Quote:
Originally Posted by andybuildz
LOL...
I LIVED at the school I worked in. It was a big house we rented.
The school ended and I moved upstate for awhile before I came back to LI and rented in Roslyn Hts...saved my pennies before we bought something next to the CSH RR station. I was in my late twenties then. I barely had a pot to pizz in.
I'd say up to that point I more than did my part...oh and did I metion I was bringing my ONE YEAR OLD daughter Niko up alone for five years before I remarried. I think I had enough on my plate to think about at that time.
So you don't think devoting ten years of my young life to helping kids was enough at that point?
And you still haven't told me what YOU'VE done besides spend time on the internet complaining about what you think i havent done.
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The previous post made me think to find any info I could about our school..
For anyone thats interested in what The Learning Tree Free School was about I'd be happy to send them this in the PDF file I copied it from.
Apparently copying a pdf file doesnt paste well but here's a sample anyway.
This book was from 1970-76 about our school...Myself and one other woman continued it another few years or so...
The Learning Tree, located a t 498 union Avenue i n Westbury,
New York, is a s m a l l p r i v a t e school (approximately f i f t e e n f a m i l i e s )
now beginning i t s f i f t h year. W e a r e c h a r t e r e d by t h e s t a t e and
l e g a l l y able t o accept s t u d e n t s up t o the age o f f o u r t e e n .
Our b u i l d i n g , a b i g o l d house on an acre of land, resembles
a home r a t h e r than an i n s t i t u t i o n . The second f l o o r , which by a
f i r e r e g u l a t i o n , is "off l i m i t s " t o the c h i l d r e n , provides l i v i n g
q u a r t e r s f o r s e v e r a l people who work a t the school.
Our c h i l d r e n a r e n o t o f f i c i a l l y required t o a r r i v e o r leave
a t any given t i m e . They begin t o a r r i v e around nine and o f t e n s t a y
on i n t o the evening. There a r e no b e l l s , no p e n a l t i e s f o r t a r d i n e s s ,
no required c l a s s e s - no formal curriculum, tests o r marks. The
c h i l d r e n a r e not grouped i n any way except i n s o f a r as they tend t o
group themselves.
Not unlike o t h e r s , they l i k e t o play games, care f o r animals
and p l a n t s , play with sand and water, explore t h e i r immediate environment
by digging, climbing and g e n e r a l l y poking around; engage
i n a r t s and c r a f t s a c t i v i t i e s , " d r e s s up," cook, read and be read t o ;
take t r i p s ( p a r t i c u l a r l y t o places where they can buy t h i n g s ) , go
t o the movies and the l i b r a r y ; make up p l a y s , "do improvisations;"
use t o o l s , sing,dance, make music o r l i s t e n t o it; s i t and be q u i e t ;
and run around and make a l o t of n o i s e .
Adults take r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r the a d m i n i s t r a t i v e work
(which is minimal compared t o a l a r g e p u b l i c elementary s c h o o l ) ,
and f o r most of the cleaning and maintenance (which o f t e n seems
i n no way minimal compared even t o Grand C e n t r a l S t a t i o n ) though
the c h i l d r e n -a r e encouraged t o pick up a f t e r themselves.
Academic s k i l l s a r e not neglected but a r e acquired by the
c h i l d r e n as t h e i r i n t e r e s t s and a c t i v i t i e s d i c t a t e . Adult help
is usually confined t o b r i e f impromptu l e s s o n s , g e n e r a l l y as a
means f o r the c h i l d t o accomplish s p e c i f i c and immediate ends.
(Since information such as the p r i n c i p a l
export of Egypt, etc., is n o t u s u a l l y needed
as p a r t of a c h i l d ' s everyday a c t i v i t i e s , our
c h i l d r e n would probably not possess such knowledge
i f asked. But t h e i r general information
l e v e l s a r e high, and i n many c a s e s , t h e i r acquired
s k i l l s f a r exceed "grade l e v e l . " )
In reading, help is given i n sounding out words on signp
o s t s , r e s t a u r a n t menus, t e l e v i s i o n schedules, etc.; and i f a
)
c h i l d is i n a more " s e r i o u s " mood, workbooks a r e a v a i l a b l e f o r
,lessons i n "phonics." Some of our c h i l d r e n have enjoyed the
beginning "organic reading" methods developed by Sylvia Ashton
Warner; a few have used the more formal "programed" approach
exemplified by t h e S u l l i v a n Reading S e r i e s ; and s t i l l o t h e r s have
learned t o read, and read w e l l , having used no formal o r informal
''method" f o r doing so. In a b i l i t y , they range from of four
who came t o the school already able t o read, t o a boy of twelve
whose perceptual d i f f i c u l t i e s (and subsequent unfortunate p u b l i c
school experience)have led him t o be a slow and r e l - u c t a n t r e a d e r ,
t o Lisa - s h e ' s t h r e e and d o e s n ' t read a t a l l .
In math, the teacher is o f t e n t h e man o r woman behind the
counter r e t u r n i n g change i n a purchase of balloons; the v i s i t o r
i n the kitchen helping a c h i l d t o understand t h e f r a c t i o n s cont
a i n e d i n a cake r e c i p e ; o r , the f r a z z l e d parent (having explained
t o the landlord why the r e n t w i l l be a l i t t l e l a t e ) explaining
t o the curious c h i l d who overheard the conversation why a
$601.07 bank balance w i l l not cover a $708.34 check. Everyday
learning o p p o r t u n i t i e s - playing games t h a t r e q u i r e keeping s c o r e ;
p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n b u i l d i n g and a r t p r o j e c t s ; managing an allowance;
dividing up unexpected g i f t s of money or n a t e r i a l s ; etc.- render
formal lessons i n math and a p r o f e s s i o n a l math teacher ( f o r t h i s
age) t o t a l l y unnecessary. Math " c l a s s e s " -are sometimes o f f e r e d
but are more often than n o t r e j e c t e d - unless a c h i l d f e e l s the
need o r d e s i r e t o develop a s p e c i f i c s k i l l . (Generally speaking,
what we r e f e r t o as " c l a s s e s " a r e more l i k e t u t o r i n g s e s s i o n s . )
A l l c h i l d r e n are g r e a t i m i t a t o r s . They i m i t a t e
each o t h e r , a d u l t s , dogs, s i r e n s - multitudes of
t h i n g s . By i m i t a t i o n ( i n s t i n c t ) they l e a r n t o walk,
t o tal.::., and t o view the world not only through t h e i r
own eyes but a l s o through the eyes of o t h e r s . . .
Children are i n n a t e l y curious. They are as curious as
they are i m i t a t i v e . And a c h i l d ' s c u r i o s i t y and
i m i t a t i v e powers are f a r g r e a t e r teachers than any
school can h i r e .
It is doubtful t h a t our c h i l d r e n , "products of a competitive
c u l t u r e , " are much l e s s competitive than any o t h e r American children;
but we have no adult-imposed procedure i n which a c h i l d ' s
s u c c e s s 7 . i ~m easured a g a i n s t a n o t h e r ' s f a i l u r e , no l i n e under
which a c h i l d is viewed as being an "underachiever," no s i t u a t i o n
i n which c h i l d r e n a r e not f r e e t o enjoy each o t h e r ' s s t r e n g t h s
and a b i l i t i e s without f e e l i n g immediate e x t e r n a l "adult-imposed"
p r e s s u r e , however s u b t l e , t o match o r exceed them. The s t e r e o -
typed version of "School" ( t h e school board over the superint
e n d e n t o v e r the p r i n c i p a l over the s u p e r v i s o r over t h e t e a c h e r
over the c h i l d r e n ) - e i t h e r "open" o r " t r a d i t i o n a l " - is not
p a r t of our o p e r a t i o n a l procedure. (Though, l i k e a l l o t h e r
schools, we -a r e s u b j e c t t o p e r i o d i c i n s p e c t i o n by both the l o c a l
f i r e , h e a l t h and buildings departments and t h e New York S t a t e
Department o f Education.)
Having been brought up i n bureaucracies, perhaps
we a r e -a l l ( t o varying degrees) not comfortable
unless we e x i s t within them. But bureaucracy
implies hierarchy implies domination, and as much
as human (animal) i n s t i n c t seems t o d i c t a t e such
behavior, we a r e t r y i n g t o minimize o r eliminate
it as much as p o s s i b l e .
Adults consciously t r y t o s t a y out of c h i l d r e n ' s q u a r r e l s .
unless i n v i t e d t o give an opinion, o r i n the r a r e instance where
it seems l i k e l y t h a t s e r i o u s i n j u r y w i l l r e s u l t . When the disagreement
is between an a d u l t and a c h i l d , a d u l t s t r y not t o
moralize or impose a u t h o r i t y . But i f a c h i l d is engaged i n an
a c t i v i t y where s e r i o u s harm seems i n e v i t a b l e , a d u l t "guidance"
is imposed. (It is n o t , however, considered acceptable t o h i t -
"spank" - or p h y s i c a l l y abuse a c h i l d . )
W e have' only two b a s i c r u l e s : one - t h a t c h i l d r e n not
l i g h t matches except i n t h e presence of an a d u l t , and then
p r e f e r a b l y i n t h e k i t c h e n o u r o u t s i d e ; t h e o t h e r - t h a t no
c h i l d leave the grounds ( e s p e c i a l l y during " o f f i c i a l " p u b l i c
school h o u r s ) u n l e s s accompanied by an a d u l t . Exceptions a r e
made t o t h e second r u l e , but not t o t h e f i r s t .
"To l i v e w e l l with o t h e r human beings, a d u l t s
o r c h i l d r e n , is a s u b t l e a r t . Rules f o r doing it
a r e not much help. But i f I had t o make a general
r u l e f o r l i v i n g and working with c h i l d r e n , it
might be t h i s : be very wary of saying o r doing
anything t o a c h i l d t h a t you would not do t o
another a d u l t , whose good opinion and a f f e c t i o n
you value."
John Holt*
University o f C h i c a g o Press, 1967
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