"Teacher said..."

I was having a conversation with my spirit sister and #1 supporter/fan the other day and she told me that she has been conducting an informal survey with the young people she meets (at her place of work) about what shapes their school experience.  She asks them what the key factor is in making their schooling a positive experience.

The Extra. Ordinary.

Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.   

~ William Martin

And I'm not saying "There Is Only One Way"

You may be shocked to learn that I am an idealist.  (Take a moment to collect yourself.)

I wish I could pin it down and say THIS is the only way to do education.  But that's the problem we are having right now.

I am currently auditing a course offered by AERO called School Starting 101.  In the course I get to interact with people from around the U.S. and the world who are passionate about education reform and who are - you guessed it - starting schools.   Thanks to Jerry Mintz, founder of AERO, for facilitating such a tremendous opportunity!

Change I believe in.

Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.    ~Margaret Mead

I believe this.  I believe this with all my heart.  I also believe that a single person can change the world.
I have to believe it's possible because that's what keeps me going.  It's what keeps me talking to parents, putting myself out there, writing emails to the minister even after he has attempted to ignore me via dispensation of the pat answer; it's what keeps me writing this blog, un-schooling my children, continuously searching for a home for our school - it is the very fuel in my dream machine.

For Whom Do The Bells Toll?

The Village School.

Who exactly is it for?  

Is it for people with learning differences?
Is it for crunchy granola children?
Is it for children from working class families?
What about people who want to go to college?  (I'm dying to meet the four year old that knows this and is planning for it.)
Is it for "average joe" kids?
For "gifted" learners?