Our microschool is 3!

Our little microschool turned three!

What started as an experiment for our own two kids is now 25+ kids and families strong. When we started, we were clear about what we did NOT want - a standardized school and curriculum with a one-size-fits all approach.

But what should replace it? Both experience and theory were practically screaming out that this was obsolete. In three years, what we've discovered is that it's not the answers we're looking for - it's the fundamental questions themselves: Why, What, How, When, Where.

And most importantly, that we find these answers together, not alone.

Here's the fascinating bit about our education system: it was literally built to produce well-rounded boxes that were replaceable - perfect for the factory era!

But our world has evolved into something vastly more sophisticated. We should be building on uniqueness, not suppressing it with standardization!

So we must find a way to personalize education. But there's an irony in trying to find a one-size-fits-all approach for personalization. What makes sense for someone in Manhattan may not make sense in Mumbai, or even in Mirzapur or Madurai. The very answers have to be personalized! And it is here there's a big clue - it's not the answers we need to find. It's the questions.

Why should we learn? (The Purpose)

The old story's simple: chase grades, ace those tests, become an "A" student. But that's missing the whole point! Real learning isn't about ticking boxes - it's about lighting up with curiosity, following your wonder, and discovering through play. It's about becoming more deeply human, not just better test-takers.

What should we learn? (The Curriculum)

In conventional schools, subjects sit in lonely silos, drowning kids in disconnected content. Heavy on facts, light on meaning. But real learning is a web of connected ideas. We weave themes that thread their world, balance deep understanding with practical skills, and nurture thinking, connecting and storytelling.

How should we learn? (The Pedagogy)

Sitting quietly while someone lectures from the front - that's very last century, but we are still doing it! Learning isn't a spectator sport. It's getting your hands dirty, trying things out, falling down and getting back up. We're not sages on stages - we're guides walking beside our kids, watching their unique stories unfold.

When should we learn? (The Timeline)

The conventional system is obsessed with clockwork: "Fractions by Tuesday, poetry by Friday" But real learning doesn't follow a schedule. Today's impossible math problem becomes tomorrow's "aha!" moment. We give space for wandering and wondering - because that's where the real magic happens. No rushing, no pressure, just growth at its natural pace.And that means we don't grade, we observe growth.

Where should we learn? (The Space)

Life doesn't happen in neat little boxes - so why should learning? Every street has a lesson, every conversation holds wisdom. We create spaces filled with love and safety, sure, but they're launch pads. Classrooms should NOT be cages. Because real learning happens everywhere. And differently for everyone.

The What and How aren't set in stone - it's beautifully different for each child. And this is where AI can be profoundly transformative. We're crafting tools with our learning OS and copilots that adapt to each child's unique journey, not the other way around.

This is personalization with purpose.

Comini was the word our daughter used for coconuts, but it's also a wonderful backronym for a mini-community and that is what it is. We learn together, and learn from each other, and from all our families.

That's more invaluable than any curriculum.

School isn't where you fill your brains with knowledge to march off and tackle the world. It's where we learn to learn, together.

We have the absolute privilege of playing non-zero-sum games in a world of abundance. We can now make plenty for all, each in our own unique meaningful way.

These aren't universal answers - but they're the right ones for us. And they'll change, because that's the nature of real growth.

The beauty of our approach? It evolves with our community, always asking better questions, always finding new ways forward.

You can find more about Comini here and all our articles about what (how, why, when and where) we are learning here.

Oh, and we are looking for a bigger place in Mumbai. Please reach out to us if you know of a great one for a little microschool. Please RT! ??

PS: The most profound revelation I've had about learning is from working on our book. Journey of the Mind. I spent twenty years at the intersection of neuroscience and AI but never really got to "understand" and "learn" how the mind works and learns until diving in and then trying to tell its story in an accessible manner. If you are interested in any of this please do check it out. Barbara Oakley loves it too! :)