Welcome to IDEA!
Find out what IDEA's Soft Launch is all about, and how you can get involved.
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Feature: What is Democratic Education?
Answer your questions about democratic education, and see examples of innovative learning environments around the country. (CLICK TO READ STORY)
Feature: Ten Things YOU Can Do to Promote Democratic Education
Simple things you can do to strengthen Dem Ed in your own community.
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Video: How JCOS Changes Students' Lives
JCOS is a public Pre-K through 12 school in Lakewood, Colorado, based on student-directed learning and caring relationships.(CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO)
The Importance of Play Dates
A lot of people like to scoff when I say something like, "Oh, we can't Wednesday night; we have a play date." They want to know why I have to schedule time for my daughter to...
Want coffee?
Spring has arrived... if not in weather, in attitude.
I have had to scrape my windshield in the mornings, but the kids are wearing their summer apparel. Go figure. I am...
Lessons from Piano Lessons: Musings on Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators
I am going to deviate this month in my blog from my usual teacher perspective and instead discuss things from a student perspective. Why? Because I have recently been...
Actions Speak Louder Than Sticker Charts
Today my daughter broke my heart.
It wasn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last. And it wasn't even late in the day!
We were reading, she in my lap, a small...
Obama Praises Democratic School
In a speech yesterday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama pointed to the Met Center schools as a powerful model for engaging young people and providing them with...
Within Earshot and Eyesight
I live in a pretty relaxed neighborhood in Tempe, AZ. For most of the houses throughout my neighborhood, to walk out the back yard and into the alley is to come face to face...
Too Easy?
“I hate to say it, but I think our kids have it too easy.”
How many times have you heard, thought, or said that phrase in your life? A friend of mine recently mused out a...
Democracy at Risk? Ask the Kids!
Editor's Note: Laura Stine is a member of IDEA's Advisory Board and a guest blogger. In this post, she responds to the recent exposure of a school district that used webcams...
Everyday Opportunities
As the wheel stops, my four-year-old quickly counts the cherries and announces, "Three!"
She adds three cherries to her tree from her bucket and then, with a sly glance at...
Resistance, Hope & Democracy
I used to direct an after-school program, which was housed in a public school classroom, and I tried to implement a democratic meeting with my middle school students (a...
Help?
It has been a strange week at the Brink house. It all culminated yesterday morning, when my husband drove to a job site early, to pick up some tools. Yesterday was crystal...
Re-hired and It Feels So Good
On January 29th, I received my official letter of termination. Our district has lost more than a million dollars in funding and any new teachers were immediately cut. On...
A Pair of Fresh Eyes
If I directed everything my daughter was to ever learn in her life--or if someone else did, for that matter--I would abandon all hope for the survival of her creativity,...
Patience For Those We Teach
There are many variables to being a great teacher. And not every great teacher necessarily teaches the same way, nor shares the same traits.
I have marveled at amazing...
Uncle Sam Wants YOU… and he’s waiting in the cafeteria
He stood there like a statue -- dressed head to foot in the full uniform of a United States Marine. His hands were behind his back with unmatched pride. He stood behind a...
The Worlds of Fractions and Spelling Collide
When Melia Dicker, IDEA's Communications Director, first asked me to become involved with this project, I thought, "Me?" Then she comes up with this "ImprovEducation" title,...
5 Lessons Kids Can Learn From Pets
Homeschooling affords families the opportunity to travel and experience a wide variety of flora, fauna, culture, and...pretty much everything. During the winter months, that...
They want to be just like me. Great! Now what?
Many of us who strive to nourish democracy in our society and strive tirelessly for equality, justice, peace and compassion have a break down in execution when it comes to...
Commercial Urges in Homeschool Education
I want to buy everything.
It's a good thing I don't have enough money to do just that, or our house would be filled to the roof with chemistry kits, pretend food, costumes,...
My Personal Understanding of Democratic Education
The concept of democratic education was not introduced to me until summer of 2004. I was aware of homeschooling, and slightly familiar with unschooling, but had never really...
From Fine to Free
I had my juniors fill out a worksheet this last Monday. The worksheet directed them to list the qualities that make them unique, interesting, and worthy of acceptance into...
Obama’s Education Disconnect
The Obama administration is ramping up its focus on education following last week's State of the Union. Unfortunately, it does not seem to go very far in taking a broader...
Can Democracy Be Disembodied?
This semester, I am teaching one section of my graduate-level foundations of education course as an online class. It is a synchronous class, meaning we use the Adobe Connect...
Freire’s “True Word” Conclusion—Or Beginning…
"You're the worst teacher ever!" The last words of a ninth grader I had kicked out during final presentations.
This same day, a student handed me a card in which she...
The Tyranny of Report Cards
I want to teach in a classroom where children will learn important things without a lot of well-meaning intervention. I want a classroom in which students have choice, and...
Howard Zinn: One of the Great Democratic Educators
"The interchange between student and teacher, the free inquiry that is promulgated in the classroom, a spirit of equality in the classroom, to me that is part of a...
The Freedom to Do It Wrong
As a child, I developed a "Type A" personality pretty quickly.
It's funny; I can remember how it all started. I was a super quiet kid around those I don't know--my daughter...
Teacherken on Linda Darling-Hammond’s New Book
I've followed Teacherken's writings on education for a couple of years now. Teacherken (Kenneth J. Bernstein, a teacher in the DC metro area) is one of the most outspoken...
Nobody Told Me I Was Unschooling
Have I really been doing it all along?
I first heard about unschooling when I was doing research on homeschooling my daughter. I received The Unschooling Handbook for...
Test Stress
EEEK! Finals!
Finals…I type ‘em, they take ‘em. They stress, I correct.
No, it is much more than that. I sit down and try to create a test that is fair and relevant. I...
Quadrant Spelling
In my last posting, I wrote about the day I taught my students about quadrant graphs. The fact that I did so while not talking, using only hand signals and finger pointing,...
Thoughts on Bullying
Recently I listened to a discussion on the Diane Rehm show that centered on bullying in school and showcased some of Carl Pickhardt's theory on why bullying takes place and...
Working for Freire’s “True Word”
Paolo Freire writes, "Human existence cannot be silent nor can it be nourished by false words, but only by true words, with which men and women transform the world."
Our...
The Plans of Mice and Men
My friend and partner, Khadigah Alasry, in the fight to make education real again, developed a vision for a model of reform last year. We started presenting this model...
Reverse Pressure: The Pressure to Fail
In schools across America, young teens walk their halls with the heavy burden of perfection always upon them. Whoever instills this need for being flawless is often the one...
Challenges and Opportunities of the Semester System
Like Alison Bagg Brink (see her latest blog post), I, too, am gearing up to return to teaching after my university's winter break. Unlike Alison, though, I will be getting a...
Suffer the Little Children
Do you ever notice how the first thing that pops out of most people's mouths when they speak to a young child is, "So how's school?" It's as if school is the only common...
WWMD? (What Would MacGyver Do?)
It isn't easy to get up at 5:00 am. It is even harder when you have had two wonderful weeks to wake-up at your leisure, wander around the house in slippers with a cup of...
On Motivation, Schools, and Post-Its: New Books for 2010
Happy New Year! It's 2010.
What better way to embrace the optimism and hope of the beginning of a new year than reading inspiring books?
I recently picked up two new...
Of Life and Learning
Isn't it great how when we are struggling with something, the people who care about us will sometimes help us through our challenging times so that we will prosper? Great not...
The Day I “Couldn’t Talk”
One recent Monday, I did what I usually do before school. I stood outside the main entry, and greeted the kids as they were dropped off at the curb. I walked through the...
Remembering Hope & Joy
I am currently on vacation in Nicaragua, and while I have been doing a lot of thinking, I have not been doing very much writing, as is wont to happen from time to time. And...
Are There Things That Should be Mandatory?
One of the primary differences between alternative or democratic educational schooling and public schooling from what I've observed is that there are different stances around...
Get ‘em Talking!
The newspapers today have articles stating that research shows that teaching is the happiest career one can choose. My students this year certainly place me in that category....
Don’t Call it a Comeback
I've been gone a while--I know. But such is the nature of democratic education. Let me explain.
If you've read my previous entries, I hope it was clear that I had a...
Bullied by a Role Model
I write today from my heart, which, like my head is very confused and upset. I have been at my new school for nearly three months and I am happy to report I have not once...
Question the Answers
Like many people, I have found fault with plenty of school textbooks. I remember pointing out an error in my Geometry text to my teacher, who smiled and said, "Whoops, looks...
Thoughts on Parenting from an Unparent
I'm not a parent. My heart goes out to all of you who are, and I am at a point in my life where I can greatly (albeit not completely) appreciate the tough job you all have....
Do The Wiggles Do High School Gigs?
December drives me crazy.
There is simply too much to do.
Too much to do at home, and too much to do at school.
December is a curriculum crunch time for me. I am always a...
The Nature of Ideas
One of the things that I found appealing about democratic education is that, in its essence, it's a challenge against a widely accepted norm. There are many different...
Homeschoolers Anonymous
My name is Sara, and I'm a former homeschool basher.
I never encountered any homeschooled kids until I went to college. Having excelled in school for the most part, I met...
What is Intelligence, and Can You Teach It?
So, before I say anything, disclaimer: this is opinion. I have not read psychology texts on intelligence, and do not know how it is currently defined by the American...
Is Education Meant to Be Easy? And other ruminations on required assignments
The semester is winding down for my teacher education students and me. We are all filled with that sense of anticipation that comes when you see hard work reaching an end....
Motions Against Mainstream American Education in Media?
I recently watched the Colbert Report, a satirical program. It is styled as a talk show, with the host pretending to be a heavy handed, superstitious, elitist right wing...
Education Everywhere: How Video Games Can Teach You
Something that I've always considered a crucial part of my self-education was video gaming. I've learned so very much from it. I've learned stuff that's pretty mundane -...
Lightening the Load
I am a high school teacher and adviser and lately the students seem to be pulling away, into smaller groups or individually. Many of them are pretty stressed with college...
Resisting What I Know
This past September, I was hired to teach first grade at a private Islamic school. The school housed grades K-12, and in addition to the standard language arts, mathematics,...
Painting The Landscape
Think “landscape” and you might visualize an expansive nature scene, or maybe the nitty-gritty workings of the political landscape. Perhaps you think of the act of...
The Mention of Detention
Just so everyone knows, I will be blogging every two weeks. Usually on Sundays.
English 9, period 2. We were all hurrying into our places at our desks before the bell rang....
To Create Change, Understand Your Opposition
I believe that there's something that's important for us to keep in mind when it comes to sharing democratic education with the mainstream. We know what we believe, and why...
Teacher and Student Roles
Just about anybody who has attended public school has experienced the distinction that seems to often exist between student and teacher.
The teacher calls the shots, runs...
Lost and Out of Control. . . At Last.
Falling in love, finding that perfect line to finish your poem, stepping in to break up a fight -- some of the most valuable and rewarding things in life simply cannot be...
The Building Blocks of a Good Education
This week I'll be asking the question. Here it is:
What ever happened to Kindergarten?
This past weekend I found myself in Western Massachusetts for an old fashioned...
Welcome to Sage Wonderings
My name is Kris Sage, and I'm a 16-year-old college student living in Portland, OR. My experience with democratic education is comprised of three and a half years at a...
Got goals?
This is my thirteenth fall as a teacher. This year has been wonderful so far. I have great students, colleagues that I respect, and a curriculum for the majority of my...
Skinner Box to Freedom
So, there I stood. In front of my thirty 9th graders, hour after hour, watching them write letters to each other, put their gum under their desks, talk to their neighbors...
Aren’t Facts Important?
This "democratic" approach to education seems nice, but don't kids need to know certain facts to thrive in the world?
In a word... yes.
But I'm not going to stop after one...
Where’s the Line? Putting Democratic Teaching Ideals to the Test
In my efforts to model democratic practices to pre-service teachers, I ask my students at the beginning of each class, "Are there any questions, comments, concerns,...
From Student to Conformist
Hi, my name is Claire Russell. I am a freshman at a mainstream public high school in rural Maine. I attended a "Waldorf-inspired" alternative school from the moment I walked...
Worry is an expression of love
As a parent of a ten- and two-year old, I continue to be awed and humbled by what parenting asks of me. Whoever said that raising children is like watching your heart move...
Smart, funny and slightly disruptive
I have one kid I can't get to shut up and pay attention. He's smart, funny, and cute and is just always playing and being slightly disruptive. It's like being quiet for one...
Using the Master’s Tools
My first week into teaching after my year in graduate school, I was filled with grand ideas and ideals as to what I would do in my classroom to help my students liberate...
The First Three Minutes of Unschooling
Even though we went to mediocre public schools and are the products of lovingly conventional parenting, my wife and I are trying to create our own family quite differently by...
Welcome to Op-Education
Hello, and welcome to Op-Education. I am delighted to have you as a reader. My name is Shawn Gaillard, and it seems like I will be blogging pretty regularly for IDEA. I must...
What Is Uncharted Parenting?
For anyone dedicated to the ideals of democracy, peace, and equality in education, parenting can be just as complex as it is beautiful; just as frustrating as satisfying....
Prisoners or Students?
I'm 5'2" and about 105 lbs. I'm small--so walking through the hallways of the new school in which I just got a teaching position, I get mistaken all the time as a student, by...
Welcome to ‘Got Questions?’
Welcome. Before I begin responding to your questions I would like to say two things about what I will be doing here.
The first has to do with my own life as a young person....
I’m glad that my daughter won’t have to do a lot of the things that were a struggle for me growing up, myself. I would prevent her from doing many of them if I could, and...
I was so excited to watch this video and hear these comments! Given how influential President Obama has already been in so many ways, particularly in motivating people to...
Claire, I’m so glad that you’ve found your niche and a great group of friends! Change can definitely be a good thing. I think this change doesn’t mean you were stuck-up, but...
Shawn, I can completely empathize with these kids and your post overall. I was constantly ridiculed by gym teachers, made fun of (along with several of my classmates) for...
Interesting, and disturbing, to be a fly on the wall by this middle school. I hated middle school P.E. with a passion. I had asthma and had to carry around two inhalers when...
It’s definitely a fine balance to strike. You want to teach your kids to be autonomous, to work hard and take pride in the results—but at the same time not have to struggle....
Thanks Melia! And the stardust thing does wonders when you’re dusting and sweeping (and cursing…!).
I love the idea of “h” as a chair! Those kinds of observations make my...
Love your six-word memoir. What a great idea. I love that you see the wonder and magic in everyday things and teach your daughter to do the same.
Next time I’m dusting,...
Speaking of Michael Moore, he posted this news clip about recruiters who sign young people up for “delayed entry” into the military with a non-binding commitment. Then, if...
Claire, this post conjures up disturbing images of young people making decisions that are much more serious than they realize. I remember observing these kinds of military...
Dana, I just finished reading your article about Obama’s disconnect—very insightful and very true. Simply inspiring. If it’s okay, I’d like to suggest the following link to...
I love this post. Everything from the beauty of making mistakes to your children’s outcomes being their business to the importance of sharing household power all resonate...
I will definitely check that out, Khalif!
Yay for your future kids! I couldn’t imagine growing up without pets. I had numerous dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, bugs… I even had my own chicken...
Sara, I go back and forth about whether my future kids will have pets (neither I nor my fiance really grew up with them), but you’ve convinced me to take the plunge. My...
I love this post, too. When you see your actions mirrored in a Mini-Me, it does give you pause, doesn’t it? Adults can forget how much their actions teach, whether they mean...
I couldn’t agree more with the points you make, Sara. Check out a previous post of mine on this blog called Lost and out of control. . . At last. where I unpack those...
New Scientist
Sam Chaltain, The Huffington Post
The New York Times
Rob Court, Creativity Portal
Mothering Magazine
Susan Dominus, The New York Times
Steve Koss, NYC Public School Parents
The New York Times
Time Magazine
AERO and Huffington Post
Arkansas Times
I started playing the piano at age 11 and felt that I was way behind, because other kids had started at age four or five! Being an overachiever, I felt competitive with my...