Reclaiming What Was Normal Yesterday: Choosing Timeless Values in a Culture That Forgot Them July 13, 2025July 14, 2025Jonathan Brush “You’re going to have to do things that were normal until yesterday—and that means being radically countercultural.” That’s the challenge I put forward in a recent episode of the Unbound…Continue readingReclaiming What Was Normal Yesterday: Choosing Timeless Values in a Culture That Forgot Them
What School Didn’t Teach You: The Real Problem with “Real Life” Readiness July 11, 2025July 10, 2025Jonathan Brush “I came out of high school knowing how to prove a triangle is a triangle… but I don’t know how to do my taxes.” That quote came up early in…Continue readingWhat School Didn’t Teach You: The Real Problem with “Real Life” Readiness
Struggle Well: Why Doing Hard Things May Be the Best Path After High School July 10, 2025July 10, 2025Jonathan Brush “It all comes down to the ability to actually do something that is difficult and learn from it.” That line kicked off a recent episode of the Unbound Podcast, and…Continue readingStruggle Well: Why Doing Hard Things May Be the Best Path After High School
What to Expect as a First-Year Ascend Student July 9, 2025July 9, 2025Riley Maas “So what exactly is Ascend?” What an excellent question – we’re so glad you asked! Ascend, at its core, trains young adults to thrive by helping them understand and pursue…Continue readingWhat to Expect as a First-Year Ascend Student
Working with the 1% (Part 3): Doing Something Different Is Hard — But That’s Why It Matters July 8, 2025July 7, 2025Jonathan Brush None of the common problems many educators talk about—like widespread AI cheating or student disengagement—match what we see at Ascend. Our students are different. We don’t have the kind of…Continue readingWorking with the 1% (Part 3): Doing Something Different Is Hard — But That’s Why It Matters
Working with the 1% (Part 2): Rescuing Potential and Rebuilding Hope July 7, 2025July 7, 2025Jonathan Brush In my last article, I talked about a university professor who shared a sobering view of what he sees in today’s college students—apathy, detachment, lack of basic responsibility, and an…Continue readingWorking with the 1% (Part 2): Rescuing Potential and Rebuilding Hope
