The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Earlywood: I Love Difficult Teachers

The American Peasant • 738 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Craftsmanship Student experience Pedagogy Skill development
  1. Difficult teachers can actually help students grow. They might seem tough, but their strictness often leads to better learning and skill development.
  2. Experiencing challenges in learning can make students better. When pushed to perform at a high level, students may realize their true potential over time.
  3. Feedback from teachers can sometimes feel harsh, but it's important for improvement. Learning to accept and understand this feedback is crucial in any craft.

2 Questions for You

The American Peasant • 2555 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
🚌 Education Teaching Learning Skills Workshops Customer Relations
  1. Asking clear questions helps start conversations better. It allows you to understand what someone really needs right away.
  2. Understanding students' goals in classes helps tailor the teaching approach. This way, you can mix in production techniques or focus on traditional methods based on their interests.
  3. Using direct questions in any interaction makes communication smoother. It helps you get to the point without unnecessary details.

Sub Club Weekly Digest # 6

The Sub Club Newsletter • 118 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🚌 Education Writing Publishing Workshops Career Advice
  1. There is a new column called 'Jobs for Writers' for finding jobs in the writing industry. It's a great way to get your foot in the door and gain experience.
  2. The newsletter features some cool competitions where people can win money or subscriptions for sharing their writing stories or job listings. It's a fun way to get involved!
  3. They are offering workshops and events for writers to come together and submit their work while getting support and guidance. It's a good chance to learn and improve your writing skills.

Whither the Humanities?

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 483 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🚌 Education Humanities Higher education Online Learning Academic Research Professional development
  1. A free, online Hinternet Foundation Inaugural Summer School will run on Fridays and Saturdays in August 2026 and is limited to 15 participants.
  2. The program centers on the question "What Makes Us Human?" and will offer sustained reflection on the current state and future of humanistic inquiry, with each year taking a different approach.
  3. Thanks to a generous donation the course is offered at no cost, but applicants must apply by June 1; the program is run by a California-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

A Third Way for the Humanities

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 8156 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher education Curriculum Humanities Alternative Education Institutional Reform
  1. Universities have hollowed out traditional humanities: economic pressures, corporate influence, and technologies like AI have pushed departments toward market‑driven, business‑school models that prevent professors from teaching deep humanistic formation.
  2. The main intellectual responses—shrill “myth‑busting” critique and crude nationalist “myth‑making”—both miss the point and produce narrow, self‑defeating approaches that break the humanities’ broad, comparative, and democratic purpose.
  3. The real remedy is to build parallel, independent initiatives and community institutions that treat the humanities as a practice of self‑cultivation and collective study of cultural traditions, not merely as credentialing or corporate training.
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Crumbling DIEvory Towers

Postcards From Barsoom • 6999 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24
🚌 Education Higher education Academic standards Systemic Issues
  1. Many colleges, like Whittier College, are struggling with issues like low enrollment and poor management. This is leading to unhappy students and worried alumni.
  2. At some prestigious universities, standards are declining because of changes to grading and admission policies. More focus is being put on participation and homework rather than exams.
  3. The increasing role of administrators in universities is changing the focus of education. Important academic traditions are being lost as the emphasis shifts toward managing feelings rather than fostering intellectual growth.

Advanced Math for Kids: Geometry and Algebra Are Secretly the Same

Kids Who Love Math • 83 implied HN points • 24 Mar 26
🚌 Education Math STEM K-12 Teaching Curriculum Learning
  1. Algebra can describe geometry: coordinates give points, equations like y = x make lines, and formulas like x^2 + y^2 = 25 make circles.
  2. Geometry and algebra are two languages for the same ideas, so switching between pictures and equations helps you understand and solve problems in physics, graphics, and engineering.
  3. A simple hands-on way to see this is to plug numbers into equations and plot the points so kids can watch shapes like parabolas and circles appear and build intuition.

The New Normal

russ880 • 1016 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🚌 Education Higher education Student life
  1. Many students in Israel are missing school due to military service obligations, especially during times of conflict. This makes starting the academic year very challenging.
  2. Despite the ongoing war and personal losses, students still find value in their education. They appreciate having a safe place to learn and grow during difficult times.
  3. Life in Israel during wartime is a mix of joy and sorrow. People celebrate moments like weddings while also mourning losses, showing resilience amid challenges.

What People Want From Our Schools Has Never Been Accomplished, Anywhere, Ever

Freddie deBoer • 8261 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🚌 Education History Policy K-12 Higher Ed Equity Labor Market Assessment
  1. The idea that schools used to universally prepare everyone for the same academic track or that education can by itself erase class and racial gaps is a modern invention and has never been achieved anywhere.
  2. Bringing more people into formal schooling naturally lowers average test scores and completion rates because many newly included students are less prepared, so declining metrics often reflect wider access, not a sudden failure of schools.
  3. Economic changes like globalization, automation, and the decline of unionized middle-skill jobs removed pathways to good work for non-degree holders, and policymakers then pressured schools to fix that problem by pushing everyone toward college—something schools alone cannot realistically do.

Academia is Women’s Work

Postcards From Barsoom • 15604 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
🚌 Education Higher education Gender Studies Social Psychology Workforce Trends
  1. More women are enrolling in college than men, and this trend is changing how we view various professions. When too many women join a field, men tend to leave, as they see it as less competitive and valuable.
  2. Academia is becoming feminized, which could lead to a decline in its status and quality. As more women join, some believe that the competitive drive that often leads to higher performance in academia may be fading.
  3. Lower male participation in colleges can hurt the university's reputation and funding. If schools are seen as feminine spaces, they might struggle to attract male students and the resources that come with them.

the war on the talented and gifted

bad cattitude • 177 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🚌 Education K-12 School choice Curriculum Pedagogy Ed-tech Homeschooling
  1. Public schools have moved to a lowest-common-denominator model that removed gifted programs and ability-based pacing, which warehouses students and crushes the curiosity of high-achievers.
  2. Structural choices—de-leveling, social promotion, centralized funding, rising behavior issues, weaker teacher pipelines, and shifting student demographics—create incentives that block real, high-quality instruction.
  3. The remedy is to restore ability tracking, discipline, ESL support, and true gifted options or adopt market solutions like vouchers, and fast-growing AI-based individualized learning will make alternatives irresistible if schools don’t adapt.

Friday brief: Course cuts considered by under pressure university

NN Journal • 139 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
🚌 Education Higher education University funding
  1. The University of Northampton is considering cutting some courses due to financial issues. This may include merging or dropping certain subjects to stabilize their finances.
  2. Students are worried about how these changes might impact their education and the quality of teaching. Some are actively petitioning to save specific courses that they feel are being undervalued.
  3. Local MPs are concerned about the university's financial stability and have called for better funding for higher education. They emphasize that the university is important for the local economy and workforce.

Phones at School: Less Learning, More Loneliness

After Babel • 1633 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🚌 Education Technology Use School Policy
  1. Students who use phones, tablets, or laptops for fun during the school day show bigger drops in standardized test scores in math, reading, and science.
  2. Leisure device use at school replaces face-to-face interaction and is linked to students feeling lonelier during school hours.
  3. Restricting non-educational device use from bell to bell, tightening laptop/tablet controls, or returning younger students to paper and pencil could improve learning and reduce loneliness.

Columbia Grad Students Get a Reality Check

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 626 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher Ed Labor Unions Campus politics
  1. The UAW warned Columbia's graduate student union to drop radical or political demands, saying those demands would keep the national union from supporting a strike.
  2. Although student workers authorized a strike, the UAW controls whether it can happen and has said it won't fund or green-light a walkout until the students keep negotiating with the university.
  3. The situation shows a clash between the local union's political priorities and the national union's pragmatic strike strategy, and without compromise the students may not get the backing they need.

Education Links, 3/9/2026

In My Tribe • 273 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher education Graduate studies Academic Publishing Research Policy Learning
  1. Sustained success comes from focused fascination rather than vague "follow your passion" advice — true curiosity is what you can stick with longer than your competitors without burning out.
  2. Graduate students who identify as more "woke" report much higher interest in politics and engage in political discussion with peers far more often than less "woke" students.
  3. The academic publishing system is rent-seeking because taxpayers fund research but then pay to access it; putting papers in the public domain and making peer review transparent would eliminate that double payment.

The Knowledge Illusion

In Bed With Social • 416 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🚌 Education Learning Knowledge Technology AI Critical Thinking
  1. AI can provide quick answers, but this doesn't lead to real understanding. It's important to engage in learning actively to truly grasp the knowledge.
  2. The value of knowledge is changing with technology. While access to information is easier now, it can lead to shallow thinking if we rely on AI too much.
  3. Learning should be about growth, not just getting answers. We should use AI to inspire deeper questions and foster our critical thinking instead.

Face it: you're a crazy person

Experimental History • 196910 implied HN points • 24 Jun 25
🚌 Education Career Advice Psychology Self-discovery Personal Development Life choices
  1. Before you choose a job, it's important to think about the daily tasks and details involved. If you can't picture yourself doing those tasks or find them interesting, that job might not be right for you.
  2. Many people imagine the glamorous parts of high-status jobs without realizing the tough, repetitive work that comes with them. It's crucial to understand the full picture before pursuing a career.
  3. Everyone has unique interests, and finding a job that matches your personal quirks can lead to success and happiness. Unpacking what you like and what a job really involves can help you find your right path.

America's Future Leaders Are Learning To Become Grifters

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 5814 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🚌 Education Higher education Academic Integrity Student behavior Admissions
  1. Claims of disability are much higher at elite colleges, with many students using diagnoses to get accommodations like extra test time, priority housing, and flexible deadlines.
  2. Younger people and privileged students increasingly see bending rules and claiming victimhood as acceptable ways to get ahead, which makes gaming the system feel normal.
  3. The system creates perverse incentives—wealthy families can buy diagnoses and clinicians face conflicts of interest—so institutions may be training future leaders to exploit advantages and erode social trust.

No, That's Not What "the Research" Says About Exam Schools

Freddie deBoer • 3960 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🚌 Education K-12 Education & Policy Inequality
  1. Studies using cutoffs and regression-discontinuity designs show that attending selective exam schools does not meaningfully boost test scores, college enrollment, or later earnings once you account for students' pre-entry ability.
  2. The schools' strong reputations come mainly from selecting already high-ability students, so student traits and background drive outcomes more than the school itself, and claims about lasting harm to bright kids stuck in regular classes lack solid support.
  3. That null effect matters for policy: trying to scale elite-school practices often fails, widening access to those schools may not change long-term results, and standardized tests can sometimes help talented disadvantaged students stand out.

Quantifying Curriculum Degradation: Evidence from the University of Chicago

Heterodox STEM • 192 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher education Curriculum Policy Quantitative Methods Data Transparency Humanities Social Sciences
  1. A keyword-based method can flag courses as engaging with progressive ideas or the Western canon, and while this approach is blunt and prone to errors or manipulation, it is useful for tracking changes over time and comparing institutions.
  2. At the University of Chicago (2012–2025) the share of courses matching progressive keywords rose from about 12.7% to 28.3% while canon-related courses stayed near 12%, so progressive signals now outpace canon signals especially in humanities and social sciences and even show up in STEM.
  3. A public Curriculum Content Index built from catalogs, syllabi, and enrollment could give families, donors, and policymakers transparent comparisons across universities, but such an index should be treated as a noisy first pass and not as a basis for micromanaging curricula or replacing careful evaluation.

AI Can't Fix Student Engagement

After Babel • 1412 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🚌 Education Student Engagement Curriculum EdTech Assessment School Policy
  1. Too many students are disengaged from school; only about one in three are highly engaged, and that lack of engagement undermines real learning and long-term outcomes.
  2. Engagement falls into four modes—Passenger, Achiever, Resister, and Explorer—with Explorer mode (curiosity plus agency) as the goal because it supports initiative, deep learning, and resilience.
  3. Parents and schools can move kids toward Explorer mode with concrete actions: model curiosity, give students choice and authentic projects, protect extracurriculars, manage tech, and use tools or workshops to make engagement visible and supported.

The Scholar vs. the Professional

In My Tribe • 759 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🚌 Education Higher Ed Academic culture Curriculum Student life Pedagogy
  1. There is a real tension between the leisurely, curiosity-driven scholar and the busy, goal-oriented professional, and universities are being pulled to serve both roles.
  2. The rise of the "professional scholar" — who chases grants, publications, and metrics — can distort true scholarship and weaken ties to the world outside academia.
  3. Trying to make students both scholars and builders at the same time risks short-changing each and causing burnout; sequencing dedicated periods for study and for professional immersion may work better.

EdTech Is Borrowing Zuckerberg's Playbook

After Babel • 2125 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🚌 Education EdTech Policy K-12 Assessment Learning Science Funding
  1. Saying “there is no evidence of harm” is often used to block action, but demanding product-specific causal trials is usually impractical or unethical, so converging correlational evidence should be taken seriously.
  2. Broad rollout of classroom technology — for example in Utah after 2014 — coincided with reversed gains in reading and math, suggesting widespread EdTech can correlate with stagnation or decline rather than clear improvement.
  3. When billions and millions of children are affected, the burden should be on proving clear, durable benefits before wide deployment; choosing restraint and investing in proven interventions avoids large opportunity costs.

'Something Terrible Has Happened': Carl Sagan Saw What US Schools Were Doing to Children Decades Ago

The Take (by Jon Miltimore) • 594 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
🚌 Education School System Child development Government Role
  1. Young children are curious and ask deep questions about the world, but as they grow older, that curiosity often fades away. This change happens during their school years.
  2. Simply throwing more money at schools does not solve the problem. Good schools need choices and options that meet students' needs rather than just more funding.
  3. Many believe that schools should be run more by the people and less by the government. This could help create better learning environments for children.

How I Learned to Love Reading

The Honest Broker • 10838 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🚌 Education Literacy Reading Pedagogy Curriculum Parenting Adolescents Schools
  1. Leisure reading among teens has collapsed in recent years, and that decline is alarming to teachers and parents.
  2. Loving reading matters more than any teaching method or test score; if a child doesn’t develop affection for books, instruction alone won’t stick.
  3. Warm early experiences—like being read to by a caring adult—can create a lasting love of books, so parents and educators should try to recreate those moments.

John von Neumann Shot Lightning From His Arse

The Intrinsic Perspective • 29647 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🚌 Education History Philosophy Science Psychology Literature
  1. John von Neumann is often celebrated as a genius, but many of the stories about his early capabilities are exaggerated or false. For example, he couldn't actually do 8-digit calculations in his head at age six or remember every book he'd ever read.
  2. His incredible intellect was shaped significantly by his unique upbringing and education in a rich cultural environment in Hungary. This background gave him access to exceptional tutors and a supportive family that emphasized learning and academic inquiry.
  3. While von Neumann made major contributions to fields like mathematics and computer science, he wasn't the sole inventor of concepts attributed to him. His work often built upon the ideas of others, showing that collaboration and environment played key roles in his success.

Why I Let Anti-Israel Protesters Interrupt My Talk

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4164 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
🚌 Education Higher Ed Student activism Free speech Academic Freedom Antisemitism Religion
  1. A lecture focused on Jewish history highlighted how displacement and mass death shaped Israeli identity and politics.
  2. Masked, keffiyeh-wearing anti-Israel protesters interrupted the event, a form of disruption that has become routine on many U.S. campuses.
  3. Rather than shut them down, the lecturer let the interruption happen and turned it into a teaching moment, keeping most of the protesters until the end.

Bad education is a terrible way to fight inequality

Noahpinion • 23353 implied HN points • 26 Nov 25
🚌 Education K-12 Higher Ed Standards Assessment Equity Policy
  1. Basic math and reading skills have fallen sharply across the US, with many college entrants unable to do middle-school math or meet basic writing standards, forcing universities to place large numbers in remedial classes.
  2. The decline comes from multiple sources: pandemic learning loss, grade inflation and lowered K–12 standards, elimination of standardized tests, policies like “no zeros,” high absenteeism, and distractions such as phones, making grades a poor signal of real skills.
  3. Relaxing standards in the name of equity — effectively giving students a pass instead of educating them well — is a misguided approach that harms learners and is a counterproductive way to try to reduce inequality.

Why Grad Students at Columbia May Go on Strike

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 459 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher education Labor Unions Strikes University Governance
  1. About 3,500 graduate student workers could authorize a strike that would halt teaching, grading, and research, potentially disrupting Columbia’s academic operations.
  2. The strike vote is happening amid campus turmoil over pro‑Palestinian protests and clashes between university leaders and federal scrutiny over alleged antisemitism.
  3. The union’s political focus is controversial among students, and an affirmative vote could quickly escalate tensions by triggering an immediate walkout.

Examination Systems

David Friedman’s Substack • 350 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher Ed Curriculum Education & Policy
  1. Imperial China chose most officials through brutally competitive exams that tested knowledge of Confucian texts, poetic forms, and essay styles rather than practical administrative skills.
  2. Those exams probably served as a form of indoctrination, instilling Confucian duties and loyalty in elites and spreading those beliefs widely since many people studied even if few passed.
  3. Modern college degrees work similarly by requiring years of study in subjects often unrelated to specific jobs, so degrees can function as signals or ways of inculcating habits and values rather than just teaching directly useful skills.

Human excellence, historical innovation, & AI for playing Go strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 26 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🚌 Education Learning Talent development Skill acquisition Educational Research Child development
  1. Intense early specialization often makes teenagers stand out but doesn’t reliably produce the top adult performers.
  2. Many true elites are late bloomers who keep broader interests longer and peak later, benefiting from diverse experience.
  3. Possible reasons for this pattern include finding the right fit over time, enhanced learning from varied activities, and lower risk from avoiding early narrow specialization.

Exclusive: The First Antisemitism Lawsuit Against a U.S. State

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1340 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🚌 Education K-12 School Safety Civil Rights State Policy Legal action Discrimination
  1. Jewish parents and civil-rights groups have filed the first antisemitism lawsuit against a U.S. state, saying California agencies failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, violence, and propaganda in public schools.
  2. The complaint alleges Jewish children are bullied by peers, targeted by teachers, and taught curricula that portray them as oppressors, while the state’s responses are slow and ineffective.
  3. Plaintiffs invoke California’s constitutional guarantee of equal education and point to a surge in antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023 (with 2024 reaching record highs), and groups like the Brandeis Center and StandWithUs are representing the families.

Office Hours—register for March sessions

The Novelleist • 119 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26
🚌 Education Online Learning Workshops Community Events
  1. Office hours are scheduled for March at Fridays 9am Singapore Time, which is Thursday evenings in the U.S. (5pm PT / 6pm MT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET).
  2. Come prepared to discuss the utopian cities series, Network School experiences, or any other topic you’ve been thinking about.
  3. Joining requires a paid subscription, so use the provided links to subscribe or sign in to sign up for the sessions.

#55. What Do Kids at a Center for Self-Directed Education Do on Their Smartphones?

Play Makes Us Human • 1136 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
🚌 Education Technology Use Child development Social media Mental health
  1. Kids in self-directed education tend to use their smartphones for creative and educational activities rather than scrolling on social media. They engage in things like music editing, game design, and learning through simulators.
  2. Many teens at the Macomber Center are not very interested in social media, often finding it unnecessary. They feel they have better things to do, like spending time with friends and exploring their interests.
  3. The overall happiness and fulfillment of these kids seem to come from their fulfilling social interactions, which reduces their reliance on social media to meet their social needs.

Neanderthals, Morality, Ivy League Criticism

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 1117 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🚌 Education Higher education Academic Freedom Campus culture Moral Psychology Curriculum Research
  1. Graduates can legitimately criticize elite colleges without being labeled hypocrites; defenders often attack the critics instead of addressing the substantive problems, which discourages informed dissent.
  2. Moral behavior is driven more by emotions and intuitions than by abstract philosophical reasoning, so moral psychology (including theories like Haidt’s and Gray’s) explains everyday judgments and how traits, sex differences, and development shape morality and happiness.
  3. Recent findings include sex-biased Neanderthal–modern-human interbreeding patterns, evidence that social stigma deters crime more effectively than threats of distant harsh punishment, and a link between openness and crystallized (accumulated) intelligence rather than fluid reasoning.

Why College Students Can't Read Books

Erick Erickson's Confessions of a Political Junkie • 1119 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
🚌 Education Literacy Curriculum Student behavior Teaching Methods Higher education
  1. Many college freshmen have never read a whole book, which surprises their professors. This shows a gap in reading experience among students entering college.
  2. Curricula like Common Core focus more on articles and excerpts rather than full books. This might not prepare students well for the demands of college reading.
  3. There is a lot of discussion about why this is happening, but Common Core isn't often mentioned as a reason. It suggests that the structure of education could be contributing to the problem.

Maybe Parents Are Just Misinvesting

Bet On It • 679 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🚌 Education K-12 Homeschooling Parental involvement Assessment EdTech Curriculum
  1. After basic stability is ensured, most common parental investments (extra activities, enrichment, busywork) add almost no extra benefit. Only extreme rescue from neglect or truly exceptional, specialized effort produces large gains.
  2. Small, immediate rewards tied to demonstrated mastery (for example, paying for 100% scores on Khan Academy units) can drastically speed learning and cut costs compared with typical schooling. Short daily practice, immediate feedback, and deadline incentives produced multi-grade progress in the example given.
  3. Ordinary parents can get big returns by swapping low-value time and money sinks for simple high-ROI tactics like focused practice, frequent assessment, immediate feedback, and demand-side incentives. Basic literacy and numeracy can often be taught far faster and cheaper than commonly assumed.

Homeschooling Isn’t for Everyone

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1210 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🚌 Education Homeschooling K-12 Parenting Education & Policy Child welfare Curriculum
  1. Taking children out of school can put their education at real risk, creating gaps in basic knowledge and skills.
  2. When parents use extreme or unconventional methods, homeschooling can lead to physical, emotional, or developmental harm for the child.
  3. Homeschooling is often associated with isolation, undereducation, and cultlike family dynamics, so it isn’t the right fit for every family or child.

How Kids Actually Get Good at Math in America

The Intrinsic Perspective • 9066 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🚌 Education Math education Parental involvement Curriculum design STEM Education
  1. Math requires automaticity: kids need regular practice so their skills stay fresh and they can move from "learning math" to using math to learn other things.
  2. Schools alone rarely produce top-tier math talent; specialized extracurricular programs and math communities are the places that consistently develop students to competition and advanced levels.
  3. To get really good at math, parents often need to plan early and use the right resources to keep math fun and sustained, since many powerful programs exist but are geographically limited and not widely known.

Advanced Math for Kids: Numbers and Functions Follow The Same Rules

Kids Who Love Math • 587 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🚌 Education Math education STEM Education Teaching Methods Curriculum
  1. Numbers and functions follow the same basic rules: you can add them and scale them, order and grouping don’t matter, there is a zero, and every element has an opposite.
  2. When different things obey the same rules they share a structure, so math becomes about spotting patterns and analogies across different systems.
  3. You can explore this with kids by trying different functions and operations (like f(x)=x^2 or g(x)=3x) so they see the same rules hold in a hands-on way.