From 'Find Work' to Finding Purpose

My Journey to Personalized Learning

When I first stepped into a Montessori classroom as a teacher for children ages 3–6, I was filled with idealism. Montessori was, in many ways, supposed to be the antidote to standardized schooling—a space where curiosity led and children were treated as whole beings. And yet, one phrase echoed daily in my classroom, more than any lesson or discovery: “Find work.”

Not “follow your interests.” Not “what inspires you today?” Just: “Find work.”

It was said kindly, even with love. It came from a good place. But it struck me as a command that masked deeper questions. Find what work? For whom? For what purpose?

In time, I realized: this phrase wasn’t unique to Montessori. It was simply a gentler echo of what I’d seen in public education as a student and teacher. A different tone, same expectation: conform, perform, comply.

And yet we know the research. We know not all children learn the same way. We know there are multiple intelligences, learning styles, modalities, and cultural ways of knowing. We know that curiosity, not compliance, drives meaningful learning. So why was I seeing the same old paradigm—one-size-fits-all curriculum, single-point assessments, rigid expectations—wrapped in progressive packaging?

That disconnect haunted me.

It haunted me when I saw children who were innately curious slowly detach from learning because the system didn’t reflect their voice or pace. It haunted me when brilliant neurodivergent kids were labeled as struggling because their processing didn’t match the day’s objective. And it haunted me when the question wasn’t, “How are you growing?” but rather, *”Are you doing it the right way?”

So I began to build something different.

I founded Creative Gardens because I believe in personalized learning—not as a buzzword, but as a birthright. A learning environment where children are seen, heard, and trusted. Where AI isn’t used to replace teachers but to extend their humanity. Where children create portfolios of passion and progress, not just pass tests. Where education begins with a question, not a standard.

Personalized learning is not chaos. It’s structure with soul. It’s high expectations with high empathy. And it works.

I’ve watched students build entire gardens and food systems because they were curious about worms. I’ve seen four-year-olds storyboard games and design prototypes because they were trying to solve real problems. I’ve witnessed language learners teach their peers because we created the space to flip the script.

This isn’t idealism anymore. It’s design. It’s data. It’s happening.

And now, as part of the Thinkering Collective, I’m helping scale these ideas—building systems, tools, and stories that remind us: learning is not a box to fit into. It’s a garden to grow.

So if you’re an educator tired of saying “find work,” I offer this instead: find wonder, find questions, find yourself.

Let’s build the future of learning together.

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Garrett Wilhelm is the founder of Creative Gardens and EdStart, and a partner in the Thinkering Collective, focused on early childhood, educational technology, and personalized learning systems.