Essays by Alanna Gallo
From the Other Side
Essays from a former teacher on what school is actually doing to kids, and what you can do about it at home. A new essay every week.
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IMACS Math Review: How It’s Going for Two Kids Who Are Ahead in Math
Disclosure: IMACS is a brand partner. They’re covering tuition for my two youngest this fall in exchange for me telling you how…
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Conversations about school, screens and the childhood we’re trying to give our kids, for the car, the walk or the dishes.
On YouTube
@thealannagallo
Short, straight-talking videos on the same ideas as the essays, plus a look at what our homeschool week actually looks like.
Latest essays
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Homeschool Kindergarten: What It Actually Looked Like in Our House
Your kindergartner doesn’t need a desk, a stack of workbooks or a six-hour school day recreated at your kitchen table. Most of…
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Kindle for Kids: Why My Kids Get a Paperwhite (and Never a Tablet)
In our house, getting your own Kindle is kind of a milestone. Once one of my kids is a proficient reader and…
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Signs of a Gifted Child: What Giftedness Actually Looks Like (and What It Doesn’t)
“All kids are gifted” is one of those things people say to be kind, and I understand why they say it. But…
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What Public Education Should Look Like
The American family has changed faster than the American school. More parents work from home than ever before. Many have demanded flexibility…
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Why Families Are Leaving Public Schools
Homeschooling in the United States is growing at more than twice its pre-pandemic rate. Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that in 2024–25,…
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A Nation of Readers: Why the Literacy Crisis Is a Crisis for Democracy
Self-government asks a great deal of ordinary people. A citizen has to read a ballot measure and understand what it would change.…
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Technology Skills Are Human Skills: What Schools Get Wrong About Screens and AI in the Classroom
For most of my eleven years teaching public high school English, my students had a device in front of them for nearly…
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MEL Science Review: The Science Kit My “Not a Science Kid” Actually Loves
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. My…
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Connetix Tiles Review: Why They’re One of the Few Toys We Still Own
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Connetix…
One essay a week, in your inbox.
On what’s actually happening to childhood, and what you can do about it in your own house. No spam, and you can leave whenever you like.
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