When Should Kids Learn to Read?
If we started enrolling all of our 1-year-olds in English classes, within a couple of generations everyone would think children could not learn English without taking classes. Last time I illustrated how children learn to read and write in Self-Directed Education, which is more or less the same way they learn their native language—through immersion […]
They Teach Themselves to Read
Madison couldn’t read. She was seven years old, enrolled in a school that doesn’t have classes and doesn’t require children to learn to read. The written word was all around her. A sign was taped to the table advertising her friend’s art store: “Kitty corns 30¢ tada!” “What does that say?” Madison would ask. Some […]
Control Is a Myth
How can we be sure that kids will learn everything they need to know? This is a question we hear a lot in Self-Directed Education. We hear it not just from skeptical outsiders, but also in our own heads. Even after seeing and feeling the benefits of a free childhood, most parents find it hard […]
7 Principles of Self-Directed Education
In a conventional school, children are fed textbooks and lessons, but hardly anything that’s force-fed to them this way is really learned or integrated to become part of what they “know.” Yet people who graduate from conventional schools are generally not empty-headed—nor are people who graduate from self-directed schools. I’ve put together seven principles to […]
Monthly Happenings May 2022
Happy Pride Month. Welcome to the Monthly Happenings! It was one heck of a month, to say the least. There is so much to fill you in on, so if you are new to our Open School community, Welcome!! If you’ve been with us for a while, Hello again!! This month we had our first-ever […]
You Can’t Skip Play
From trips to the local Jr. College for Chemistry Class, to studying Norse Mythology with students all over the continent, here at The Open School we can confidently say there’s been plenty of child-driven organized learning. We’ve witnessed a trend where older students, particularly in their teen years, become increasingly interested in class-like study, but […]
What Is Education?
A: “Our school has no teachers, no classes, and no homework.” B: “So, the kids don’t learn anything?” A: “No, they do learn. They get a good education.” B: “How is that possible?” I’m so glad you asked, B! It’s a good question and one that deserves a good answer. It’s not complicated but requires […]
Monthly Happenings April 2022
Welcome to the Monthly Happenings! And May the 4th be with you!!! I know this is late, BUT! It’s because I have a super good reason. We had an amazing gala and a week-long camping trip. And man, oh man, it was one heck of a month, to say the least. There is so much […]
Monthly Happenings March 2022
Welcome to the Monthly Happenings! This is our March addition. And just like last month, the time flew by. We have so much to tell you, so if you are new to our Open School community, “Welcome!!” If you’ve been with us for a while, “hello again!!” This month we got ANOTHER new staff member!! […]
Monthly Happenings February 2022
Welcome to the Monthly Happenings! It was one heck of a month, to say the least. There is so much to fill you in on, so if you are new to our Open School community, Welcome!! If you’ve been with us for a while, Hello again!! This month we got a new staff member: […]
