Dear Parents—

I'm Neeraj, and 17 years ago, as a bright-eyed 24-year-old, I started Learn To Be—a nonprofit to help underserved youth with free online tutoring.

After nearly two decades of working with students and families, something feels off about how our schools approach learning.

When it comes to sports, music, and art, we've internalized something important: if you practice a lot, you get better. A kid who wants to play piano practices scales. A basketball player practices shooting. We don't question this.

But with math, reading, and writing? We've strayed.

Somehow we've convinced ourselves that three math problems a week will make a kid proficient. That a child who reads slowly will magically fall in love with books. That writing once a month is enough.

We've decided that practice is boring, that drills are old-fashioned, that repetition is something to avoid.

I disagree.

We built the LTB Academy for families who want something different. A simple tool that's free and always available to help with the core subjects our kids need to master: math, reading, and writing.

No gimmicks (though maybe a little gamification). Just focused practice on the fundamentals, with a system that helps kids actually remember what they learn.

I'm 41 now. Call me a boomer, but I think we need to go back to the ideas that served my generation well: more practice, more fundamentals, and more emphasis on kids being excellent.

— Neeraj

Founder, Learn To Be & LTB Academy