Jefferson Humanists

09/08/2026

The final speaker joining us this Saturday will be none other than the amazing Shawn Towers! Register now at www.Conference.AmericanHumanist.org (link also in our bio)!

09/08/2026

Carl Sagan "Understanding Science In A Democracy" (American Humanist Award Speech 1981) ❤☮🌎

09/08/2026

Creating community in a lonely world is daring work. Join us.

09/08/2026

In Finland, children do not encounter formal reading instruction until the year they turn seven. Before that, early childhood education runs entirely on play: games, storytelling, music, time outdoors, and social learning led by teachers with master's degrees in early childhood pedagogy. There are no worksheets, no literacy drills, no standardized assessments. The national curriculum for under-sevens covers language, mathematical thinking, nature, culture, and the arts, all delivered through structured and free play. About 30% of Finnish children arrive at grade one already able to read independently, having absorbed pre-literacy skills through stories read aloud and playful engagement with language.

The outcomes are documented and consistent. Finland has near-100% literacy, consistently ranks among the top five nations globally in PISA reading, mathematics, and science assessments, and reports some of the highest rates of children who genuinely enjoy school. A landmark Cambridge study tracking New Zealand children who began formal reading instruction at five versus seven found the early starters' advantage had completely disappeared by age eleven, with no lasting benefit from the earlier pressure. The US, which starts formal schooling at five and subjects third-graders to mandatory standardized testing, ranks in the middle of industrialized nations on every comparable measure.

Sources: Finnish National Agency for Education, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, PISA 2024, New America Foundation, TechClass, 2024-2026

09/08/2026

Everyone should check, no matter their state.

📣 Alabama residents: Check your voter registration status today!

If you have moved recently or have been listed as an inactive voter, now is a great time to update your voter registration. Make sure you are ready to vote in the midterms! 🗳️

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

, we celebrate Labor Day. The holiday honors the triumphs of U.S. workers. It originated in the late 19th century, when labor activists advocated for a federal holiday to recognize that workers strengthen and enhance the nation's prosperity and well-being.

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

It's a fact: America is getting LESS religious. And we're here for it!

09/08/2026

We love this quote by our patron Sir Patrick Stewart.