has become more mainstream, opening the door for progress in pursuit of constructivism in a way that has never before been possible. Hence, my optimism. I don't think yours is a stance of a wet blanket at all. I think you raise some significant points. First, however, I will rebut that you are mistaken on one important point. I did not state the excitement was about a student's potential to learn. I said it was about the capacity of their human potential. That becomes much more inclusive of a broader sense of who we are and what we are capable of. As Gary mentions below, I was not making a case that this is the first time we've seen students do amazing things when given charge of their learning. This is, however, the first time that I am aware someone has had the courage to conduct an experiment like this under these conditions. With such little oversight on the part of a contrived curriculum. Because it wouldn't happen in the current landscape of education in the developed world. There would be too much fear of what would happen if it failed, perhaps much like the very unfortunate way they misassessed the Peru case. My excitement in this is more a sense of questioning and wondering. About why we are doing the things we are doing. And if this might be, finally, a way to show that it could be different. More along the lines of what you've noted has been