I just started volunteering at the Brooklyn Free School to help them beautify their outdoor yard space. I was lead there by Paolo, John and Andrew in different ways. I have been wanting to feel what it was like to be in a learning/living environment that was absolutely free and truly democratic. Even after just spending two days there, I have started to feel like a better teacher because it allows me to approach the same task at a public institution later that day with confidence in these free methods. I realize how much good teaching relies on creating the right kind of relationships for true learning to occur. There is no denying that children are naturally curious, so it is important to be patient and catch their curiosity at the right time. BFS certainly feels like a place that will help me understand the role as a teacher in a socially organic environment.
I am currently borrowing “How to Grow a School: starting and sustaining schools that work” by Chris Mercogliano. The first part of the book is like a historical review and essay, while the last part is mostly interviews. I like the way it is written so far (only 50 pages in) and I believe it is a perfect introductory text to informal education. Also, the joint allegory with the school and the garden strikes a particular chord with me: whether it be my personal vision of the perfect school or reference back to Froebel’s kinder garten.
Later that day, at Xposure, I let the children set up their own talk show about a current event. We decided the current event would be “Why is food getting more expensive?” then I handed them a camera and watched this unfold…
The kids inched closer and closer towards figuring out very complex ideas presented by just a few internet resources by freely talking about it amongst themselves. In this case, the motivation that anchored their discussion was that one student was holding the camera and recording the others.
