I thought you guys did a great job with your presentation. I can't speak for the rest of the class but I didn't really know much about non-traditional schools. I went to a traditional public school and didn't really know what other options there were. I had never heard of a charter school before I came to UMF so the laws that were involved in creating them were very interesting. Having the class write on the board about our personal feelings about charter schools were good because it gave us other people's perspectives. It also created a good classroom discussion.
I also really liked the info on Catherine McAuley High School, it gave the class a good example of a non-traditional school in Maine. Maria did a good job explaining how McAuley was run and why girls decide to go there. I learned a lot about religious schools and all-girl schools. I didn't know that all faiths were admitted and that girls commute from 70 different towns in Maine. McAuley seems to have a good thing going at their school and it gave me another option when I think where I want to teach after graduation.
The concept of the Summerhill School was interesting to learn about even though it's still a little strange to me. Students aren't required to go to classes, and there aren't very many rules for them to follow. It kind of seemed like a school that parents would send their kids to if they're not succeeding or doing well in a traditional school. And I read on the website that there is no parental involvement at Summerhill because the students are encouraged to live their own lives. Summerhill is a school that believes fully in existentialism and doesn't seem like a good match for all students, but is a perfect match for the existentialists. I'm glad you guys decided to talk about Summerhill in your presentation because it gave everyone something to think about.
Good job everyone!
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2 comments:
I want to respond to your statements about the school rules and the philosophy at Summerhill. First, it is a particularly ironic mistake to assert that they have few rules. They in fact have a great many rules to follow, in this article in the British newspaper the Independent found there were well over 100 rules in effect at the time they were there. They effectively have more rules than many "regular" schools. But the character of the rules and the relationships of the students and staff to the rules is very different. The democratic nature of the school means that the rules are an on-going process of customizing the expectations of the school to exactly what is needed to meet the needs of everyone at the school.
In regards to the philosophy, I would encourage you to consider some different ways of thinking about what constitutes educational philosophy. Here are some articles that I have written about democratic schooling, classroom schooling and curriculum:
Democratic Schooling: Nurturing Every Child, Not Just Playing The Odds
Which is better for children, wild democratic schools or dictatorial industrial classrooms? Democratic schooling makes more sense than you might think.
Debunking The Myth That School is a Classroom
A school is any context designed for learning but the persistent myth that it must include a classroom does everyone a disservice.
Why Teach Attitude?
We must teach attitude because it is more elementary than teaching academics, so if children don't master attitude first, they are being cheated.
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Enjoy,
Don Berg
Site: http://www.teach-kids-attitude-1st.com
Blog: blog.Attitutor.com
P.S. Since this blog seems to be directed at a class and this post in particular seems to be a response to a presentation that I could not have seen, I will let you know that I found it because I have a Google Alert set to notify me when Summerhill School comes up. I have a variety of other alerts set for many other school names and subjects such as democratic schools. If you or your classmates would like more information about alternatives:
AERO (Alternative Education Resource Organization)
Creating Learning Communities
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