AlterEd

Second Meeting

Before the second meeting I sent out the following e-mail to aid and focus our thinking without having to replicate work that has already been done by others.

Dear Friends,

Below is a rough continuum of schools/communities that Joel and I have looked at, from fairly traditional but with interesting aspects, to radically different providers of high school age citizens with an education resource. If you could spend a few minutes getting a sense of the values and guiding principals behind some or all of these from their websites we can then focus in on ..

1. where on the continuum should we be aiming, and

2. with these schools as models, what values or principles should be guiding us.

www.putneyschool.org

www.tinicumartandscience.org

www.upattinas.org

www.summerhillschool.co.uk

www.newcountryschool.com

www.openconnections.org

www.northstarteens.org

Some areas of importance to think about might be:

voluntary/compulsory attendance, curriculum self/externally directed(?), assessment methods, grades, graduation(?) requirements, ceremony, creating community, adult/student relationships, physical environment ..

Of course this is not at all a complete list and I hope you will feel comfortable suggesting any other interesting schools you might know of or topics that need to be considered before we home in on our guiding principles.

Using the same format as last time we will start off in a big circle and then break into smaller groups to enable maximum discussion be reconvening to report. We will aim to finish at 5:30. In addition, however, I would like to invite those of you who are able to commit another hour or so to stay and begin work on a written statement of values and purpose.

I will remind everyone again closer to the time, but meanwhile please be in touch at any time if anything occurs to you that might be worth sharing.

Happy Holidays!

Paul

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Second Meeting on January 10th, 2010

Once again introductions and welcomes while tea and cakes were consumed, followed by...

Baker River School: Report from Betsy and Bruce Bergquist

(Bruce) Description of the school: in the White Mountains of NH; just outside of Wentworth; 20 miles from any amenities; a basic, self-contained, rural educational community; 1977-1983; first year was a planning year, and then operated for five years; 15-24 students; the property had been a farm; 112 acres, including a wood lot, blueberry field; no livestock; didn’t attempt to be self-sustaining; curriculum was built around two principles (to be described by Betsy); staff were young, talented, energetic; were in the process of becoming accredited when they decided they didn’t have the personal or emotional resources to continue; everything was done on a shoestring; if you don’t have the money, you can do it if you have the collective spirit; students were a mixed bag – some totally motivated and some there as a last resort; over the six years discovered whom the school could serve; teachers were interested in being there for just a year or two and then moving on..

(Betsy) The school was a continuation of a home school for one of their children; 6th-8th graders need more experiential than book learning; set up a program in the city of Wooster that included trips, time in the library, etc.; this was a time of restlessness and discontent in their lives; sold everything and then traveled around the U.S. for a year with their son on a vision quest; out of this came the inspiration to start a school; rented the piece of property in Wentworth; we live in an emotional void; we don’t know how to name our experience; wanted to create a community that had an emotional language for young people; also interested in the issues of food and health; the kitchen was the center of the community; everyone did the cooking; cooking is a science that young people need to learn; had a garden, and lots of experiences to connect with the earth; started each year with a 6-day camping trip in the mountains; each year included a six-week expedition to some other part of the U.S.; started with two questions – If education is an ongoing process of preparation for life, then what is required for young people to live a fulfilling life? How can a school impart what is needed? Goals for the curriculum included students’ learning to appreciate themselves and one another, the importance of understanding relationship to the earth; BRS was experiential – lots of trips (D.C., Quaker work camps in Philadelphia)

The structure of the curriculum: Year-long classes in math, foreign language, etc., but also five 7-week project-centered modules in the course of the year that were theme-based; the school library reflected the concerns and consciousness of the day (ecology, environmental issues, population growth, etc.); Follow-up on students? Lots of blogging on the school’s website. Students are now in their ‘40s. At a reunion a few years ago, about 20 showed up (with their babies and toddlers!); when asked what impact the school had on them, the alumni gave good feedback; it seems as if their career paths were strongly influenced by their experience at Baker River School

It’s so exciting that a group of people is working on this; a noble venture; so much of what we hear about as being innovative, at closer investigation turn out not to be.

After this stimulating talk by the Birgquists we brainstormed the following question:

What values should drive education?
What values/competencies does the future require?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This simple phrase wraps up so much. It’s
globally encompassing. If you start with this, you can elaborate infinitely. Ultimately, this is where it all begins.

Extend the concept of “others” to include the environment, animals, everything...

Prior to this, students need to develop a sense of self-worth in order to respect that sense of self in others, in order to have compassion.

Students need to understand what’s coming at them from our society. There are so many mis-truths, lies, etc. surrounding us. How to interpret the world through these values?

Young people need practical information to help them make their life decisions; kids need do develop financial literacy.

Values need to be taught concretely – not abstractly – in the context of practical, everyday life decisions and actions. Self-determination, accountability, responsibility need to be at the core.

Risk-taking. Knowing how to fail and handle failure. Schools teach that failure is a bad thing.
Thinking within the lines is how you get to Harvard, but that’s not ultimately the route to the most successful life.

The ability to collaborate. (Competition is inevitable. Businesses are in competition with one another. The problem is when competition exists within a community. Academic research = collaborative
competition. Everyone doing their part to be the first to publish.)

In urban education, students need actual training in social norms – shaking hands, courtesy, etc. – as avenues to success.

Learning to be a self-directed learner. Lifelong learning is a goal of many schools, but the structure of the educational experience needs to actually support this.

Mastery of a limited number of skills. Focus on students’ strengths. Throttle what they’re good at, but let slide the areas of difficulty. Basic skills are important, but beyond this one’s talents should dictate how they spend their time.

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Once again, much to think about. We pencilled in another meeting time of 7th February, 2010.