Came across an interesting article about “aristocratic tutoring” ie. one on one learning that was the norm for rich families. They hired tutors, usually experts in their subjects, and the kids learned incredibly deeply and quickly. (The author notes it was once the norm to teach kids to read at 2-3 years old; that was the hook for this article because he taught his kid to read referencing these methods).

It’s very much the opposite of “schools” as we know it and quite similar to some forms of homeschooling. However, more “free” or “play-based” philosophies will tell you not to bother with reading until around 7, or “whenever they need it, they’ll learn it” kinda thing.

Aristocratic tutoring also reminds me of concepts like Alpha School in the US, where they use AI screen-based learning to complete academics in 2 hours per day, and the rest of the time, the kids learn life skills or other skills they’re interested in like sports or carpentry.