation is not challenged or critiqued by our children. They are denied the truth and therefore robbed of the opportunity to explore better ways of governing. They then become the adults that make up the next generation with no motivation, little hope, and a sense of powerlessness to bring about change.

Our children, however, are our greatest hope. Given honest history and opportunities to critique and think creatively we can tap into the very best resource we have. We are missing a vital link for original thinking by insisting our children fit into a system created centuries ago rather than create one that meets the needs of their generation. I see an urgent need for us all to unschool ourselves from what we have been taught to create a pathway to something new and better, a system built on collaboration and cooperation rather than hierarchy and competition. This is happening, Minneapolis showed us what is possible when we are motivated and when we work together. Each of us must find our way to challenge the system that has failed us all. Being “woke” is a good thing and clearly is challenging the status quo, otherwise it wouldn’t be getting the attention it’s getting from those in power. Being “woke” means we are aware of the ways our system has betrayed us and will no longer accept it. Being “woke” means we live more by the spiritual values of love, service and inclusion than by division and hatred. So let’s be proud of being “woke” and yell it from the rooftops and invite everyone else to join us on this evolving journey.

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I am a US citizen from Arlington, Massachusetts, who has recently moved back to the home of my birth in the UK. I have to admit that it is a relief to be outside the madness that is taking place in the USA.

I’d like to respond to your address to Congress about the invasion of Iran. I greatly respect and appreciate your outspoken and clear opposition to this aggressive act of state sponsored terrorism. It really is time for the US to stop creating war and devastation in other people’s countries. Its own geographic and cultural isolation from the rest of the world makes it numb to the effects of bombs dropping on your neighborhood and killing your children. It has not known prolonged war on its own land, in its residential areas, on its hospitals and essential infrastructure. It cannot possibly understand the level of generational trauma this causes and the potential outcome in terms of recovery because it has not been in its experience. Therefore the American people can turn away from its impact because they themselves don’t fear the threat of bombs falling on their homes.

When you stressed the loss of life of 6 Americans in this invasion and ignored the deaths of hundreds of civilians it reinforced for the American people that American life is worth more than any others. They are already taught in our systems that America is better than anywhere else. They don’t need further reinforcement of their own delusional superiority. Yes, let’s encourage an end to this needless violence but not because Americans are dying but because killing is morally reprehensible and will never lead to peace. In fact it almost always leads to further violence and division. The American people need to hear about the impact of its warmongering on people’s lives. How would that look in my town, Arlington, for example? Voters need to hear from their leaders about the real impact war has on people’s lives and our own collective guilt. We are murdering civilians and referring to them as collateral damage. It is time to bring an end to the diatribe of justifications for killing in our name. People need to hear the truth, the shocking, naked truth about the use of war and violence as a means of forcing your will on other nations. For too long we have turned away from the truth. We will never be who we aspire to be until we face reality.

I have experienced the impact of war. I was a child in post war England. My country was bombed, there was wreckage everywhere, wrecked buildings, and wrecked lives. My parents and almost everyone of their generation had PTSD which in turn impacted the next generation. I was a student in Madrid during the military dictatorship of Franco and saw friends of mine disappear because of their position against the dictatorship. I spent time in Nicaragua in the 80s alongside people whose health centers, schools and farming coops were viciously attacked by terrorists with strong oversight, support and weapons from the US. A small developing country attacked by a giant to the north because it overthrew a brutal US installed dictatorship and democratically voted in a people centered model of government. It’s time to tell people the truth. We have become the world’s worst bully and it is not gaining us any brownie points on the global stage. The more we provoke and attack the more we isolate ourselves.

You have always been on the right side of most issues in my opinion and I thank you for that but the democratic party in general is so deeply disappointing. There are few of you who will dare to tell the truth. Please be one of those spokespeople and encourage your colleagues to do the same. People will thank you for it. There are some who will always hate you but they are not ready to face the truth. As a country we will grow up when we can finally look at our own behavior and history. You can help us do that.

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The rest of the world is war weary. The United States has not known war on its land, has not experienced the terror of bombs raining down on their neighborhoods and therefore continues to wage its wars in other people’s countries. The people can ignore it because it is so far from home. They don’t begin to notice until their own citizens get killed. It is a country that is obsessed with weapons and violence and has not learned the art of negotiation. Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America have all lived through the horrors of war and loss in their countries. They will do what they need to do to avoid the terror of a reoccurrence. They know how to yield on some things in order to maintain peace.

The US has two vast oceans that protect it from potential attack but also keep it isolated from the rest of the world so there is no need to make compromises. It demands what it wants without fear of retaliation. And it has an arsenal of weaponry so vast that it could destroy humanity and the planet. No one wants to poke a stick in the hornet’s nest. Starmer is demonstrating that by agreeing to allow the US to use UK military bases in the Middle East to launch their missiles on Iran.

If our schools taught ethics and encouraged our children to recognize and challenge injustice society would respond differently. We would know our own power and how to use it to create a just peace. In many school anti bullying programs children are taught not to be a bystander but to bring bullying into the open in order that the bully as well as the victim can receive help and support to live harmoniously with each other. And yet aren’t we all being bystanders on the world stage as America and Israel bully, terrorize and murder their way towards what? What do we the people stand to benefit from this insanity?

There is a growing global spiritual movement that is gaining momentum as people realize that this is indeed insane, that killing people and destroying homes doesn’t ever lead to lasting peace and harmony, but rather ignites more trauma and pain that can never heal our divisions. There is a childlike and naive quality to leaders who believe that they can bomb their way to peace. They are playing a violent board game with real people’s lives and most of us are sitting on the sidelines trying not to watch. I believe it is a loss of spiritual values that leads us to this darkness and a failure of society to claim and uphold values that prioritize human welfare over economic wealth. I am now seeing more and more people seeking spiritual support and waking up to a reality that healing and happiness is based in love not hate, in cooperation not division, in justice not revenge. I am surrounding myself with such people and groups and I am both comforted and encouraged by their commitment to bring to light and reverse all causes that violate their values. We must all do what we can with the goal of eliminating a mindset that thinks it’s okay to kill to get our way. It has never worked and we must evolve beyond that mentality.

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At the tender age of 76 I made the decision to leave the country and home I had known for over 40 years to move back to the UK, my country of origin. In the far recesses of my mind I had always wanted this and yet I had grown to love the people and places I called home in the US. My home was in Arlington, Massachusetts. I lived there for 41 years. I created a home and garden that met my every need. I took it all for granted, not realizing the small details that contributed to the comfort of living in the same place for so long. I always fantasized about the nomadic life and yet I loved my home. I made it what I wanted, painted walls, built a deck and screened in porch, sanded floors, designed kitchen and bathrooms and I created a flower garden that was my holy place. And yet I have left it all behind.

I knew leaving would be hard but never anticipated the depth of its impact. The grief hit me hard when I woke up in tears each morning for a week after arriving here and realized we were homeless. My partner and I chose Bristol in the UK as our future new home but for a few weeks we had no home and no friends in this city. I hadn’t realized how important it was to me to have a community of people I loved and could always call on, either for coffee or tea, for a walk or to help me resolve a difficult situation. I was part of several groups that I counted on for support, who I knew would always be there in times of need. I had devoted friends in my neighborhood I could call up and walk with or hang out with. This lifeline was lost when I moved. I felt rudderless and anchorless as I navigated my way through a new world. If it hadn’t been for my beloved brother and sister in law and a long time friend who have been here to visit several times I might not have made it. Remote contact is one thing but, for me, nothing is equal to the delight of in person connection.

Now we are three months in, we have a lovely home in the city center overlooking the floating harbor and we have much of the basics in place. We have found a spiritual community that seems like a good fit for us and we have made a couple of local friends! I have signed up for a class and we have taken advantage of some of the many art and cultural events that this city has to offer. We have made the decision to not own a car so we walk everywhere. Bristol is made for walkers and cyclists with wide sidewalks and bike paths on most roads. There are some nice parks and river walks so we get our share of nature. It is also easy to get buses if we want to venture out of the city into the countryside. An added bonus to being seniors is we get a free bus pass so can go anywhere in the country by bus for nothing. The temperature here is between five and ten degrees centigrade and it rarely goes below freezing. It’s February, the snowdrops are in full bloom and the daffodils are on their way. There is no need for snow shoveling here! While I could do with less rain I’m enjoying the mildness of the Winter.

But it’s the small things that trip me up. After living in one home for so long I had everything I needed in place. When I needed a tool or a household supply I had it in my home and I knew where it was. Here I am starting over. If I need a paper clip I need to go out and buy them and then find a place for them in the house. I needed a garlic press, off I go to the store, tape, cleaning supplies, herbs and spices, all food supplies, the list goes on. I took so much for granted, owning and living in a long term home, and life was easy because of the years spent supplying myself with whatever I might need. And then there are the things I forgot to bring over with me, my teapot, our favorite games, important documents, my toothbrush charger, treasured books and a host of other things that just didn’t fit into two large suitcases.

How can we ever anticipate the full impact of the decisions we make until we dive in? Had I known the full impact would I still have done it? I think I would but I’m not sure. Comfort and familiarity are very compelling motivators and yet I’ve always been an adventurer and risk taker. Now as I come to terms with my age and the fact that life is running out I think my willingness to take big risks is diminishing. Stability is more appealing as I face the reality that, for me, life is running out. I will continue to embark on mini adventures as long as my body allows it and traveling will always be part of my life as I still really have 2 homes. And I feel intensely grateful for the life I have lived and the people in it and my wish is to embrace each moment ahead with grace and joy.

Since moving to England where human welfare is treated as a human right and essential to the wellbeing of the country I am seeing the events happening in the US outside the fear and panic that I felt while there. What I am seeing is a desperate and whimpering nation grasping at straws to hold on to the illusion of domination and power. But that is not who the American people are and it is not what they seek. Human beings are what make up a nation, what create the energy and keep the operating system going. People have the power to transform themselves and each other and indeed they must if we are to survive as a species. Those in power will be the last to fall into line. In the current system they rely on people staying the same and following the rules they have established. We need a massive de-education movement to remove most of what we have been taught within the system in order to transform our society and pave the way to a bright, just and compassionate world. Because I know this is what the American people want, not power, but the right to live in peace and harmony with their basic needs met.

I am sitting in my home in Bristol where I have a view onto the floating harbor and Castle Park, where the remains of a church that was bombed during the Second World War stands proudly reminding us of the resilience and dedication required to overcome violent empire building. Bristol was heavily bombed during the war and the need to resist injustice is carved into the psyche of the city. The people here don’t shy away from making their voices heard, it is evident all over the city, with events, art, protests and banners reminding us that compassion and justice must be the way to peace, that by speaking up we make a difference. I believe in generational memory, that the impact of events experienced by previous generations is passed on. The tremendous fear of being in a city that is under attack for years, as it was during the Second World War, leaves its mark. But what is also passed on is the resilience, the determination, the communal push for survival and the compassion while dealing with such grief and loss. Experiencing this as a nation changes each of us and demands that we call for leadership that shows compassion and extends warmth to all members of society.

I have lived in 4 countries in my lifetime and traveled extensively in many others. I have never experienced a country that so blatantly places the economy and the pursuit of wealth ahead of human welfare as in the US. There, people are thrown into prison for being poor, for stealing to feed their children, while those with enormous wealth are allowed to use any means available to extort and exploit people and situations to increase their wealth and power. I see a society that places status and value on those with money while looking down on those with no advanced formal education and low paying jobs, I see working people struggling to feed their families because their salaries are inadequate to cover their basic needs, I see people cowed by the weight of the struggle to survive, I see loneliness because people are so overworked there is no time for socializing and I see an overwhelming number of people with untreated mental illnesses begging on the streets because they can’t get their health needs cared for. Hardship and poverty in the US is moralized (“you failed”) rather than situational (“the system failed”).

The system needs to change but first the people must claim their solidarity and believe that they can bring about the change that ensures everyone is equally valued and cared for. The discord between the aspirations of those in power and the needs of the people is vast. But I also believe that the people have the power to bring about change. One day of a national strike, where workers in solidarity with each other walk out and take to the streets peacefully protesting the failure of their government to put their wellfare first would place the attention where it belongs. It is the people who keep the economy grinding along but the people are not the ones who benefit from their own hard work. A widespread work stoppage would send a strong message to those in control and also allow working people to reclaim their power. But it would take all of us to support such a movement.

Most countries in the world have a long history of invasion, occupation, violent attacks and conflicts with neighboring nations. Countries with very different cultures border each other and have had to learn to get along. Nations have learned that cooperation, collaboration, co-existence and acceptance of differences is essential for peace. By contrast the US is both geographically and culturally isolated. Its wars are fought in other people’s countries and tend to be about domination and control. Because there is no memory of the devastation of war on their own land by an outside invading force there is little resistance to the many wars the US government initiates overseas or its support of the use of violence in other countries to impose their way of governing and control of global resources. It is an immature nation, less than 300 years old, unwilling to learn from other nations with centuries of experience and history. Let’s face it, it is the bully in the schoolyard. If left unchecked the bully will continue to issue threats and violence to hold onto the illusion of control while those around him will avoid any kind of confrontation. This is happening on the national stage with countries tottering between being cowed by the threats and horrified by the reality. It is the people who must strongly urge their leaders to unite to resist this very real threat to world peace. And it is the people of the United States who must shine their light brightly and courageously in the midst of the storm, holding onto their belief in justice and love, knowing that what is morally right will always overcome the darkness and with our single minded resistance will lead to harmony and peace.

I would like to end with some words from Martin Luther King. His consistent call for love and faith in the midst of so much suffering and oppression was the message that ultimately led to civil rights and massive changes in the treatment of African Americans. We need this message more than anything today.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
— Strength to Love, 1963

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Speech, 1965

“Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

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There are two systems of AI used in education, Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) and Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). ​​GenAI refers to AI systems that can generate new content, such as text, images, audio, or video, rather than just analyzing existing data. ITS are AI-powered adaptive learning platforms designed to act like a personal tutor. They guide students step-by-step, monitor their progress, and adjust the difficulty and type of instruction in real time. GenAI is broader in scope and more interactive allowing for creativity, deep exploration and inventiveness. ITS is more subject based and creates content to track mastery.

Let’s look at one country that seems to have got it right. Tiny Estonia, with a population of 1.3 million, ranks among the most digitally advanced societies in the world. This country tucked into the north-eastern corner of Europe also enjoys one of the greatest economic, press and internet freedoms in the world. The secret of this tiny nation’s rise to a digital powerhouse lies in the pioneering advances made by its government under its innovative e-Estonia initiative – fostering innovative education, virtual business and digital citizenship. Estonia has a comprehensive, high-achieving education system known for its focus on digital and 21st-century skills, strong autonomy for schools, and emphasis on equality and holistic development. The system includes four levels—preschool, basic, secondary, and higher education—with compulsory education beginning at age 7 and extending to age 18. Key features are a competency-based national curriculum, free education at every level, and significant investment in digital infrastructure.

Estonia began its journey towards becoming a digital society in 1997 by launching its historic Tiger Leap programme. This programme brought computers and the internet early to all Estonian schools and laid the foundation for the country’s emergence as a digital pioneer. And now starting September 1, 2025 they have launched an ambitious nationwide artificial intelligence education program called AI Leap 2025 (TI-Hüpe 2025 in Estonian). This initiative will provide students and teachers with free access to the world’s leading AI applications and the necessary skills to use them effectively in learning, marking the next chapter in Estonia’s digital society journey.

For almost 30 years Estonia’s teachers and education professionals have been training and learning how to use these tools effectively in the classroom so they are now ready for this next step. This has been an investment that has put Estonia ahead of every other Western country, based on the PISA assessments. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a global program whereby around 600,000 15-year-old students from different countries are put under a two-hour test to gauge their skills and knowledge, mainly in science, reading, and mathematics. PISA test questions don’t gauge memorization of facts but demand that students draw on real-world problem-solving skills and knowledge. Every three years in the worldwide education systems, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducts the PISA assessments to test the critical thinking of 15-year-old students in over 65 countries that make up 90% of the world’s economies. Since a high ranking on PISA corresponds to economic success, researchers have concluded that PISA is one of the indicators of whether school systems are preparing students for the 21st-century global knowledge economy. Estonia is known for its leading role in digital innovation and e-government, pioneering online voting and digital services, and being the birthplace of startups like Skype. There is much to be learned from this small country.

The United States has been slower to adopt AI in education. We are culturally more resistant to change until that change can be scientifically proven to succeed. So compared to many other countries we are behind the eight ball. In addition our current political climate doesn’t value education and therefore doesn’t invest in it. This leaves teachers with little to no training to stay up to date with technological advances and inadequate computer infrastructure in our schools. We are not innovative in our approach to education because we rely on policy makers and business leaders to dictate the content and control the funding. This holds us back.

There is a level of computer literacy among our young people that far outweighs that of the adults. Older generations didn’t grow up with the range of technology that is available today which makes many people nervous about allowing children access to the many resources available at their fingertips. This is because we have failed to keep up; we haven’t offered training to teachers and our communities in order to help them harness the enormous learning potential in AI use. Instead we punish children when they use AI to write an essay for them. Why aren’t we teaching them how to use it as a learning tool rather than a tool to complete a homework assignment? We are not focused on learning but rather have become overly preoccupied with our loss of control over our children’s use of technology and approach to learning. We adults need to get up to date and start to educate ourselves about responsible use of AI in order to support our children’s use of it as a tool of learning. And we need to set some standards for its ethical and educational use. Until we do this children will continue to use it to “cheat” and why not, it’s there and it isn’t going away.

AI in education offers extraordinary possibilities. It can personalize learning, relieve teachers of repetitive tasks, and expand access to quality education for millions. But it also carries risks that could reshape schools in unintended ways if left unchecked. The future of AI in education depends not only on technological innovation but also on the human choices we make—about equity, ethics, and the purpose of schooling itself. Handled wisely, AI can become a partner in building more inclusive, creative, and effective education systems. Handled poorly, it risks turning learning into a mechanized process stripped of its human richness. The challenge ahead is to harness AI’s potential while holding fast to education’s deeper mission: preparing students not just for tests, but for life.

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My marriage lasted for a rocky 15 years and blessed me with 2 beautiful children who are thankfully living happy, fulfilled lives. So I will never regret the path my life has taken. And yet, I always felt a pull back to England. I dreamt of the meadows and hedgerows and public footpaths and pedestrian city centers and coffee shops. I missed the daffodils in Spring and the roses in Summer and the seasons that allow you to be outside at any time of year without being too cold or too hot. I wanted a public transport system that was easily accessible and would take me anywhere I wanted to go without needing a car, I wanted a health system whose employees showed authentic compassion and at times offered alternative solutions to prescribing a drug. I was, indeed, a foreigner, navigating a new world.

Of course there was excitement and awe at the newness of it all. I soaked in the incredible beauty of the New England landscapes, which are so different to any of the English landscapes and left me speechless at times. With its huge pine and maple covered mountains that change color with the seasons, crystal clear lakes that invite you into their waters and snow packed peaks for Winter sports I was content. At the same time I felt cut off from the rest of the world. America is isolated geographically. It is separated from most of the world by two enormous oceans and to enjoy a different culture you must get on a plane and go thousands of miles. I was used to going a short distance to find myself in a different country with a different language, food and architecture. I missed this diversity. In spite of the distance I made regular trips “home” and maintained a close relationship with my family and friends and always felt grounded and happy while here.

As I aged and my children scattered around the world I began to challenge myself to consider moving back to England. I had created a home that I loved in Arlington, Massachusetts and had wonderful friends who are the backbone of my life. How could I leave all this behind? But my brother had cancer last year and it brought home the fact that for us in my generation life is running out and if I don’t make a move now I never will. And I was tired of always having to travel long distances to spend time with family. And so I made the decision to move back and my wonderful partner, Peter, embraced the idea and provided me with encouragement.

Once the decision was made I set my mind to getting rid of my “stuff”. For the last 3 months I single mindedly sold or gave away many of my possessions. I had no idea how much I was holding onto that I didn’t really need. I found boxes of old letters and cards, saved from my high school years, things from my mother and grandmother that I had held onto but never used (sometimes things can keep memories alive, but are they necessary?), hundreds of photos and albums and things that I had but didn’t really use. I kept and cherished the letters and cards my children have given me over the years and had to downsize that collection. I know they love me, do I really need them all? I have realized in this process that living with fewer things feels liberating and simpler and for now, at least, I am ok with owning much less.

What didn’t happen in those 3 months of downsizing was facing the emotional impact of leaving a life behind. I had lived in my home for 41 years and had made it my own. I had my favorite places to sit and entertain, comfortable furnishings and everything in that house worked for me and was home for me. I had a garden that I had designed and created out of scrubby grass that provided me with so much spiritual solace. I knew and loved every inch of that house and garden and yet I have chosen to let it go. I lived in a town where I had come to know my neighbors and my fellow activists striving together to make our town a better place. I loved them and our shared mission of diversity and inclusion. I was an elected member of our Town Meeting, the body that votes on the laws that govern our town. I had a beautiful route I ran 3 times a week along a river trail that I never stopped appreciating. Saying goodbye to friends I had known for decades, who had been there in my worst moments, with whom I shared my deepest self has been wrenching. And leaving a spiritual community that has fed me over the years, where I had some leadership, and that felt like another place to call home has left me feeling richly blessed and also full of grief.

And yet I have moved. I am now living in Bristol, England and love this city. But on my first days here I woke up in the mornings in tears at all I had left behind. At the same time as the excitement of being here I was feeling deep grief. And the whirlwind of the last days in Arlington left its mark. A canceled flight and rescheduling gave us less time to pack and say goodbye. I didn’t have time to walk around my house, to feel it one last time and let the gratitude for the solace and security it has given me for so long sink in. I have left behind something familiar and comfortable and taken a leap into the unknown. But without these kinds of leaps how do we ever know what we might be missing? I have come to realize on a deeper level that it’s not about safety and comfort, it’s about living into my biggest and best self, which sometimes means I have to go beyond my comfort zone. I will never know what is on the other side if I don’t heed the call. The call was clear and I put it off until I could no longer ignore it.

Bristol is a vibrant, multi cultural city with so much to offer. We have already found what we think will be our new spiritual community, and in spite of the hills I have found several good running routes. This is a walking city where pedestrians are allocated safe spaces and people are out and about on foot, bike or scooter. We have walked an average of 6 miles a day while traversing the potential neighborhoods to live. We have sampled some of the many good coffee shops here and eaten some amazing meals at local ethnic restaurants. The music and arts are visible everywhere. I am in the same country as many family members and my daughter and her family will be moving back here next year. I will spend my twilight years in my country of origin which feels right for me. However I will never forget the many happy years I spent in Arlington and the wonderful relationships I formed. With technology and easy travel these will always remain a part of my life. And of course we will welcome our American friends and family to our new home in Bristol and will enjoy the opportunity to show them around.

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As increasing numbers of people are living longer we are building more and more “senior housing”, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. This way we can hide our elders away and pretend that none of us will grow old. The societal denial about the stages of life and the fact that we all die eventually is a missed opportunity. When we are gone our wisdom goes too. But this is the way American society sorts people, we have black neighborhoods, we have Chinatowns, we have schools for children, we have Irish neighborhoods and Italian neighborhoods and now we have old people neighborhoods. Wouldn’t our lives be so much richer if we all lived with each other and learned about each other’s cultures, wisdom and ways of living.

As a teacher I used to invite elders into the classroom to share their stories. What an amazing experience this was for the children. They had so many questions and received wonderful lessons in oral history, something you can never get from a book. My life growing up in post war England was dramatically different from anyone’s life growing up today. Sharing my life experience is an offer of living history and I’m just a person who lived in a different place at a different time. And that is the case with any elder in our society. Each person can offer us living history if we could only embrace that opportunity.

I have always thought that it would be a wonderful experience to intentionally develop senior housing next to schools and have an open door policy. This would give both children and our elders the opportunity to develop relationships with each other. There is a failure to value aging when our young people are not exposed to it. Imagine if the old people were always welcome to visit a school and walk into a classroom and sit with children as they do their work, and offer them support and companionship. The opportunities to build intergenerational relationships are so limited and to not intentionally develop them is to deprive our children of a precious gift. When I was in high school we were paired with an elder in the community who we would visit once a week. This allowed me a glimpse into the life of someone who came from a different era and lived a different life.

Multi-generational living is common in many parts of the world and aging is given more value in these countries. In many Asian and African countries it is common to have multi generational households and in many European countries they have intentionally designed multi-generational housing projects where seniors and young families live as neighbors. In other countries housing is also not segregated by race, economic status or national origin. In the US we have a long way to go in order to embrace the rich diversity of the people in our country. It is not easy to meet people who are different from ourselves if we remain in segregated silos.

As I have aged it has become increasingly important to cultivate my beliefs about life and death and to have those conversations with others. We can believe what we want and I choose to believe that the transition in death is one of separation of body and spirit. This helps me to deal with the loss of my loved ones, knowing that their spirit is still around, it is just the body that has gone. I can have conversations with them in my mind and this brings me comfort. I have also intentionally cultivated friendships with people younger than me to ensure there are some people in my life who will outlive me. And I also love the energy and perspective of young people. Most importantly I surround myself with people who are on a journey of growth, learning and spiritual connection. Learning isn’t something we just do when we are in school or when someone teaches us something. It is the journey of life; every experience offers us an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves and others. I feel fortunate that I have a community of people traveling this road with me. We never need to do it alone.

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There are different models of homeschooling. Some families, in particular those who homeschool for religious reasons, teach the school curriculum at home. This is not the kind of homeschooling I’m supporting. The method I support is referred to as “unschooling”. This method of homeschooling allows children some autonomy over their own learning. It also affirms our trust in a child’s ability to learn and to be agents of their own learning. It affords them the dignity and self respect that is denied them when we insist on an adult agenda that is followed in schools and that fails to engage their intellects.

The argument I hear the most often against homeschooling is socialization! “What about socialization?” people will ask. Since when have we adults spent all our days with other people the exact same age as us? And yet that is what we do with children. Why, then, do we place children in classrooms full of their own age group? Children learn best through imitation, they copy the behaviors they see in their environment. In the traditional school setting they have no older role models and no younger children to be a role model to. How can they learn from each other if each of them is at the same developmental level and how can they learn to be nurturing if they don’t have exposure to younger children? Limiting children to socializing only with their own age group leads to ageism and a society separated by age barriers. Children in homeschooling environments have friends of all ages and are able to help each other resolve conflicts and work collaboratively to problem solve.

I want to make it clear that I am not advocating that every parent homeschools their children. I am a firm supporter of public education. Schools provide a channel for learning how to be in a community of people who may not all be the same as us. It can be a vehicle for learning tolerance, respect and appreciation of differences. I think that the homeschooling/unschooling model, if implemented within public schooling, can engage everyone within a community, old and young, of all races, rich or poor, of all abilities to become part of the process of an emerging society of engaged and compassionate citizens. We need to redefine what we mean by education in order to make it an exciting, challenging and happy journey for every child. In this way we will transform our society. If enough of us come together with the conviction that we can create a better learning experience for our children than the one we have then we can move mountains. Our children are our most valued resource, the future of our world, and yet we grossly underestimate their capacity for creative original thought. It is up to us as parents, teachers and students to begin this conversation. Let’s talk about what the mission of schooling is, what our values are, and what is the purpose of education. If a happy, meaningful and fulfilled life is the goal then we are failing. Children are stressed, depressed, and disengaged and nothing could be more urgent than addressing the malaise that hits our young people in their teen years.

There have been numerous studies conducted on the learning outcomes of homeschooled children. Overall, research suggests that homeschooled students often perform as well as or even better than their traditionally schooled counterparts in academic achievement tests. Some studies have found that homeschoolers tend to score above average on standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, and perform well in college. Additionally, research has shown that homeschooled children often demonstrate strong social and emotional development, contrary to some concerns that they might lack socialization opportunities. They often engage in community activities, co-op classes, sports, and other extracurricular activities, allowing for diverse social interactions. And colleges love homeschooling students because of their independence and commitment to learning. Given this evidence, why are we not adopting the methods used in the homeschooling/unschooling community in our public schools? I believe that it is the decision of the policy makers that undermines the development of the smart, creative, problem solving minds of children that might think outside the box and shake up the status quo.

In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second. Children’s brains develop connections faster in the first five years than at any other time in their lives. Babies are born ready to learn, and their brains develop with repetitive, consistent and familiar everyday routines and practices. If this is the case what happens at 5 years old? Does brain development and the capacity to learn really slow down or does the fact that they start school interrupt the natural course of brain development. It is my firm belief that the narrow intellectual experience in most schools slows brain development rather than stimulates it. Let’s remember that children learn to walk and talk with no formal instruction, just by imitating what people in their environment are doing. This is an enormous feat of learning. Starting from birth, brain connections are built through a child’s everyday experiences – by positive interactions with their parents and caregivers, and by using their senses to interact with the world around them. It’s these daily experiences – the amount and quality of care, stimulation and interaction they receive that determines which brain connections develop and will last for a lifetime. We need to stop seeing children through the lens of control and begin trusting in their innate ability to absorb new learning, whatever that might be. It is their environment that inspires that and not a rigidly controlled schedule of adult driven content.

I am in the process of relocating from Boston in the US to Bristol in the UK. I am a dual citizen, moving to the US when I married an American. It was not my intention to leave the place of my roots for life but here I am after 47 years moving “home”. I am downsizing the house and all my possessions I have accumulated for over 40 years. Going through my files and paperwork I discovered a collection of letters I had written, some handwritten, in the 80s and 90s. I have always identified myself as an activist but had forgotten the passion and single minded altruistic optimism I had about the potential for change.

When President Reagan began arming and supporting a terrorist group made up of exiled Nicaraguan National Guardsmen in order to overturn their revolutionary government in the early 80s I felt moved to go to that country in order to bear witness to the crimes committed against the people. I heard stories of horror, torture and amazing faith and courage in the face of so much pain and struggle. Peasants who were living with a new freedom, who could now read and write, who had access to health centers and schools had to watch those cherished places get attacked and destroyed and the people working in them tortured and killed. It was an abomination that I couldn’t ignore. 

I went to Nicaragua as part of a delegation because these stories were not being told in the US media and our leaders were promoting the false narrative that the new government there was communist and therefore a threat to the US. They were labeled as such because their new leaders were drawing the line at the exploitation of the country’s resources and making the wellbeing of the people a priority. To the Reagan administration this was a threat to US capitalism. So he found a way to circumvent the will of Congress arming the exiled rebel Contras who committed acts of terrorism against a people who finally had some autonomy over their lives, largely in rural areas of Nicaragua. We went to the places where these attacks were happening and recorded the stories told by the victims. On our return to the US our task was clear. I wrote letters to newspapers, and other publications, wrote letters and met with legislators, I wrote to President Reagan himself several times, I spoke at events and I joined a national movement, The Pledge of Resistance, pledging to commit civil disobedience if the US invaded Nicaragua. I believe that we prevented an outright war but the covert operations conducted against those people by the CIA killed the optimism and aspirations of a small nation striving for  self determination. This was the beginning of my letter and article writing.

Following that period came other issues that seemed to me to be leading our country down a dark tunnel. Writing became my way to express my outrage. The escalation of nuclear weapons and military spending, the interference in other countries’ affairs, women’s rights, environmental justice, racism, a regressive system of taxation, fracking and the list goes on. I wrote letters and articles on all these topics. I wrote to Cardinals and archbishops, presidents and legislators and of course the media. Writing made a difference for me but I question whether it made any difference to the direction we were going as a country. I had a naive sense that if I wrote enough, spoke up enough I could make a difference. And maybe I did but today I realize that I write because I need to, because it is a way to release thoughts from my mind onto the page and it feels good. In this way I let go of some of the stress and frustration over what is happening around me and I have a more realistic awareness of the impact I can have. 

I became active in the political life of my town, was elected to Town Meeting, and participated in committees and boards to address the issues that had local relevance. I began a local Occupy group in my town and later an anti racism group which worked to bring more inclusion into our town government. I met with town leaders, the police chief and marginalized groups to try to bring more engagement and representation in our leadership. I wrote articles for our local newspaper and spoke up at committee meetings. All of this has contributed to my writing journey.

The promotion of high stakes testing as a graduation requirement in the late 90s led me to speak up at state hearings on the subject and to support an outspoken group of local students in boycotting the test. My experience going through a divorce that forced my children to go to school after 6 successful years of homeschooling prompted more writing related to schooling and education. I wrote many articles on education and in my role as a teacher I was committed to bringing truth, empowerment and introspection to the young people in my classes. The intersection of schooling and politics solidified when I retired and my perspective outside the system allowed me a wider and more objective picture of the reality of political interference in the teaching profession. The book I am writing was birthed in this transition and it is in this process that I am proudly claiming my identity as a writer.

A small but growing number of districts and states in the U.S. offer public schools some level of exemption or flexibility from state testing and/or standards, often through waivers, pilot programs, or innovation zones. These arrangements are relatively rare and often tightly regulated, but they do exist—and they're expanding in some places. However the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) passed in 2015 is the federal law that mandates states to test students in reading and math once a year in grades 3 through 8, as well as once in high school. They must also test kids in science once in grade school, middle school, and high school. In order for schools to avoid this mandate and create their own performance based system they must apply for a federal exemption. This can be a long and complicated process. Nevertheless I believe we are slowly moving in the right direction in some states and districts.

One model that has been adopted by a few states is the innovation zone model. Innovation Zones (or Innovation Networks) are formal structures that allow public schools, within a district and often unionized, to operate with greater autonomy while remaining part of the public system. They are designed to free schools from restrictive policies, often by waiving specific state or district rules, and encourage locally designed solutions for improving student outcomes. However because schooling has become a political punching bag some Republican-led states are advancing school autonomy, but in selective ways. They strongly support innovation in governance, staffing, scheduling, and budgeting, but often limit local autonomy around curriculum content, especially in subjects related to race, gender, science and political or cultural values. But it is in the area of curriculum that we need to see more innovation, not in the ability to hire unqualified teachers, and lower the standards of teaching. While we support communities having choice we must consider who is responsible for ensuring that our future generations grow up with the skills to be civically engaged and fulfilled in a pluralistic, and culturally diverse society. This is the ongoing tension between centralized control and local control.

There are states and districts that are paving the way to real innovation in children’s learning experience by changing the curriculum focus and adapting teaching methods to meet the needs of the children in their community. For example there are innovation schools that focus on project based learning (High Tech High in San Diego) or competency based education, (eg.Lindsay Unified, California) there are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) schools (eg. MC2 STEM High School, Cleveland, Ohio) and schools that integrate differently abled children in classrooms that offer individualized teaching (eg. Eliot School in Boston, Massachusetts) and there are schools that focus on social emotional learning. There are also teacher led schools that are run collectively with democratic governance rather than as a hierarchy (eg. Avalon School in Minnesota). The success of these schools relies on clear benchmarks and ongoing local accountability without overregulation. Schools must present a thorough plan which includes mission, benchmarks and goals. When the oversight is supportive and collaborative these schools have met with great success.

Many of the innovation schools and zones have developed in marginalized areas where schools were underperforming and in these schools student achievement and learning outcomes have improved. Principals have been empowered to lead meaningful school-level reforms and teachers have greater voice and flexibility which allows for local experimentation without system-wide risk. Some are incorporating social-emotional learning, equity goals, and whole-child frameworks into the next generation of innovation school design. States like Colorado, Tennessee, Texas, and Massachusetts are refining models and encouraging replication and there is a growing interest from rural districts, especially post-COVID, in using Innovation Zones to reimagine teaching and community partnerships. This is exciting and encouraging progress.

I will highlight one hub of schools worthy of mention (I have many other examples in my book. High Tech High (HTH) in San Diego, California was founded in September 2000 by a coalition of San Diego civic and tech leaders. High Tech High’s goal was to close the equity gap and prepare students for the digital era. It is now a network of 16 public charter schools (K–12) serving over 6,300 students, and includes a comprehensive adult learning environment, a teacher credentialing program and the High Tech High Graduate School of Education which offers professional development opportunities to national and international educators. HTH’s education is firmly project-based, integrating subjects in high‑quality interdisciplinary work rooted in inquiry and real-world connections. Class sizes are small, with advisory systems, individualized learning plans, and strong adult-student relationships to support student growth. Teachers co-design curriculum and learning experiences with students as partners; staff collaborate daily and lead hiring, planning, and shared inquiry into practice.

In these schools the value of student voice and involvement cannot be under-estimated. Students participate in teacher selection, including demonstration lessons and evaluation panels, a rare example of youth input in hiring decisions, even at the primary level. The curriculum often includes student-led civil and civic learning, where projects address social themes like democracy, immigration, environment, and representation. Students publicly present their completed work to peers, family and community experts in regular exhibitions of their learning and all students participate in internships, which become part of their major student projects in junior year and beyond, fostering personal agency and professional exposure. HTH schools consistently achieve a 95%+ graduation rate, with college acceptance rates in the high 90s, even for first-generation college students and students of color. This is a clear example of a model that is working and is worthy of replicating. Local members of a school community can introduce ideas for systemic change that inspire conversations which allow innovation to evolve into something relevant for and created by the very community schools are serving.

I spent a week in Czech Republic, exploring the history and charm of Prague with its cobbled streets and checkered past of occupation and domination and the struggle for freedom. We also attende

d the wedding of beloved friends of my daughter who traveled for the first time with her own daughter aged 2 months. What a pleasure it was to spend time with them, holding and loving my new grandchild, meeting in delightful cafes for some much needed family time and experiencing the beauty and energy of a city with a much older history than any American city. There is a wisdom that emerges when a nation embraces every aspect of its history and learns the lessons it has to teach us. People are able to proudly claim their place in society while being right sized in relation to those who are different. In American society I see people who have been led to believe that America is number one in the world and that their form of government is the best democracy. But in relation to the rest of the world America is an adolescent who still refuses to learn from those who are older and wiser.

But I digress! The wedding was held in an idyllic chateau about an hour outside Prague, near a town called Kutná Hora. The town itself was charming, cobbled streets, beautiful views, old churches and of course delightful cafes. The wedding location was a little piece of heaven. Embedded in wild areas of flowers and fruit trees was an old chateau which oozed with history, charm and beauty. In 15 minutes I had picked and eaten a large quantity of plums, red currents, black currents, raspberries, and cherries all growing in abundance surrounded by flowers. We ate good food, met wonderful people from all over the world, and sang and danced late into the night. It was indeed a very happy escape from life at home.

Our next stop was Munich where we spent four days visiting with my brother and his family. We traveled by train (public transport in Europe is abundantly available) from Prague and stayed in a small hotel within walking distance of my brother’s small apartment. My brother went through cancer treatment last year which was brutal and ended with him having his leg and pelvis amputated. He is now learning to live with one leg. His resilience and determination to live his life fully and maintain his exercise routines (he has always been an athlete) is impressive and ambitious. While we were there he mastered going on an escalator. Witnessing his ability to overcome such a huge handicap has put my own minor health issues in perspective. I am grateful that my body parts work well enough for me to still be a runner. The parks in Munich were beautiful places to run with streams flowing among a variety of trees and flowers. In many European countries great value is placed on moving around on foot, bicycle or scooter so along roads in urban areas separate paths are built for cyclists and pedestrians. While there we had some much needed family time with him, his wife, his son and his girlfriend. Living so far away for so long I treasure these times.

After two days in London we came to Bristol, the city where we hope to make our home. What a joy it is to be here, a city rich in culture, history and creative energy. My other brother and his wife met us here for two days of exploration together. It will be a treat to live in closer proximity to my siblings after decades of such distance. This city is vibrant with art, music, markets and international cuisine. It is a city designed for pedestrians, cyclists and scooters so getting around on foot is easy and allows for exploration of hidden gems, of which there are many. Bristol was heavily bombed in the war and many of the historic buildings destroyed but its people have a history of resilience and have built back while preserving what remains of its history. It also has a history of slave trading which is shaming to the people of today. An exhibit in the cathedral told the story of the victims of slavery and in 2020, during the Black Lives Matter Movement Bristol residents pulled down the statue of a 17th century merchant who profited from the slave trade and threw it into the harbor. The statue is still on public display, now in a local museum, as a monument to the evils of the slave trade, not as an obscene glorification of a slave trader. Four people were charged but were found not guilty of criminal damage. It is refreshing to be in an environment that is able to address the facts of its history and seek ways to move on from it. Unfortunately there is still way too much push back against facing the truth about the slave trade and genocide of native people in the United States. Hopefully we will catch up eventually and come to know a national freedom of conscience that facing our history can bring.

There are always times that are more politically challenging than others. That is never more true than our present reality in the US. What has always got me through them is voicing my dissent. Whether it is in protests, letters to the editor or phone calls and visits to my legislators and more currently my writing, I have never lost hope that love and kindness can win over cruelty and hate. And in some cases traveling to stand in solidarity with those being oppressed by US policies in other countries. There is nothing more empowering for me than standing in solidarity with others, who are rooted in love, to oppose cruelty and violence being perpetrated in our name by our government. I have stood alongside people in Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba. I have listened to their stories of brutal oppression and violence and how they overcome their anger with compassion, community and kindness and I have brought their messages back to the US in the hopes that we will see their humanity and change course. But our systems here are rooted in domination, oppression and competition. It is this culture that needs to change. It is time to stop seeing the “other” as a threat but rather to embrace the rich diversity and wisdom that others, with centuries more experience can offer us.

I think about the ancient native cultures around the world who continue to live in harmony with nature, who respect and see the value of all living things and who have resisted joining the capitalist race. Many of these cultures also value the wisdom of their elders seeing their life experience as a source of guidance, many also have a vast repertoire of knowledge about natural ways to heal a wide variety of ailments. Many also value the worth of female contribution as much as that of men. We miss such a precious opportunity by dismissing what is different or ancient. I also think about nations that have a long history of occupation or war and have learned the art of dialogue, those countries that have lived through invasions, attacks on their civic life and those that live in close proximity to other nations, often with cultural and political differences and how they have learned to live peacefully alongside each other. Here is the US we have no such history and no such experience. We are geographically and politically isolated. It would behoove us to learn from those with more experience, those who have achieved domination and then lost it, realizing that dominating, and killing people in, other countries doesn’t bring peace or harmonious living. It is time for us to come to terms with the fact that we can’t go it alone, that we are part of a global community who have as much right to their share of natural resources as we do.

Increasing numbers of people are waking up to this reality, yes, woke is good. It is a spiritual movement that brings an awareness that we are all connected and that we need to care for each other in order to survive as a whole. Where one hurts we all hurt. Each of us must find a way to overcome whatever negative energy holds us back. It is time for us all to harness the love energy within us and find our own path to express that love with the conviction that we “pay it forward” and gradually it spreads. Until one day we are at peace with each other.

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When I finally separated from my husband, my children were 8 and 5 and I was successfully homeschooling them at the time. The homeschooling community helped me through this difficult time. In spite of the fact that my children were happy and thriving as home learners their father wanted them to go to school which began a 2 year court battle which I ultimately lost. After all, I was an “alien” and I wasn’t doing things the American way. It felt like a witch trial. After that I became ungrounded and floundered for many years trying to find my anchor. If it wasn’t for my loyal and devoted friends on both sides of the Atlantic I might not have coped with the many demands on me at the time. And if it wasn’t for anti depressants I would certainly have struggled more. And my children were a life force for me that was a constant inspiration to keep me going. Single parenting while depressed was a challenge but I loved them more than anything I had ever loved and they motivated me to reach deep for healing and recovery. And I got through it.

I look back on that period and in spite of its darkness I am grateful. I can see how the struggle began my journey to find more meaning to my life and led to a yearning for growth, connection and transcendence. I was naive going through the American court system, expecting to be treated fairly without much fighting. And my self esteem was at an all time low. I was so tired of being angry and feeling powerless. After that experience I wanted to move beyond a reactive state of being and find some relief and solace. I wanted to fill the void left inside me and found comfort in spiritual practices that started to build in me self acceptance and confidence, qualities that, until then, had eluded me my entire life. Now 30 years later I have a life I love but the seeking continues, the yearning for greater connection, for more peace, and to know my role in the evolution of humanity will never end. And I love being a witness to the unfolding of this journey. The surrender I had to go through in those years of struggle have yielded to a freedom I never knew. I no longer struggle to create outcomes I think I want, I just let things unfold as they happen and observe with curiosity. I don’t know where it will take me but in these last decades of my life I know it will be good, along with some inevitable grief.

I am someone whose self identity is rooted to nature and other living beings. I need to feel connected to life so family, friends and community are very important to me. I am who I am because of all those relationships throughout my life that have helped to shape me by calling me into growth and play with them. By allowing myself to be seen in those relationships I am inviting connection and growth. We are all part of weaving the intricate web of life and I can see our collective growth, and each of us has a part. As I emerge into the last phase of my life I realize that I need to return to my roots and to the land and people that are so familiar to me. And I need to be close to my growing family.

Which brings me to grandparenting. Being the adventurers that we are in my family, both my children live thousands of miles from me, my son in California and my daughter in Singapore. I have 2 grandchildren in California whom I visit every 3 months or so, but Singapore is more challenging and traveling isn’t as easy as it used to be. My daughter just had her first baby, a beautiful girl named Madeline Grace. I am with them right now and am in awe, once again, of the cycle of life, remembering my own babies who now have babies of their own. It is a precious gift to enter into a soul relationship with this new member of my family. There is a special connection I feel with all my grandchildren, we share the same genes and the same ancestors, carry with us the same generational memory. It is a very special bond that I cherish.

 I often envy my friends who have family nearby who can have regular visits and go on regular outings. And yet my visits with my family are more than just going out for dinner or a walk in the park or occasional babysitting. I stay in their homes and for the time I am with them I am embedded in their family life and feel a sense of comfort and being at home. And my children and their partners always welcome me with open arms, something I am so grateful for.  My daughter plans to move back to England in the next year with her family (she lived there before moving to Singapore 3 years ago). This and the desire to be closer to my two brothers as we age has led to my decision to move back to England, to the land of my roots.  I will always feel a greater sense of belonging there and now is the time. I look forward to being a car ride away from some of the people I cherish. I will still have to travel to California and I will do that as long as I am able, and who knows, maybe they too will move to England. And I leave behind a niece and her family who live in Rhode Island, as well as some cherished friends so long distance travel will still be part of my life.

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— Pasi Sahlberg

In the US the values that have inculcated our society are in support of capitalism, profit making and authoritarianism.  This means we have a culture that relies on competition rather than collaboration, on compliance rather than growth and change, on standardization rather than diversity and success is defined by wealth and power. Our institutions have no values other than the pursuit of wealth and can no longer be relied on to uphold any standards of integrity.  We have a hierarchy where some people are viewed with more respect than others  because we place greater value on some achievements than others.  And yet as individuals in this society most of us carry a different set of values.  What if we, as a nation,  intentionally selected the values we wanted to live by and then set out to govern and live by them?  Starting with how we educate our children, how would this impact our society? This will not happen at the systemic level. It must start with the people.

What if we defined the purpose of education as supporting children to find their path to happiness, meaning and fulfillment in life. It is entirely possible to redefine and reinvent a system of education that is based on cooperation rather than competition, on collecting ideas rather than data, relating rather than teaching and diversification rather than standardization.  We have it wrong. I will provide some ideas of models that empower young people to have a say in the destiny of their own lives.  By eliminating the subordination of children and allowing them to participate in their own learning we will lead the way to a more responsible and engaged citizenship.  

When thinking about a model that is both child centered and outperforms the US on the international PISA tests in every area, we need look no further than Finland. Finland's education system is often praised as one of the best in the world.  It's consistently one of the highest performing developed countries on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an important tool for measuring education systems worldwide. It's built on principles of equality, student well-being, and trust in teachers. The objective of primary and lower secondary education in Finland is to support pupils’ growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed in life. 

Let’s take a look at how Finland managed to revamp an entire system of education and create a system that is not only relevant to life in the twenty-first century but also rooted in equity, children’s mental well-being and teacher professionalism. After World War II, Finland was still largely rural and recovering economically. Education reforms began with the realization that building a modern, knowledge-based society required educating everyone, not just the elite. Calls for reform grew stronger as Finland made reducing inequality and improving productivity a cornerstone of national policy. This drive to move towards eliminating inequality required an intentional approach not just in education or health, but across multiple sectors of society. Working towards this goal is an ongoing national priority. There is no quick fix, what is required is a commitment to a set of values and then never losing sight of them. Finland has been working towards this goal since the 50s.

The core philosophy in Finland is “Every child deserves the same opportunity to succeed — regardless of where they’re born, who their parents are, or how much money they have.”  Finland doesn’t view equality as just economic — it’s structural, social, and cultural, and it’s been built into the national identity and policy-making for decades. So they have created laws that guarantee gender equality, parental leave, free daycare, strong labor laws and unions that protect worker rights and limit wage gaps, housing, and of course free healthcare and education at all levels. In addition to all the basic human needs Finland has recognized internet access as a legal right since 2010. Public services (education, health, banking) are digitized and accessible to everyone. Digital literacy programs in schools and libraries reduce tech-based inequality. 

How has Finland achieved such a huge cultural and social shift? During the 2nd world war Finland was caught between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. While it managed to steer an independent path it was nevertheless invaded and areas were occupied by the Soviets. Any country caught up in a war zone needs national unity to recover and heal. The Germans had used scorched earth tactics in some areas and burnt towns to the ground destroying infrastructure and life in those areas.  In the aftermath of the war Finland had to rebuild its economy and redefine its national identity. A strong sense of “we're all in this together” emerged which brought everyone together with the commitment to rebuild. Many reforms were framed as a way to unite the nation, reduce class tensions, and promote stability. Even conservative or elite groups supported reforms when they saw them as promoting social cohesion and economic growth. The Finnish model was built through negotiation — centrist and leftist coalitions shaped the system with gradual buy-in from the right. Finnish society emphasizes modesty, fairness, and trust — making extreme inequality culturally unacceptable.

We have seen in other countries, in the aftermath of war, as they recover from death and the destruction of entire neighborhoods, people’s homes, livelihoods, and infrastructure, how people come together in unity to create incredible social change. reshaping societies in profound ways, politically, economically, and culturally. Instead of focusing on revenge or the total devastation of their country they come together to rebuild something better. We have seen it in Germany, England, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam, to name a few. While we have not experienced this kind of war in the United States we have had natural disasters that have brought people together to recover. Why is it that we humans need a tragedy to unite us in creating something new and better? Can we see the levels of discontent and disengagement of our American youth as a national tragedy and come together around that to rebuild something better. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration close to 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. received mental health treatment in 2023. This works out to around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 getting counseling, medication or another treatment, with anxiety problems, behavior disorders, and depression being the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. Isn’t this a national emergency, a clear indication that something isn’t working?  Can we look at the stress, anxiety and burnout of our students and imagine something greater for them? Can we see that the narrowing of the curriculum to only testable subjects leads to a loss of joy in learning and can we see that rote memorization kills curiosity and passion, collaboration and exploration? Because this is our reality and if we fail to see it we will never change it. 

Finland, by contrast, prioritizes children’s mental well-being by implementing a nationwide anti-bullying policy in schools. This policy is rigorously enforced to ensure a safe learning environment. The country is committed to addressing inequality as it is often connected to bullying and mental health problems. The Finnish school system challenges the idea that children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be less successful. Instead, it strives to provide all students with an equal opportunity to excel, regardless of their background. Their system is designed to put children's overall well-being first. Within this, mental health is a key focus to make sure that people as a whole develop, and that they are well and happy. The Finnish education system prioritizes learning over testing. Unlike in many countries, there are no regular national exams. Instead, teachers assess students based on curriculum objectives. The only nationwide test, called the matriculation examination, happens at the end of high school. While compulsory schooling begins at age 6, the first year is entirely play based with no formal academic instruction. The school day is shorter and homework is much less than in the United States, and yet they outperform American students in every area.

Teachers in Finland undergo a demanding, research-based five-year master’s program that is highly competitive, with only a small number of applicants being accepted. What sets Finnish educators apart is their autonomy in selecting teaching methods, a departure from the norms in many other countries where external requirements like standardized testing and government control are prevalent. They are free to adjust their teaching content and approach to meet the needs of each student. Teachers are trained in developmental psychology focusing on how children learn rather than the content of their learning and are therefore well qualified to tailor their teaching based on the culture and context of each class. There are no labels such as special needs students attached to children. They are all included in the classroom and teaching is designed to meet the needs of each individual child. Inclusion and equality are the motivating values. This teacher autonomy aims to nurture teachers who can make informed decisions and consistently enhance their teaching techniques. Their learning is not considered complete once they graduate, it’s ongoing and they are encouraged to innovate and continue to develop their work. Consequently, teachers enjoy a high level of respect.

This level of respect for the teaching profession in Finland doesn’t exist in the United States where teachers are constantly devalued and treated as servants to deliver the will of business and political leaders with our children being treated as pawns on the chessboard. We have a long way to go but let’s begin the journey. There's a high level of trust between teachers and the government in Finland. Curriculum isn’t imposed top-down — it's co-created with the people who actually teach it. This collaboration helps Finland maintain a balanced and flexible education system rooted in real classroom experience. 

The Finnish core curriculum is a national framework that outlines the goals, content, and pedagogy for education across Finland. It is developed by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and revised roughly every 10 years. Local municipalities and schools adapt it to fit their context — but the national values and goals are consistent.

The curriculum focuses on developing in these 4 major areas:

• Broad-based competence 

• Equality, well-being, and sustainable development

• Student agency and participation

• A joy of learning, curiosity, and growth mindset

Broad-Based Competencies (BLCs) are key 21st-century skills integrated across all subjects and they have four areas of focus. They are

• thinking and learning to learn,

• critical thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity,

• cultural competence & multiliteracy

• understanding diversity, and interpreting media

In addition to covering a broad and balanced range of subjects all children participate in interdisciplinary learning modules at least once a year (phenomenon-Based Learning) each child selecting their own project. These projects combine subjects and encourage real-world thinking and collaboration. Teachers are highly trusted to design lessons, choose materials, and assess students. There are no annual standardized assessments. All assessments are formative and created by the teachers in order to help them improve learning. Teaching is based on the curriculum, but  teacher autonomy is assumed allowing flexibility in the delivery of learning. Collaboration among teachers is common, especially in cross-disciplinary themes.

Alongside rigorous learning in Finnish schools, children are also given ample opportunities for play. Science has shown us that play supports brain development, social skills, and learning readiness and Finnish educators incorporate plenty of play. In grades 1-6 all children have 15 minutes of play for every 45 minutes of instruction. Breaks are shown to Improve concentration and academic performance, reduce stress and behavioral issues and boost physical activity and well-being. If research is giving us this evidence why are we all not following it? In American schools we don’t let “children be children”, instead we set out to mold them into who we think we want them to be. If Finland can be so successful in creating a rigorous and highly successful way of educating children, we can also. But first we need to acknowledge the urgent need to do it and initiate conversations and collaboration between all the stakeholders to start the journey. And then we need the humility to admit we are doing it wrong and ask more successful school systems for help, a tall order for a country that thinks it is better than everyone else!

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2018/09/10-reasons-why-finlands-education-system-is-the-best-in-the-world/

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-survey-drug-use-and-health

https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/anna-korpi-how-finland-designed-its-schools-around-childrens-mental-health

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