AERO-GRAMME #21 The Alternative Education Resource Organization Newsletter 417 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 * ISSN # 10679219 516 621-2195 FAX 516 625-3257 E mail: jmintz@igc.apc.org Web site: HTTP://www.speakeasy.org/~aero SPRING 1997
AERO LAUNCHES NEW RADIO SHOW: THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION! On March 31, AERO aired the first edition of its new radio show THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION with Jerry Mintz on the Talk America Network. Talk America is a commercial all-talk network. At present the show goes to seven stations in six states. We already have seven sponsors. On the first show we interviewed Jenifer Goldman who wrote the book My Life as a Traveling Homeschooler when she was 11 years old.
On the second show we interviewed Leni Santoro and her son Anthony. Leni has been homeschooling her children for many years, but she and Anthony have also been on the local Parent Teacher Association and Anthony participates in local school activities. Lanie also talked about an innovative lending library she has created which provides educational games and toys for use by her whole community.
The third show was broadcast live from the Youth Summit Conference at Hampshire College at Amherst, Massachusetts. On that show, we interviewed Chris Kawicki, a recent Hampshire College graduate who is starting a new school in Vermont. Chris had organized an innovative learning program at Hampshire when he was a student there. We also interviewed a representative of Berea College which takes Appalachian students tuition free.
The fourth show was broadcast live from the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools Conference in Chicago on April 30th. On that show, we interviewed Francis Wright-Johnson, a teacher at Clonlara School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We talked about the school and also about its home based education progam. We aslo interviewed Marvin Garcia, Director of the Pedro Albizu Campos High School, an important inner-city Chicago school that serves the Puerto Rican community.
On the fifth show we interviewed Steve Boncheck of Harmony School in Bloomington, IN. Tapes of the shows are available from AERO. By the time you read this the show should also be available in the Internet at http://www.talkamerica.com.
On future shows we intend to put the spotlight on many people who are doing innovative things in education. The show airs at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time every Sunday morning. To call into the show, anyone can dial 888-882-TALK. We are also negotiating with Talk America to be on their larger network which has a base of 50 stations; however, any local station can carry the show. We encourage people to talk to local stations to encourage them to carry the show so that we can get the word out about what is happening in the Education Revolution. We believe that strong media presence is a good way to let more and more people know that they really do have choices in education.
SUMMER PROGRAM IN ENGLAND AT DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS CONFERENCE, SANDS SCHOOL, AND VISIT TO SUMMERHILL! As you may remember, last summer AERO organized a very successful international summer camp in France at Theleme School in the Pyrenees Mountains. For this summer's program we will be bringing students and teachers to England to the Democratic Schools Conference at Sands School. In addition, we have received permission from Zoe Neill Readhead to bring the group to Summerhill for a few days after the conference. We will also visit London. The Democratic Schools Conference will be an eleven day event for students parents and teachers from around the world. If you are a subscriber to AERO-GRAMME, you have read about the previous conference in Israel at Hadera School in AERO-GRAMME #18. The dates of the program are from July 6 to July 23rd. It may not be too late to join our group if you contact us right away.
SURVEY BEING PLANNED BY AERO: Check the numbers of your most important issues Following this note are survey questions which were suggested by our readers. We asked people to indicate some of the most important issues for their schools or programs. Please indicate the NUMBERS of the questiions which you feel are most important and send to us at jmintz@acl.nyit.edu, or mail to the AERO office. There is no limit to the total numbers you may submit. We will compile the results and let you know which ones have garnered the most interest. Our intern suggests that you also use them as a basis for discussion in your school and homeschool meetings. If you can think of a question not in the survey, send that along, too.
STUDENTS 1. How do you create a diverse student body? 2. How do you help students learn how to use freedom? 3. How should schools deal with gender domination of schools, or of groups within schools, lack of mixed genders within groups? 4. What about schools not having enough students or enough students within an age group? 5. How do we find out how to work better with giftedness, both in school and in homeschooling? 6. How do you counter the culture which tells kids they aren't really in school when they go to a free school? What to do with kids who don't appreciate or understand or respect the process which they are in? 7. How do we find resources within the school's philosophy for helping students with special educational problems and learning disabilities? 8. How do we walk the line between being nurturing, and holding kids to standards in their work?
PARENTS 9. How do you get parents involved, get them to volunteer to do work for the school? 10. How do we prevent problems with a school becoming "co-opted" by gradually more affluent, more conservative parents? 11. How do you overcome the insecurity of homeschool parents--"can I really do this?" 12. How does a school deal with parental anxiety, the need for parent education? 13. How does a parent deal with lack of family support, community support for homeschooling or alternative schools?
TEACHERS 14. How do we train teachers within our schools? 15. How does a school hold on to staff with low salaries? 16. What programs are there to educate teachers in democratic process and alternative education? 17. How do staff inspire academic achievement within a democratic and alternative school process? 18. What can we do about teachers who forget the school is for students? 19. How do we deal effectively with staff conflict when the school is supposed to be a supportive wonderful place to be, and nobody wants to disrupt that image?
FINANCES 20. How can we use fundraising and dealing with financial problems as a means of building unity? 21. How do we find grants and funding sources other than tuition? 22. What are the advantages and disadvantages of proprietary or for-profit schools and non-profits with a board? How many schools are for profit and how many are non-profit? 23. Is there any history of successfully merging businesses and alternative schools?
DEMOCRACY 24. Is true democracy so hard to accept? If so, why? 25. How can democratic education be introduced into public school systems? 26. How big should a democratic school be? 27. Have alternative schools successfully tried to create a consensus process as opposed to pure democracy?
PHILOSOPHY 28. Why do schools not regularly re-examine their basic principles? Why is there a lack of openness to questioning the way they operate without dogmatic responses. 29. How do we avoid schools becoming institutionalized in order to survive? 30. How to deal with the feeling that learning must be painful? 31. How far should you go to attract students to the school, even if the parents don't understand or agree with the philosophy? 32. How can the school pioneers transmit their ideas and approaches to younger leaders? 33. Does our culture hate adolescents? If so, why?
PUBLIC RELATIONS 34. How do we convince the public that alternative schools are good for the so called "A" students and not just for the "at-risk" students? 35. How to deal with the public school corruption of the meaning of "alternative school?" 36. How do we convince big organizations like Petersons (guide publishers) that there can be more types of schools than college prep, and special needs (their only two categories at this point).
INTERNAL POLITICS AND POLICY 37. How do you keep energy for a school after the founders leave? 38. How do you create a learning community in a school? 39. What can we do about conflicts within alternative education associations and groups? 40. How do you fight your way through bureaucracies to create freedom for students? 41. How do you deal with the prejudice that public choice and at-risk schools and private alternatives have against each other?
LEGAL ISSUES 42. How do you deal with fire and health inspectors? 43. To what extent should a school prepare for legal problems? What kind of liability insurance should they get? What activities should be absolutely avoided? 44. How should a school deal with legal charges and lawsuits, for example, charges of sex abuse and harassment, discrimination, injuries?
NEW QUESTIONS 45. What is the main reason why some alternative schools fail to survive? How can we reach people from such schools to find out the answers? 46. When do "kids" become adults? How does/can one define childhood vs. adulthood? 47. How do alternative schools deal with drug problems? 48. What are the most effective ways to deal with violence in and out of school?
VIRGIN ISLANDS CONSULTING PROJECT From February 19-23 I did a teacher training workshop for staff of at-risk public alternative schools in the Virgin Islands. It was hard work and a very interesting experience. I even got to be a tourist for the last day.
There were over 40 teachers in the program. I insisted that there also be students involved in the workshop, and five of them participated. They were the hit of the event. Even their own teachers didn't realize how articulate and insighteful they could be.
There were several schools involved. Some flew over from a school in St. Croix which is having a very hard time, partly because the students AND the teachers are not in the school by choice! A lot of our time was spent creating ways to reorganize that school.
As we brainstormed, many of the participants came to realize that what they really needed there was a CHOICE alternative, open to all students. The school where we had the workshop, New Horizons, was doing a pretty good job with its students, and people wondered why this couldn't be offered to all kids, instead of just at-risk kids. At one point I discussed this privately with the Superintendent of the Virgin Islands Schools, and she seemed quite taken with the idea. We expect to do some follow-up work. -JM
NCACS NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO On April 15, I left by train to Chicago for the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools Conference -- the first NCACS conference that I had attended in six years. The NCACS is a national organization of public and private alternative schools and homeschoolers. There were about 150 teachers, students and parents in attendance at this conference, most of which took place in a building that served as a conference center in northeastern Chicago, near the lakefront.
There was a variety of workshops. One of the most powerful events of the conference was a play put on by local students about AIDS and AIDS prevention in which a variety of scenarios were acted out. There were tours of Chicago's Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Black communities. A lot of action took place after the official workshops in a special room which was made available to people who wanted to stay up late talking and making music. A mix of adults and students populated that room long into the night, playing chess, card games, singing and talking. .
This conference was remarkable for the diversity of its participants which included at least two groups from Japan, as well as participants with Black, White, Hispanic, and Filipino backgrounds. The conference also featured an auction which raised over $500 for the organization, and a sometimes hilarious talent show.
Pedro Albizu Campos High School, one of the sponsoring organizations, has a base of people supporting the idea of Puerto Rican nationalism, but the political philosophies of those in attendance included quite a spectrum of beliefs. The commonality is the belief that the education system must change to one which better meets the needs of children everywhere.
I was the director of the NCACS for several years before starting AERO and now serve as a member of the advisory board.
I traveled by train back to New York with Kazu Kojima and 10 of his students from the Global School in Japan, who stayed at my house for the week before traveling to other alternative schools around the country.
YOUTH SUMMIT AT HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE Just before the NCACS Conference I went to the Youth Summit at Hampshire College, a gathering of youth activists from around the world. It was sponsored by the National Child Rights Alliance (PO Box 61125, Durham, NC 27705, Ph 919 682-5509). The gathering included presentations by young anarchists, Marxists, gay rights activists, and a dramatic presentation by street children from a democratic school in Haiti.
EDWARDS FOUNDATION GRANT OF $25,000 HELPS FOUR SCHOOLS The Edwards Foundation has awarded a grant to support the Stork Family School in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, the Moscow International Film School, the Rogers Person-Centered School, in Budapest, Hungary, and the Free School, in Albany, NY. These grants were secured through our efforts, and we have already sent the funds to these schools. The following is from our original letter to David Gamper, President of Edwards, proposing the grant:
As you know the Stork Family School had to pay $7000 in "back taxes" and they continue to have to pay 51% taxes on tuition. The money that we gave them last year we were able to give them without any imposition of taxes by doing it through an arm of the Soros Foundation. This seems to have helped them make contact with the Ukraine office of the Soros Foundation, and they have applied for funds from them, with no result so far.
Oleg Bellen of Stork reports that they are fighting valiantly, but it is a great struggle, even though they are beginning to have an impact on schools in their area. (For example, the teachers have not been paid for three months.) It is ironic that for some they have become a model, and even have hosted a conference of school principals. They feel that they may very well be able to get this tax situation changed if they can continue processes which they have started. Most of the families which have kids in their school are not upper income families, even for the Ukraine, but they are very dedicated to keeping the school going. They used the funds we gave them for basic school equipment and to give two students a scholarship.
The Rogers Person Centered School in Budapest, Hungary is undoubtedly the most unusual and important alternative in the country. I have met teachers and students from the school at the last two democratic schools conferences. They have students up to 12 years old, but are not able to go to higher grades as they had planned, because their space isn't big enough, and now they are being forced out of their building at the end of this year and are searching for another one to buy or rent, or build.
The Moscow International Film School has just gone through a very rough period. Their building was inspected by the Board of Education and they had decided to close the school because so many repairs were needed. Sergey Gratchev, my contact there, convinced them to put off their decision while he raised the money to do the repairs. He borrowed $50,000 from local businesses, the repairs were made, and the school stayed open. They are a public alternative with 100 students, but public school funding is decreasing. In fact, they have received no government money yet this calendar year. Much of their support comes from several businesses which he has convinced to contribute $300 a month, but the parents are not required to pay any tuition. Internally, the school is still doing well, runs as a democracy, and is organizing some international film conferences.
The Free School in Albany is doing a great job for its students, and as usual, the finances are shaky. The genius of the school has been that it has bought at auction and renovated several inner-city row houses, and that the rent has supported the school. Tuition ranges from a high of $150 a month down to a low of $5 or $10 a month.
We received this grateful e mail from Csata Istvan (csatai@minolta.hu), a teacher at the Rogers School in Budapest, Hungary, whom we had met at the Democratic Schools Conference in Israel:
Dear Jerry,
WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE FOR THE URGENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT GIVEN BY THE EDWARDS FOUNDATION!!!!! Your support is going to contribute to finding a building for Rogers School in Budapest. With the money you help us to solve the problem of 2OO people (pupils, parents, teachers, staff) who are looking for a long-range solution for the school community.
For more than half a year we have been working on our school building project. We tried to raise money from different institutions, foundations and donors. I think that except for the heavy economical situation in Hungary, there is a disputable point in the policy of giving financial support for the non-profit organisations. Usually the foundations don't help if you need a building (property) or money for running your project (for electricity, rent etc.). They say that in the condition of the free market all the participants have to learn how to sustain themselves by their own efforts. I agree with, this but there are exceptions when the participants are not in the same position for competing/surviving as the others. THAT'S WHY WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HELP! PERSONALLY, I AM FASCINATED VERY MUCH BY THE NON-BUREAUCRATIC WAY OF GIVING YOUR SUPPORT.
One of the grants was to the Free School in Albany, to support the renovation of a new building which they have recently acquired. It is a fine multi-cultural school with students from pre-school to about age 13, and operates as a participatory democracy, maybe the best we've seen for younger students. The Free School is supported in part by contributions from people who live in the buildings they have fixed up, so their tuition is quite low and flexible. Also, these apartments are available to rent for families which might wish to visit the Free School or move to Albany so their children can attend the Free School. For more information, contact Chris or Nancy at The Free School, 8 Elm St, Albany, NY 12202. Tel: 518-434-3072.
FROM THE AERO WEB SITE E mail addresses are: jmintz@acl.nyit.edu jmintz@igc.apc.org JerryAERO@AOL.com DPMX82A@prodigy.com. Web site is http://www.speakeasy.org/~aero
Denise Mullin Email: kmullin@kgm.com I am interested in information on grants or loans for my homeschooler to learn a specific CAD program so that my husband and I can hire him as a cad operator for our design business. Any information I can get will be appreciated. D. Mullin
Shanna Love Petr Petr1@airmail.net We are starting a small open learning center for ages 9-12 in Denton, Texas.
Brad Schmicker bschmick.@dwave.net I am a public school teacher. Now in my 17th year as an educator, I am more convinced than ever than ever that there is not one path to a young person's education. My interest and frustration in educational issues (primarily public schools) have only increased as my own children begin their educational journey. I hope this contact and others will help explore and possibly find a solution to my many questions. Thanks for your site.
Michele Friedman SheSan@aol.com Glad to find you! Looking to home school my son! Your site helped!
Dave Heinbach Email: dheinbac@wvu.edu Nice to find out that you're out there!
Traci Houle buzdincatl I am frustrated with the Seattle public school (traditional) and am looking for alternative schooling for my 5th grade son. He is very smart and has no learning disabilities. Please send any and all information that would help in our search for quality schooling! Thank you
John Balch wildquest@earthlink.net Hi, Jerry! (Wildquest is a outdoor education program and camp)
Kelley's kelleyco@slic.com Homeschooled 6 children- 12 years, 3 into college, 2 graduate school...keep schooling...
Molly Padgett atmywindow@aol.com I am looking for an interest-based alternative program at the high school level that can be worked at home without too much parent involvement....or at some location near Washington DC. Any suggestions?
leslie langley Email: www.lhleslie@hotmail.com I am setting up bookmarks for homeschoolers at the public librtary in which I work. Your address is listed in the march '97 issue of SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL p.109 as a hs resource.
robyn weissman rweiss51@maine.maine.edu I found this incredibly interesting and I would love to order some things.
ALFRED LEVITT MEETS ALEX KLYUY
I first met Alfred Levitt at the reunion of the Ferrer Modern School Movement. Born near the border of what is now the Ukraine and Belarus, he emigrated to New York and had been a student at the Modern School when he was young. He had learned about art there, and ultimately had become one of the important artists of this century, with over 20 of his paintings in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum. When I met him he was 100 years old! He is listed in a publication put out by the Ellis Island Museum as being one of the 20 most significant people to come through there, along with people such as Irving Berlin, Marline Deitrich and Bob Hope.
Subsequently he had called me to his apartment in Greenwich Village. He asked me to help him start a new democratic school in New York. I agreed to help him organize it, and have started working on the project. He is now 102 year old. (Please contact the AERO office if you are interested in becoming involved with this project).
On that visit I mentioned that I had been working with a family which had been connected with an alternative school in the Ukraine. They emigrated recently to Brooklyn. They have a son, thirteen, who is a serious artist. Alex studies on weekends at the New York Art League, and is very talented. Alfred said he wanted to meet the boy, and Alex said he really wanted to meet Alfred.
That weekend I was speaking to a young anarchist group. The first Modern Schools were started by anarchist Francisco Ferrer in 1901. The meeting was to be near Alfred's apartment, and he even said he was planning to attend the meeting. It seemed like a good time to have Alex meet Alfred, since he studies at the Art League on Saturdays. He planned to meet us at Alfred's apartment after my talk.
I went to Alfred's after my talk. It turned out that he missed the meeting because he had thought it would be in the evening, Also, he was a bit distracted because the BBC had been taping an interview with him just the day before, to be broadcast some time in March.
I talked to him for about an hour, until the buzzer rang as Alex, his father and younger brother entered the building three floors below.
Alfred, who suffers from stenosis of the spine, rose slowly to his feet with the help of his cane. They told him that they could do surgery to correct it, but that "there was a 10% chance I wouldn't get up off the operating table. Jerry, I love life too much to take that chance. I'll just keep on living with it this way."
I opened the apartment door and waited for them to get off the elevator.
His father carried a heavy portfolio of Alex's art. They walked over and came in the door. Alfred shook hands with Alex's father, Vladamir, who reacted with some surprise at its firmness. That, it turned out, set the tone for the whole meeting. Alfred, who continues to live life with great passion, knowing there may be no tomorrow, spoke urgently and with great force and animation with Alex, who listened just as intently. Alex seemed almost transfixed with the man, his art, and the surroundings.
Alfred insisted that Alex's drawings and portraits be placed on a large, lighted easel by the window. He looked carefully but quickly at each one, grasping my arm and rising to his feet to get a closer look, then commenting on them and pulling out paintings and sketches of his own to compare with Alex's. "You see how strong every part of this painting is? Look at the dark lines here, and here" he would say, covering parts of the painting with his hands. "Now look at yours. This part doesn't say anything. It is empty!" Alex listened carefully with not a trace of defensiveness. Unspoken but tacitly understood was the fact that Alfred thought Alex was very talented and was well worth taking this time to teach. He knew that something very precious was being given to him to take into the future.
Looking at another sketch he said, "You have to decide if you are going to be an artist or a cartoonist! This is just decoration! That's OK if that's what you want to do, but to be an artist you must develop the vocabulary of an artist. in the same way as you would develop it as a writer. You must study it and work at it every day! Don't bother framing them. Just put them away and look at them again ten years later. Don't follow what other people tell you to do. It has to express who you are inside!"
Alex listened intently, then and asked Alfred when he had done each painting. When Alex mentioned that his favorite painter was Matisse, Alfred said that he had known him, as well as virtually all of the other great artists of the century. He had lived in Paris for a long time, directing an art school there.
Alfred talked about color, perspective, and perception. "One time when I was studying art I was assigned to draw a picture of Beethoven from a bust. I was expected to draw EVERY HAIR exactly as it was. There was a time in art when that was important. But now we have photography for that. Put on the canvas what your mind sees, not just what your eyes see!"
Alex picked up a photograph of Alfred taken in a cave in the French Pyerenees twenty years ago, when he was 82. He had explored hundreds of these caves, even slept in them, to study and understand the cave paintings made thousands of years ago.
As Alfred kept on looking at Alex's portfolio, a drawing Alex had made of his father caught his eye. "Not bad" he said, almost automatically. He criticized one or two parts of the drawing, but kept on saying, "But it's not bad. Not bad." Alex and all of us knew that this was great praise.
After an hour the meeting had come to an ending point. "I don't want to say too much" Alfred said. "If I say too much you won't remember it all."
Alex wanted to know if he could come back and visit again. He asked several times, and Alfred always answered "Of course you can!" Whether he does or not, we all knew that this was a meeting that Alex would carry with him far into the 21st century.
MAIL AND COMMUNICATIONS Edited by Carol Morley Postcard from John Gatto: "Hey Jerry! Spain, Mexico, then Panama, back in March, booked until December. Best New Year to you." Hope you get out of this slump soon, John!
The Center for Interim Programs works with high school graduates pursuing a year off before college, college students taking a break from their studies, anyone looking for direction, teachers on sabbatical, etc. The Center gathers information about existing programs, encourages development of new opportunities, and makes this knowledge and experience available to their students. They have information on opportunities in every region of the United States and in most foreign countries. For more information: PO Box 2347, Cambridge, MA 02238. Tel: 617-661-2864. E-mail: Interim@thecia.net.
The Winter 97 issue of Skole published Jerry Mintz's account of his recent work as consultant to the Waabno Gamaak School of the Grand Traverse Band in northern Michigan. The alternative school had been created and paid for by the tribe which is hoping it would eventually become a charter school. Most of the students were from families with serious problems and were unruly and disruptive. Jerry introduced the concept of democratic meetings; during subsequent meetings, proposals were passed to adapt the "stop" rule and establish a judicial committee, among others. Skole, 8 Elm St., Albany, NY 12202.
The Kids Way Foundation publishes a Young Entrepreneur newsletter which shows teens and preteens how to earn money, start a business, and prepare for interesting careers. The current issue includes reports of 15 young people with unusual ideas for finding customers and getting business. It is published bimonthly; a free copy is available by contacting Kids Way at 1-888-KIDSWAY. 5585 Peachtree Rd., Chamblee, GA 30341.
Vermont College of Norwich University and The Institute for Educational Studies (TIES) are now accepting applications for enrollment for the 97-98 Internet-based Master's program. The course of study is completed over three semesters. The program is designed for teaching practitioners, teacher aspirants, or education advocates. More information is available from TIES, Philip Snow Gang PhD, Director, PO Box 411, Brookfield, VT 05036. Tel: 800-386-7725. Fax: 802-276-3708. E-mail: ties@tmn.com.
Dining on the Wilds is a 6-hour video set of classroom instruction about edible wild plants complete with demonstrations, field trips, a cooking class, and a "weed feed" banquet. Featured in the videos is Miriam Kramer who has 30 years of experience and teaches this same class in a Southern California university. Outdoor Eduquip, 24414 University Ave #34, Loma Linda, CA 92354. Tel: 909-796-8501.
The Sudbury Valley Press Newsletter (Jan 97) reprinted articles from the Sacramento Valley School Newsletter (Vol 6 # 1) about the Democratic Schools Conference in Massachusetts. The conference was hosted by Sudbury Valley School. Articles included one by Kaye Lynn Peterson, a student of Sacramento V. S. She compared this 1996 visit to her first one in 1991. The first time at Sudbury, she found it to be "spine-tingly." This second time, she felt "grounded and at home." Mary Lou Wright and Brenda Gustin also contributed their articles, as well as May Nares who described the school name as being "almost synonymous with Mecca, or the Vatican"; the people "revealed themselves to be absolutely extraordinary." SVS, 2 Winch St., Framingham, MA 01701.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN) are collaborating to use telecommunications to connect middle and high schools in the U.S. with schools in Africa with the goal of building cultural awareness between students and involve them in a variety of on-line curriculum-based projects. To find out more about this program, contact I*EARN at 475 Riverside Dr., #540, New York, NY 10115. Tel: 212-870-2693. E-mail: www.iearn.org/iearn/.
The Community Educational Resource Coalition's A Museletter printed an article by Jayn Avery entitled Floyd Community Educational Association - A Perspective. In it Jayn briefly outlines the history of Blue Mountain School, the FCEA, CERC, the democratic system, and alternative approaches to education, communications, and community. "At its base is grassroots self determination. It is its democratic nature that preserves the qualities of respect and collective support." The CERC Newsletter, PO Box 81, Floyd, VA 24091.
Dr. Gayle Kimball's new book, The Teen Trip, combines the wisdom of young people with the author's research for a useful resource. In it, 1500 young people report on their experiences and coping techniques. Topics include peers, family, school, work, community, sexuality, drugs, and college. Available from equality=press, 42 Ranchita Way, Suite 5, Chico, CA 95928.
Part Two of an "Interview with Mary Leue" was printed in The Educare Bulletin (Spring/Summer 1996). Mary Leue recalls the Seventies period of the Free School when "people were hanging loose and looking for something alternative." She discusses how the democratic process helped the school in "making it up as we go." In the same issue, William Mundy reports on the 1996 International Alternative Schools Conference and how astounding it is "how many faces invention has." He met our Jerry Mintz there who told William why he preferred to run a school on a shoestring or no budget at all: "If you have even the smallest budget, you have to attach a plan to it," and that closes the door on creativity. The Venice Community School, 31191 Road 180, Visalia, CA 93292. Tel: 209-592-4999.
In their Winter 97 newsletter, Fairhaven School announced that they have located a 7-acre site for their school. They hope to be ready to open the Sudbury-model school by January, 1998. For more information, write to them at Box 184, Davidsonville, MD 21035.
Catherine Buie-Jennings, daughter of Archie and Sue Buie, founders of Stone Soup School in Florida, wrote to update us on the changes her wilderness programs have been undergoing in Black Mountain, NC. Stone Mountain School has provided young people, ages 9 to 18 with summer opportunities in its Talisman Summer Camp program. Campers come to them with a variety of learning disabilities and social skills deficits. Programs are designed to help build a more positive self-image, teach independent living, and impart communications skills. In 1991, an emotional-growth school was started which is now serving primarily privately-referred students. This year, a 15-day teen trekking program and a family enrichment program have been added. Catherine can be reached at Stone Mtn. School, 601 Camp Elliot Rd., Black Mountain, NC 28711. Tel: 704-669-8639. Fax: 704-669-2521.
Early Childhood Education of the Naropa Institute will hold its Spirituality in Education conference May 30 to June 3 featuring the Dalai Lama and others. There will be several post-conference education workshops from June 4 to 8. Richard C. Brown, Chair, wrote us: "Thanks for continuing to good work with AERO! I read each issue with great interest and then pass it along to our students, some of whom have used it to make connections with schools around the country." That's why we do what we do! We appreciate your feedback. 2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80302. Tel: 303-546-5288. Fax: 303-444-0410.
The Joyful Child Journal is a guide for parents and professionals who serve children in nurturing the fullest development of the child's potential. Each quarterly issue includes many feature articles, book/audio/video reviews, value-based stories for children, poems, and more. Their address is 4920 E. Altadena Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85254-4627. Tel: 602-494-3383.
Dragonfly, an inquiry-driven magazine for young investigators in grades 3 through 6, is the first national publication devoted to the voices of children and research scientists, and an outlet for science conducted by children. The magazine is part of the multi-faceted Project Dragonfly (PDF) which encompasses the students magazine, the Dragonfly Teacher's Companion, the Dragonfly Home Companion, and DragonflyNet. PDF offers an alternative vision of science as a community of investigators. All children, parents, scientists, and teachers are invited to join. Dragonfly School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Human Development, Learning, & Teaching, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056. Tel: 513-529-8576. E-mail: myerslb@muohio.edu. To subscribe: 1-800-722-NSTA.
Each year, more parents are sending their children to adventure or challenge programs in the summer as a means of building self-esteem and developing character rather than to the "arts and crafts" type traditional camps. EDUCO is a wilderness based leadership program in which the mountains, canyons, rivers, and deserts of Colorado serve as a classroom to draw forth the best in young people. Programs are designed for 10 to 18 year olds in 8 to 21 day courses. They can be reached by writing to David Miller, Exec. Dir., Educo, 5569 No. Co. Rd. 29, Loveland, CO 80538. Tel: 1-800-332-7340. E-mail: Educo@aol.com.
The symposium of Medford Education International is planned to take place in August, 1998. It will focus on the work and legacy of Polish educator Janusz Korczak, a distinguished educator. He was also the author of children's novels including King Machush the First and King Machush on an Uninhabited Island. Both of these books focus on and try to resolve the conflicts between the world of the child and the world of the adult. MEI, 214 Stark St., Medford, OR 97504-7132.
A new book just released called Raising Kids with Just a Little Cash by Lisa Reid gives parents hundreds of money-saving tips to help make ends meet while raising kids on a budget. Covered are birthday parties on a shoestring, savings on children's clothes, toys, entertainment, family travel, and more. It is available from Ferguson-Carol Publishers, 36 Camino Cielo, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Tel: 505-983-3302.
The February 1997 issue of the Puget Sound Community School Newsletter was dedicated to the concept of kindness. The reason for this is the success of PSCS's on-line kindness class. The messages sent to the class address is automatically archived on to a web page for access by everyone (http://www.pscs.org/archives/pscskind/). "The hope is to start ripples of kindness that grow bigger and bigger and they touch more and more people." PSCS, 1715 112th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98004. Tel: 206-455-7617. E-mail: pscs.org.
NovaNET Campus has announced that the service is now available to everyone absolutely free. Campus makes hundreds of educational lessons available. NovaNET hopes that by providing Campus free, many families will subscribe and use this powerful educational tool. University Communications, Inc., 3895 N. Business Center Dr., Ste. 120, Tucson, AZ 85705. E-mail: http:// www.nn.com/campus.
LifePlay offers workshops which help people grow in healthy, cooperative, and joyful ways, ideal for alternative educators. Artists in residence programs are an aid to curriculum enhancement. Workshops and training programs in cooperative play, original play, creativity and adventure play are available by contacting Howard Moody, Director of LifePlay, PO Box 416, Lee, MA 01238. Tel: 888-792-PLAY or 413-623-0001.
Grassroots Free School has produced a spiral bound book of comments by former students and teachers to celebrate their 25th anniversary. A quote from a 27 year old former student, Joey Anderson, on the first page: "It's been ten years since I graduated but the freedom to control my academic destiny proved to be better preparation for college and the workplace than I realized at the time. I studied English and math, science and vocabulary, but I learned discipline and responsibility. Those are the lessons that have been most valuable in the classroom and beyond. Equally important, it made learning an activity without a time limit and without traditional boundaries..." The book, Grassroots Free School: Former Participants in Their Own Words, is $7.50. 2458 Grassroots Way, Tallahassee, FL 32311-9012
Review of Challenging the Giant, by Emanual Pariser: Volume III of "Challenging the Giant: The Best of Skole": The Journal of Alternative Education, is now officially out. Weighing in at 492 pages long the wonderfully diverse range of authors sculpting its pages range from Zoe Readhead, A.S. Neill's daughter, writing about her father, to home schooler Rebecca Furbush-Bayer,on the imperilled European Wolf, to Ron Miller and John Gatto verbally duking it out over whether public schools are redeemable or not.
Mary Leue, the editor and founder of "Skole", and the Albany Free School has the knack of inviting people to write - whether they be 5 or 50 -anyone who has something to say, somthing they mean sincerely, can say it in "Skole, The Journal of Alternative Education". This "Best of" collection is divided up into ten sections including: profiles of alternative schools around the country, essays by teachers on learning (several delightful chapters from Chris Mercogliano's newly released "Making it Up as We go Along-The History of Albany's Free School"),student writings, some gripping John Gatto polemics - writing as usual like a butterfly but stinging like a bee, and some pieces on the "Plight of Our Children".
The voices and points of view filling this edition are ones not usually heard from in "mainstream" discussions of education. They areimpassioned, dedicated, disgusted, learned, stimulated voices who are writing to communicate, to vent, to celebrate, to broaden their experience and those of their readers beyond the bounds of their own personal horizons. No one point of view dominates, no one writer gets top-billing, no particular vision is put on a pedestal. But there is an urgency to what is said - an urgency which is evident for those of us working with children and adolescents in and out of schools, which grows each day; an urgency which these assembled voices embody. It is an urgency which begs for action.
As Mary exhorts us on the book's back cover: "Don't just sit back and stew....Take back your power!...Make a start now by deciding what you really want (for your children), then begin working to figure out how to get it." Meanwhile order a copy of this book from Down to Earth Books, 72 Philip Street, Albany, New York, 12202.
PUBLIC ALTERNATIVES WINDSOR HOUSE PARENT-PARTICIPATION NON-COERCIVE DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOl, by Helen Hughs, founder We enroll young people in the age range of 5 to 18 years. We are a publicly-funded school housed in a school building that was closed as a regular school. We have 130 students, 6 FTE staff (actually 7 people sharing 6 salaries), and 10 support staff. Our members range in income from fairly well off to very poor. We have quite a few special-needs students, and at least a couple of ADHD staff persons.
We do not have classes unless they are asked for, and we do not give reportcards or grades. We do have a lot of conferences, but we try to not let them become a situation where we are sitting in judgement on a student. The families of students are expected to give 3 1/2 hours of time to the school each week. Some do, some don't.
The rules are made through the weekly Resolutions Meeting where each community member has one vote. The Judicial Committee meets daily and handles all rule infractions through a written complaints system. Staff find lots to do (actually teach classes sometimes) and are there to "hold the culture."
The young people must get licensed to use special equipment, and must be supervised to use the gym, library or woodwork area. Other than that, they have free run of the facility (10 rooms and a gym). By law, we must supervise the elementary-aged young people when they are outside, but the older ones may go off campus if they sign out to let us know where they are.
Building Support for Network Schools by Patricia Jean Wagner contains strategies for constructing an active exchange of ideas, information, and projects through interaction within the community. It includes informative activities, examples, and anecdotes on the art of network building, both inside and outside the walls of institutions. Send to: Pattern Research, Leif Smith and Pat Wagner, PO Box 9845, Denver, CO 80209-0845. Tel: 303-778-0880. Fax: 303-722-2680.
Dr. Richard Neumann is conducting a study of public alternative schools and is interested in descriptions of education programs at these schools (the more detailed the better), particularly schools that are not specifically targeted to students at risk. His address is San Diego State University, Dept. of Teacher Education, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-0415. Tel: 619-357-5539. E-mail: rneumann@mail.sdsu.edu.
Ann Lahrson Fisher wrote an essay on the Side Effects of Standardized Tests which was reprinted by Learning Unlimited Network of Oregon (LUNO). In it, she asserts that "Someone else knows what you should know better than you do. Your interests are not important. Your worth can be summarized by a single mark on a paper. The purpose of learning is to get a high score. If you score very well, you are better than other people who do not score as well." LUNO, Gene Lehman, 31960 SE Chin St., Boring, OR 97009.
Dr. Raymond E. Morley sent us a review he wrote about How to Create Alternative, Charter, and Magnet School by Dr. Robert Barr. "The message of the book is that the principles and practices born through alternative educators worldwide present this country with credible solutions to many of the challenges haunting public education today.... This text diminishes the common negative perception cast upon many existing alternative schools and presents research verifying the values of creating more alternatives at all levels of education.... Barr presents basic principles, program models, material resources, and numerous references for helping create effective alternatives including a "formula for success"....and the tools to accomplish the development of alternatives." Available from National Educational Service, 1252 Loesch Rd., PO Box 8, Bloomington, IN 47402-0008. Tel: 812-336-7700. Fax: 812-336-7790.
A summary of findings which Public Agenda printed, "Getting By: What American Teenagers Really Think About Their Schools." The students' opinions included a finding that "private school youngsters give their schools, and their school experience, outstanding ratings." In comparison to public school students, private school students experience less cheating, disruptive classmates, violence, and drug use. They also report less importance placed on dress, looks and social promotion. In particular, they are very positive about their teachers, with whom they share mutual respect and affection. Public Agenda, 6 E. 39th St., New York, NY 10016. Tel: 212-686-6610. Fax: 212-889-3461. E-mail: paresearch@aol.com.
Liberty High School, which is planning to open this September, offers students a diverse, innovative educational program that merges challenging and creative academic studies with artistic work and other educational opportunities that will enable young people to meet the demands of the 21st Century. They are working with a company who can buy the land, build the school, and lease it to them. This grass-roots project is seeking help in the form of advice, support, and/or funding for its democratic learning community. Contact Arnold Greenbert at PO Box 857, Blue Hill, ME 04614. Tel: 207-374-2886.
A reader's commentary by Joe Nathan, printed in the Winter 96/97 issue of Rethinking Schools, relates the frustrations of parents and teacher with the public school system. As the Director of the Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute, Joe Nathan strongly favors a charter school system, and the article outlines the key features of such schools. He highlights some examples of successful Charters in Boston, Jefferson County, CO, and Detroit. Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: 414-964-9646. Fax: 414-964-7220, E-mail: rethink@execpc.com.
R & D Watch, March 1997, summarized Mary Anne Raywid's definitions of schools-within-schools, mini-schools, and separate small schools and why some succeed while others fail.
According to Raywid, a true school-within-a-school "specifically plans and runs its own programs" and a small school is a "school-within-a-school with a new staff." However a mini-school has "no formal independence from the school that maintains it." She maintains that the school-within-a-school and small school concepts "are the only types that can foster true programmatic changes because they have three key characteristics: autonomy, separateness, and distinctiveness. R & D Watch, CEDAR, 2000 L Street, NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC 20036.
According to a statewide poll of voters conducted by Zogby International, New Yorkers overwhelmingly support Governor Pataki's proposals to cut and cap school property taxes and to authorize the creation of new independent charter schools. Nearly 75% of New Yorkers are in favor of a school property tax cut. The state teachers' union opposes the proposed tax cap, although 70.7% of citizens support it. Charter schools are favored by 64.5% of voters. The Center for Education Reform, 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 204, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-822-9000. Fax: 202-822-5077.
HOME EDUCATION NEWS Janie Levine Hellyer defines unschooling in the Spokane Area Homeschool Bulletin (Jan. 97) as : "The act of providing educational opportunities that are not necessarily those advocated or offered by schools and other institutions; education that meets the needs of the learner and takes into consideration the learning styles, needs, and interests of the individual." The Bulletin is published by The Family Learning Organization, PO Box 7247, Spokane, WA 99207-0247.
The Winter 1997 issue of The Current, also published by the Family Learning Organization gave two perspectives on education which spoke about Kathleen McCurdy's reactions to conferences she participated in recently. One was the Washington State School Directors Association; the other was a conference of the Separation of School and State Alliance, which Jerry also attended. The traditional school educators were enthusiastic about working with homeschoolers, parents, other alternative schools. Some of the Separation Alliance group seemed to find it "hard to acknowledge the importance of parents in education." FLO address above.
The Homeschool Exchange is a bi-monthly, nationwide, classified advertising newspaper dedicated to home educators. It provides the homeschooling family an opportunity to buy, sell, and trade new and used home education resources with other homeschooling families and suppliers across the nation. PO Box 1378, Boerne, TX 78006. Tel: 210-336-2021. Fax: 210-336-3105. E-mail: Hsxchange@aol.com.
Cafi Cohen e-mailed this to us from Usenet: "This was the first year ever that the College Board, who administers the PSAT (Preliminary SAT), kept track of how well homeschoolers did across the nation. Nationally, 1,574 homeschooling juniors took the PSAT in October 1995, and 79 qualified as National Merit Semifinalists. At the same time 1.1 million school-educated students took the same test, and 15,000 qualified as semi-finalists. Thus, 5.0% of the homeschoolers, as compared to 1.4% of the school-educated students, reached National Merit semi-finalist status." Thanks, Cafi, for the interesting stats.
A homeschooling mom, Cheri Howard, describes in the Mar/Apr 97 Home Education Magazine how she and her oldest daughter, Claire, went from using a fairly traditional approach to unschooling. Her second daughter, Terese, however, "decided she liked textbooks and a formal school schedule. This child, given the freedom of unschooling, instead chose to school herself formally." Each child chose what works best for her because of the freedom of unschooling. HEM, PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA 98855. Tel: 800-236-3278. E-mail: home-edu@televar.com.
Regular features appearing in The Electronic Homeschool include unit study resources, language, websites, math, unschooling, recipes, computers, and more. Each issue also contains several special features. It is edited and published by Beverly S. Krueger, PO Box 736, Bellevue, NE 68005-0736. E-mail: clayvessel@aol.com.
Two new Homeschool Guides have been written by Mark and Wendy Dinsmore. The Homeschool Guide to The Online World lists over 150 Web sites to explore, an explanation of the Web and how the Internet works, descriptions of and instructions for selecting an online service. The Homeschool Guide to the Internet explains the Internet in depth. The book lists over 250 Web resources, including online academies. Some section titles: "To FTP or PPP - That is the Question," "Gopher It!," and "Traffic's Not Crawling on the Web." Like these titles, the book is written in a fun, informative style. Address for both of these books below.
A new book by Rick and Marilyn Boyer is titled Home Educating with Confidence: How Ordinary Parents CAN Produce Extraordinary Children. As the parents of twelve (!) children, all homeschooled, the Boyers have 16 years experience, have written four books, write a regular column in the Home School Digest and numerous articles. In this book, they speak about curriculum choices, making learning fun, the father's role, discipline, socialization, preparing for college and/or a career. Address below.
Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy by Jonny McCoy gives "Eleven Miserly Guidelines" to help parents trip expenses on everything from groceries to gas. It describes cost-saving techniques, strategies, tips, and recipes.
All of the above four books are available from: GCP Publishing Group, PO Box 254, Elkton, MD 21922-0254. Tel: 410-392-5554. Fax: 410-392-8842.
In the introduction to his new book, Roland Meighan says: "The good news is that is possible to achieve an effective education in the UK, in the USA, and elsewhere too, and it does not matter which of the rival definitions of 'effective' education you adopt. The bad news is that you will probably have to do it yourself in the form of home-based education, for the evidence assembled in the pages that follows indicates clearly that school is now the second-best option." The evidence presented in The Next Learning System: and why home-schoolers are trailblazers supports what we homeschoolers have known all along: that "learning is life....it occurs everywhere and anywhere.....and people can direct their own learning." Educational Heretics Press, 113 Arundel Dr., Bramcote Hills, Nottingham, NG9 3FQ.
Dr. Jeffrey H. Getzell has been educating parents and other professionals about how to recognize signs that would indicate that some of a child's learning and/or behavioral problems may have a visual basis. In many cases, behavioral optometry has been very helpful. Several of Dr. Getzell's patients are homeschoolers. Dr. Getzell says that "children with ADHD or LD may have an underlying vision problem which has led to their condition." He emphasizes that vision should be checked thoroughly before medication is prescribed. Even a child with 20/20 eyesight may have vision-related difficulties. For more information, contact the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Inc., 1921 E. Carnegie Ave. Ste 3-L, Santa Ana, CA 92705-5510. Tel: 714-250-8070.
The National Dropout Prevention Network has announced a new network service. It is limited to Network members who have an e-mail address and who send that address to NDPC. For information about joining, email ndpc@clemson.edu. NDPC, College of Health, Education, & Human Development, Clemson University, 205 Martin St., Clemson, SC 29634-0726. Tel: 864-656-2599.
Mother Tongue is a home-based newspaper which reports on timely issues affecting families and local and global communities. It provides a forum for people who nurture a child to express themselves through editorials, stories, poetry, and art. A publication for people with children in their lives, they acknowledge and support people, organiations and resources that promote positive, holistic and peaceful values for families. The newspaper is free and is available from Mother Tongue, PO Box 640, Candler, NC 28715.
Kate and Ed Kerman are accepting applications from students who want to "homeschool away from home." They provide tutoring for traditional courses or portfolio programs, with graduation possible through Clonlara and other homebased education programs. Some student projects this year include: web page and newsletter development; blacksmithing; college planning; auto, truck and tractor mechanics, maple sugaring, algebra, among others. Call or write Phoenix Farm, 350 Troy Rd., Marlborough, NH 03455. Tel: 603-876-4562. E-mail: bababear@galaxy-mu.com.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS AUSTRALIA Connect Newsletter Number 102 reports that a new book describing the work of Junior School Councils which was recently launched in Victoria. Democracy Starts Here! was written by students and teachers from the LaTrobe District in Melbourne. Junior School Councils encourage and support students in decision-making partnerships as an important curriculum initiative in the areas of civics and citizenship, language development, and social education. The book can be purchased for only $10, which includes postage. For more information, contact Connect, 12 Brooke St., Northcote 3070, Victoria, Australia.
ENGLAND The Educational Foundation of America is funding scholarships for U.S. citizens to attend courses on ecological issues at Schumacher College in Southwest England. Scholarships include tuition, accommodations, food and outings. Contact Hilary Nicholson, Schumacher College, The Old Postern, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EA, UK. Tel: 011 44 1803 865934. Fax: 011 44 1803 866899. E-mail: schumcoll@gn.apc.org.
Education Otherwise is an organization which provides homeschooling families with support and information. They publish a newsletter and a contact list of members. If interested, write to PO Box 7420, London N9 9SG England. Tel: 0891 518303.
A book by Tony Jeffs and Mark K. Smith called Informal Education: Conversation, Democracy, and Learning," provides an introduction to informal learning. It is published by Education Now, 113 Arundel Drive, Bramcote Hills, Nottingham NG9 3FQ England.
According to News: Schools for Tomorrow in the 2/97 issue, the UK government has proposed offering start-up grants to parents and teachers to set up schools based on American charter schools. In the same issue, it reported that the European Forum for Freedom in Education (EFFE) will hold its 15th conference in St. Petersburg from May 10-15. The theme will be "The Teacher of the 21st Century." The Czech EFFE group is coordinating a campaign to improve educational policy there. Sixty citizens' action groups have joined EFFE and private and public organizations in this effort. In addition, a German foundation has awarded Ontario for having the most innovative school system. Human Scale Education, 96 Carlingcott, Near Bath, BA2 8AW.
NIGERIA Cyesons Global Future Multiservices (CGFM) extends its appreciation to "a good hearted member" who paid for their subscription to AEROgramme. Chume Cye Ugwah tells us the organization finds AERO very useful and they are "translating the ideas gathered from it into practical actions." We are so glad to hear it! 14 Adetula St., Papa Ajao Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria.
JAPAN Nat Needle wrote telling us that he is in Japan helping Dayle Bethel at the International University/Kyoto teaching seminars and developing other alternative programs in higher education. He says TIU takes a very holistic approach to learning, integrating critical study about the education system with study about the economic system, sustainable (people-centered) economic development, planetary ecology, and personal inner transformation. His wife, Mihoko Wakabayashi, has started a Saturday alternative program for people of all ages and has also opened Clonlara School's first Japan office. They know a Japanese family who is moving to London and is looking for information on alternative schools or free schools there. Please e-mail: dmb19@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp (subject: Nat). TIU/Kyoto, 4-1 Kaibara-cho, Shugakuin, Sakyo-ky, Kyoto, Japan 606. Tel/Fax: 81-75-722-2373.
SPAIN Aurora from Madrid writes: Hello! I am in the process of creating a small school for my own children and any others who are interested in alternative education. I hope to inaugurate the school next September. The main problem I have found is of burocratic-legal nature since here in Spain schooling is compulsory and the national curriculum must be followed. The only alternative way out I can see is to create a school which foillows an American alternative curriculum and is considered an American school in Madrid, Spain, thus regulated by American laws. Can you offer any information on this matter or suggest what you consider the best direction to follow? Thank you! dream@mail.ddnet.es
SCOTLAND KILQUAHANITY SCHOOL TO CLOSE, REPLACED BY NEW SCHOOL Paul Godden is part of a group which is organizing a new school to replace Kilquahnity School in Scotland which is closing. The school was founded by John Aitkenhead more than 50 years ago, and directed by him and his wife Morag ever since. I asked him why the school is closing and being replaced by a new one:
"To answer your questions, John has been very ill over Christmas with pneumonia. He is 85+ years old and very frail. He takes no day to day part in the running of Killy now. Morag on the other hand is still wonderfully sprightly and resists all attempts to "retire" her.
The school closed because John decided to close it. It has been difficult for all involved. School inspectors spent 3 days here in September and found much to criticize although they were impressed with the ethos and happiness of the place. Their report when it arrived made many recommendations ranging from the reasonable (better report keeping, more money on teaching resources and books etc.) to the galling (no kids in workshops alone, 4 inches of bark chippings or other soft surface under all climbing frames, no hill walking or river swimming without "licensed" adult present etc.). The staff and parents felt the report was fair and not severe and could be worked with. John being the Principal, Chairman of the Trustees and owner of the property was able to decide that closure was the only option.
The new school will be on a new site. We have two properties in mind close to Dumfries city.
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