I’m thinking about starting a school for my son and his friends. Early stages. This is a place to gather notes and ideas.
Things to figure out:
- Model
- Financials – Can I quit my job to do this?
- Legal nonsense
Guiding ideas
- More freedom, fewer restrictions.
- Some structure, not completely unschool.
- Grades don’t matter. Optimize for learning and curiosity.
- Introduce core concepts, dive deeper if students are interested.
- Spend lots of time outside.
- Socratic discussion.
Models
Models to check out:
- Forest School, https://www.forestschools.com/
- Acton Academy
- Synthesis
- The Socratic Experience
Things to read:
- Ana Fabrega’s newsletter
- Michael Strong’s The Habit of Thought
- The One World Schoolhouse by Sal Khan
- Forest School book in Charlie’s room
- John Taylor Gatto
- Julie Bogart’s Raising Critical Thinkers
- The Sense of Wonder, Rachel Carson
“The most damaging thing you learned in school wasn’t something you learned in any specific class. It was learning to get good grades.”
Paul Graham