Varun Bhatia

Head of School @ActonColumbus, Dublin's one-room schoolhouse. Passionate about education.

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

There's a 14-year study that quietly explains every brilliant person you know who never did anything with it.

Karen Arnold tracked 81 high school valedictorians from the class of 1981 for 14 years. They kept getting top grades in college. They landed solid, respectable careers. And almost none of them ever broke new ground or built anything that mattered. Her own description of the group: not mold-breakers. "They get school," she said.

That's the whole tell. School measures one trait with religious intensity, which is how well you execute work that someone else assigns and grades. Valedictorian is the trophy for being the single best person in the building at completing other people's instructions. It is a real skill. It also has a brutal expiration date. The morning after graduation, the assignments stop coming and nobody ever hands you the rubric again.

Now look at the "mid" people who outran them. While the valedictorian was perfecting the assigned task, the B-students were getting comfortable with the ungraded one. Cold outreach. Starting things that might publicly fail. Asking for the raise. Building an audience before anyone gave permission. School tests for none of that. The world after school tests for almost nothing else.

Which is why the MIT math kid tending bar in Florida is the most interesting person in this post, not the cautionary tale he's being filed as. He stopped optimizing for a scoreboard built by someone else. The writer has enough money to walk away from the whole game and is calling that condition "burned out." By their own math, the smartest move described anywhere in the thread is the one they're too scared to make.

School spends 18 years rewarding you for never once questioning the assignment. Then it sets you loose in a world where the entire game is choosing your own.

[Acton Academy Columbus @ActonColumbus]

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Why do we focus on happiness at Acton Academy? Research shows that happiness isn’t just a feel-good concept—it’s the foundation for success. Here’s what we’ve learned and why it matters for learners everywhere. 🧵#Education #ColumbusOhio #LearnerDrivenEducation

[Principal Jon @Principal_Jon]

Homework is a tyrannical burden on your family.

This is especially true for elementary-aged kids.

It does little to nothing to improve academics.

And it is taking your valuable family time.

🧵

[Zoltium @ZoltiumHQ]

2.

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

Flashback to the @ActonColumbus 2023 Children's Business Fair - what a fun day for our Entrepreneurs!

This year's event will be in Downtown Dublin! We're still looking for entrepreneurs for this year's event! Sign up at https://t.co/HD8tu3xjtw

#dublinohio #hilliardohio

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

We hear this over and over: 'Schools are leaving kids behind.'

I’d argue something even more important is happening.

The world is leaving schools behind.

https://t.co/L8MwVpXvfy

[Claire Honeycutt | ClarifiED 🕊️❤️ @HippyMomPhD]

Alfie Kohn doesn't believe in grades. He doesn't believe in homework or standardized testing either.

What does he believe in?👇

-Autonomy
-Critical Thinking
-Intrinsic Motivation
-Student-Centered Learning
-No Punishments or Rewards

My 9 & 7yo kids don't have grades but write poetry, read classics, study history & science for fun (yes, really)

School doesn't have to look like... well.. school
❤️

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

Empower your child: Lesson from 7 Habits of Happy Kids (by Sean Convey).

Boredom is a good thing. Allow a child to be bored. Allow them to come up with things to do. Solving it for them takes away an opportunity for them to be creative and imaginative.

[Jack Moses ∞ @jackmoses777]

Naval's take on the ideal school:

You can create your own education via the internet if you consciously curate your consumption.

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

Hello Columbus! Are you as geeked out as I am for the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse?! This is the first total solar eclipse to pass through Ohio since 1806!

Come celebrate with us at Acton Academy Columbus in Dublin, OH. RSVP at https://t.co/vI75YbJLDN

[Acton Academy Columbus @ActonColumbus]

A glimpse into our learner-driven community #ActonAcademy #ColumbusOhio #DublinOhio #HilliardOhio

[Hannah Frankman Hood @HannahFrankman]

The way we do education in America (and most of the world) is fundamentally broken.

A few of the things it gets wrong (and what it would look like if we got them right) 👇

[Claire Honeycutt | ClarifiED 🕊️❤️ @HippyMomPhD]

What unschoolers get right about education

1. Child-led learning
2. Flexible schedule
3. Life as a classroom
4. Emphasis on creativity
5. Individualized education
6. Focus on real-world skills
7. Integrated learning across disciplines
8. Keeping the fire of learning burning bright🔥

If you are interested in learning more about unschooling, it's worth reading Peter Gray's Free to Learn♥️

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

The Entrepreneurs at our Children's Business Fair rocked the day! Check out the video! Grateful to Mayor Jane Fox and the City of Dublin, Ohio - Government for all the support.

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

Saturday, June 17th - Mark your calendars and come support young entrepreneurs from around Columbus!

We will also be collecting items for the Dublin Food Pantry!

Location: 5626 Frantz Rd (Dublin)
Time: 9a - Noon

#DublinOhio #ColumbusOhio #FeedDublin #

[Acton Academy Columbus @ActonColumbus]

We'd love to get a big crowd to support our entrepreneurs.
🧡 Saturday, June 17th (9a - Noon)
🧡 5626 Frantz Rd (Dublin)

[Jason Blair @_JasonBlair]

Our world does not need test takers who know lots of content(AI). It needs change agents who understand our world is interconnected. It needs students who value diverse perspectives, creative thinking, empathy, curiosity, wonder (human) skills & dispositions over isolated content

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

Check out what these incredible Acton Academy students practiced doing for the fun of it today!

During their survival quest, they learned some essential skills that they put to use during their free play outside!

At Acton, we believe in hands-on learning like fire-building!

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

@Dean_of_math ...or all exams? #ReimagineEducation

[Varun Bhatia @VarunCBUS]

@_JasonBlair @ADESjmay @ADESRowe I love the organized chaos of your room!