I've finished Shiller. Now what?

I receive many emails like this one I got today from Mara:

Hi!

We will finish the Shiller series by September, and that would mean that my daughter - hopefully - is ready for Integrated Math 1 (that's how we do it here in NC, no Algebra/Geometry/Trig/Calc journey, but Math 1/2/3)

So - my question is... do you know of a good Math I curriculum for after Shiller? What do people tend to do when they are finished with your work?

Thank you for making the middle school math concepts in these tiny consumable lessons for her to keep her shifting gears and remembering and going back.... it's been great! Now I just hope it's been enough to solidify her knowledge for high school math!

Any advice is wonderful. Thanks!
Mara

What a lovely email! We are grateful to have so many customers like Mara whose children have grown with our help.

My response is heartfelt and perhaps controversial. But it's genuine, and I wanted to share it with you here.

Dear Mara,

I appreciate your kind words - and your loyalty to and trust in us over the years!

My goal has never been just to teach math or language arts: It was and remains to help children with two things: to understand how to learn and to love to learn. Because once they have those, there is no stopping them.

That's why our curriculum stops where it does. Contrary to what we've been taught to believe for decades, empowered children don't need schools; they need environments that support their love of learning and ability to learn. Montessori recognized one of those environments as the outside world itself. By the time a child is 12, they're already quite capable and in charge of many things in their life.

My personal belief is that once a child knows, values, and understands the tools to earnestly search for truth, can perform common logical proofs and recognize common fallacies, uses rhetoric in principled ways, and has mastered basic communication and math skills, they don't need to be told what to do and what to learn - they're ready to drive.

True, there's external pressure to learn this or that by a certain age ("high school math"), and for better or worse that's a constraint most parents and children choose to live with.

But for empowered children, that bar is low, and they can do the needful with free resources such as Khan Academy and of course AI, both of which we recommend. The rest of the time? They can learn whatever they want, within broad but developmentally-appropriate guardrails you set as the parent.

My advice? Save the money, trust your child's ability to learn and their love of learning, and enjoy the journey together.

Warm regards,

Larry Shiller

🧮 A note on intrinsic motivation and lifelong learning: Maria Montessori believed that the ultimate goal of education is not the transmission of knowledge but the cultivation of a child who loves to learn independently. Research on self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000, Psychological Inquiry) confirms that intrinsic motivation, the kind that comes from genuine curiosity and mastery rather than external reward or pressure, is the single strongest predictor of lifelong learning, academic persistence, and well-being. Children who develop intrinsic motivation early are significantly more likely to seek out new knowledge, recover from setbacks, and thrive in self-directed environments.

What do you think? Do you agree with a new vision for how our children learn? What would you like to see as our next blog post?

I read all incoming emails so feel free to reply directly!