  Detrimental Schooling: How Traditional Education Harms Children and Society
Alternatives to Traditional Schooling
Myths About Home Schooling/Self-Directed Learning and Commonsense Answers
The School Student’s Bill of Rights
Quotes About the Detriments of Schooling
Alternatives to Traditional Schooling
© 2003 by Laurie A. Couture, M.Ed, LMHC
When their children turn five, most parents are swept up in the routine of registering their children for public schooling because they believe that they have no choice. Most parents never question the necessity of a public, traditional education, and assume that school is a must, and that teachers will take proper and good care of their children. Children are then detached from their families and forced to spend the day away from their parents, because it is ingrained in our society, "that is what children have to do". If children are lucky enough in the lottery of class assigning, they might, for one year, land under the care of those rare gems- teachers who nurture a child’s spirit and make school palatable, safe, nurturing and even fun. However, it is rare to get such an exceptional teacher two years in a row, let alone 12 years in a row.
For parents who wish to protect their children from the detrimental aspects of traditional schooling, there are alternatives. Often, in my work with children and families, parents will explain how their very bright children are failing in school, unmotivated, inundated with homework, or, that their unique personalities, learning, emotional and physical needs are not being met at school. When I ask if parents have "considered other alternatives" to their child’s school, I get a shocked, surprised look. "Alternatives? What alternatives?" Most take for granted that children do not HAVE to labor under such conditions, and that as parents, they have the right to select alternatives for their child’s education. What are the alternatives to traditional schooling?
Self-Directed Learning
Homeschooling
Unschooling,
Independent study
Apprenticeship
Internship
For more information, please view the Homeschooling and Positive Schooling Resource Page
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Democratic Schools
Child-centered, non-traditional private schools- exist in this country and are very successful at helping
children regain their passion and love for learning. The Sudbury Valley School Press will help you locate a democratic school in your area:
The Sudbury Valley School
http://www.sudval.org
2 Winch Street
Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: 508/877-3030
Fax: 508/788-0674
Email:"office@sudval.org".
From their homepage:
"The Sudbury Valley School is a place where children are free. Their natural curiosity is the starting point for everything that happens at the school. Here, students initiate all their own activities. The staff, the plant, the equipment are there to answer their needs. Learning takes place in formal and informal settings, in large and small groups, or individually. All ages are free to mix at all times. The dynamics among students of different ages, helping each other learn about everything from human relations to math, is one of the greatest strengths of the school. Students share responsibility for their own environment, and for the quality of life at school. The school is managed by the weekly School Meeting, where every student and staff member has a vote: an education at Sudbury Valley is also an education in hands-on democracy."
The Albany Free School
http://www.albanyfreeschool.com/
8 Elm Street
Albany, NY 12202
Phone: (518) 434-3072
From their website:
"Truth be told, we are a community far more than a school - a safe, nurturing, open space where daily fifty-five kids ages two through fourteen, eight full-time teachers, a cook, a steady stream of interns, volunteers and visitors, as well as myriad goats, chickens, rabbits, pet rats, lizards and goldfish work, play, learn and eat together. Yes, there are certain traditional school trappings: Some rooms have desks and blackboards; there are lots of shelves with books and teaching materials of all kinds in others; and throughout the building there is a state of the art computer network, thanks to Times Warner Cable and a very generous local business. In addition, students are organized into homeroom groups more or less by age in order for them to have a space to call their own and a specific teacher to check in with during the day. However, the resemblance to "school" pretty much ends here. Noise overshadows quiet. Kids are moving about constantly and play is rampant. We do not have a curriculum, or any compulsory classes. Classroom sessions that do take place are usually informal and last as long as the interest holds. There are not any tests or grades either, because we have discovered by trial and error over the years that learning happens best when it happens for its own sake. Again and again, our experience has confirmed that a child's innate desire to learn is a far more powerful motivating force than any external reward - or threat."
Respect: What Children Get in Democratic Schools by Daniel Greenberg (Article)
http://www.educationfutures.org/Respect.htm
Blue Mountain School (Oregon)
http://www.bluemountain-school.org/
541-942-7764
Liberty School (Maine)
http://www.liberty-school.org/
207-374-2886
Links to other democratic schools in the USA, Canada and World-wide:
http://www.educationrevolution.org/lisofdemscho.html
http://www.sudval.org/other.html
http://www.bluemountain-school.org/otherschools.html
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Child-Centered Schools
These schools focus on the psychological, physical and learning needs of children in action, rather than just in statement. Their philosophies and curriculums generally conform to the individual goals, developmental stages, dreams, talents, gifts, abilities, learning styles and needs of each child, and are based upon respect and love for the wonder of young people. These schools tend to center the curriculum around children, rather than, in traditional schools, expecting the children to conform to the curriculum. There are many such schools in the country, and finding them may take research. many are based on the philosophies of:
Search the web for Waldorf and Montessori schools in your area.
Sparhawk School (Grades K-12)
http://www.sparhawkschool.com
259 Elm St.
Amesbury MA 01913
Phone: 978-388-5354
From their ads:
"Individualized academic instruction, joyful and nurturing, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based, good friendships, excellence in faculty and academics... and time for reflection and wonder."
Hawthorne Valley School
Waldorf-based education
http://www.hawthornevalleyschool.org/
330 Rt. 21C
Ghent, NY 12075
Chicago Waldorf School (Illinois)
http://www.chicagowaldorf.org/
Montessori Schools in the USA
http://privateschool.about.com/blmsub6_montessori_index.php
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For more information, please view the Homeschooling and Positive Schooling Resource Page
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