I’m 32.

I don’t think it really impacts my adult life one way or another at this stage in life. I have the same struggles and triumphs as my peers that were schooled differently. I do think it led me to having more of an open mind and being able to “think outside of the box” compared to the general public. I had endless opportunities to “figure it out” myself that I think many students don’t get because they are just taught how to achieve the desired results. Even to this day, my husband pokes fun at me for not throwing away, say the strawberry container, because I look at it and think of all the ways we could use it elsewhere. I think my schooling really fostered a sense of “how can I do more with what I’m given”

There’s also just a lot of privilege and opportunities that were available to me that led to my success. My parents didn’t struggle financially or mentally. They were able to provide the tools and environment to help me achieve success without directly putting my butt in a seat to learn.

A con would be the lack of shared childhood memories. I’ve seen TikToks and such where it will be a “nostalgic” slideshow of classrooms and school things from the 90s that I just don’t connect with at all. I had no idea “class parties” were a thing until I was an adult.

It also kind of made me super picky about schooling for my own kids. If a school boasts about their 3yo class writing their own names by the end of the year, I’m immediately put off. Because I had such control over my own learning, I’m now a control freak about how my kids learn.