School, Disrupted

Parents and educators who have watched a child's interest in learning fade may find a way forward in this book by Emily Greene. Its central goal is to rekindle a young person's curiosity, drive, and happiness in learning. Greene speaks to the adults who guide children at home or in the classroom, focusing on how to support them through schooling shaped by the pandemic and the years that followed.

The pandemic period showed the shortcomings of an education system that was already dated, and many families were left worn down in mind, feeling, and academic progress. Drawing on research, personal stories, practical advice, suggested activities, and checklists, Greene lays out a route back to balance and hopefulness as households adjust to new ways of learning. Her approach to rethinking school is organized around seven ideas she calls the Seven Wonders of Learning: Unlearning, Free Time, Curiosity, Making, Creativity, Individuality, and Joy.

The guidance applies to any arrangement, whether a child learns remotely, in a hybrid model, in person, at home, through unschooling, or in a learning pod. Readers finish with a fresh view of what school could become and concrete ways to nurture a lasting interest in learning in their children.