There is no homework or test for which to cram. There are, however, many tests of patience, character, perseverance, and so much learning.

It’s clear the principles and compass of Wonder have given me the insight to see failures as growth, it’s given me the permission to sit back rather than step in, and it’s given me the confidence to trust the journey and to trust my children.

As a parent it is often too easy for us to focus on how many badges our children collect or how many points they earn because those are the tangible things we can see and measure. However, there is an invisible system at Wonder that constantly rearranges itself to help all of our children with love and respect.

We all have days where things don’t go right. My fear of my daughter failing to manage her own time was hugely out of sync with the real risks and consequences. Now when she fails, she’ll gain the growth that comes from self-mastery – something she can’t do if I’m in the way.

While exciting, I also knew that Wonder would be a different kind of hard than traditional school. This kind of hard requires immense trust in our daughter to overcome challenging situations that will stretch her, and may even be painful. I realized that we either choose hard now or hard later, when she has to navigate all of these things anyway.