Michael Stack, Author at Acton Academy Kennebunkport

August 26, 20250Comments

Three Reasons Families Switch to Alternative Education

Across the country, families are rethinking education in ways we haven’t seen in generations. Since 2020, over a million students have left public schools, while alternative models—microschools, learning pods, and

by Michael Stack

August 19, 20250Comments

Life Is Not Linear—Why Education Shouldn’t Be Either

Most of us grew up believing a simple story about how life unfolds: you go to school, you get good grades, you go to college, you land a job, and

by Michael Stack

August 12, 20250Comments

Prepare the Child for the Road: Why Overprotection Backfires

If you’ve ever watched a toddler take their first wobbly steps, you know the instinct: reach out, steady them, make sure they don’t fall. It’s natural. We want to protect

by Michael Stack

August 5, 20250Comments

We Don’t Need to Ban Phones—We Need to Raise the Bar

Something’s gone wrong with childhood—and we all feel it. Rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among young people have skyrocketed since 2012. Especially for teenage girls, the data isn’t subtle—it looks

by Michael Stack

July 22, 20250Comments

The Tyranny of Feelings: Why Emotional Reasoning is Undermining Resilience

In recent years, a troubling trend has emerged on college campuses: the rise of emotional reasoning as a guiding principle for discourse, policy, and even curriculum. Well-intentioned educators, administrators, and

by Michael Stack

July 15, 20250Comments

Feeding Minds, Not Just Filling Seats: The Case for Fine Dining Education

Imagine walking into a restaurant. On one side of the street, there’s a neon-lit fast food chain. The menu is identical in every city, every country. The meals are quick, cheap,

by Michael Stack

July 8, 20250Comments

Bravery Begins When We Try Again

Imagine standing in front of a room full of people, your heart pounding so loudly it drowns out your thoughts. You open your mouth to speak… but no words come

by Michael Stack

July 1, 20250Comments

Guides, Not Dictators: How Great Teachers Transform Futures

Sometimes the course of an entire life is altered by a single conversation. A single moment. A single teacher. Years ago, a woman approached Jeff Sandefer, co-founder of Acton Academy, during

by Michael Stack

June 24, 20250Comments

She Wasn’t Broken—She Was Brilliant

Rethinking How We See and Support Creative, Kinetic Learners When Gillian Lynne was a young child, she had trouble sitting still in school.She fidgeted. She couldn’t focus.Her homework was always late,

by Michael Stack

June 10, 20250Comments

From Classrooms to the Real World: Bridging the Gap

“School gets you really good at school... but not necessarily at life.” That one line says it all. Most of us remember the rhythm of traditional education well—sit quietly, follow directions, memorize

by Michael Stack

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