Category: Events

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New AERO Conference Information

School Visits has been updated.
See all newly added workshops here .
See some of the 9 TED-like mini-talks here. More next week.
Later this week we’ll announce at least 20 participating organizations.
The Pioneers Event will honor at least 10 innovators in Alternative Education.
We will have special strands for students, Self-Design and ASDE.
If you need more information or have a special conference need you can reply to this newsletter or call us at 800 769-4171
CE and Graduate Credits for AERO Conference; Child Care; Room Shares; Listserve and Networking; Deposits:

  • You can get continuing education credits and graduate education credits from Antioch University New England by attending the AERO Conference. Contact us for details.
  • There will be child care for children under 12, only $100 for the whole conference, during workshops and keynotes. Student rate is still only $175
  • Attendees are organizing room shares at the hotel to cut costs. Contact us for more information.
  • All registered attendees are added to a conference listserve to coordinate and supplement information. All attendees will soon be able to join the Whova conference app to do the same.
  • You can still hold the current rates with a $50 deposit for and individuals and $100 deposit for a group. The balance is not due until June 1st

DOCUMENTARIESClick here to see all five of the documentaries that we’ll be showing.

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The Next AERO Conference will be in Portland, OR, June 26-30 2019!

The people on our AERO Conference listserve got a heads up on this and they are very excited about it! The next AERO conference will be in Portland, Oregon, from June 26 to June 30! This was partly a result of the poll of AERO readers a few months ago in which more than 60% of respondents selected Portland as their first choice. The hotel remembered us from three years ago and made us a great offer, with the room night cost even less than it was when we were there last time, even though Portland has become an even bigger destination.

A committee has already formed to help organize the conference. The committee and people on the listserve have been coming up with all kinds of ideas for the conference. We’ve agreed that we want to have it as interactive and experiential as possible. In the recent AERO conference, students had an important role in leading workshops and major presentations. This year we want to increase that involvement. Let us know your suggestions ASAP!

With the recent passing of John Gatto, our focus turned to thinking about those who have been pioneers and leaders in the movement toward learner-centered, self-directed education. At the conference we will have a memorial event for John Gatto. And out of these discussions we have created a theme for the conference: “Where we Have Been, and Where We Are Going!”

Several noted people have already volunteered to be presenters or keynoters, and many others have been suggested. We want to have school visits, maker spaces and other hands-on, experiential activities.

If you already know you want to go to the AERO conference in Portland, we have a great opportunity for you. We have a Super-Earlybird Special that will save up to $90 on the regular registration: If you become an AERO sustainer for just $15 a month you will be registered for the AERO conference. Otherwise you can now register for $199 for the whole 4-day conference.

To see the brand-new 2019 AERO Conference site, go here . You can alsopropose a workshop there .

To register for the conference, go here .

To reserve a room at the hotel at our discounted rate go here.

We look forward to seeing you in Portland!
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Annual Meeting of the Modern School at Rutgers University in NJ to Feature Unique Performance This Year!

The Modern School was the first significant democratic school of the 20th century, predating Summerhill. It was based on the work of Francisco Ferrer of Spain. After he was unjustly executed in 1909, Modern Schools were started all over the world in his name, including one that started in 1911 in New York City. Even though the last Modern School in the USA closed in 1958, its attendees were so profoundly affected by it that they continue to have reunions every year, although they are now called meetings as their numbers dwindle.

I first heard about the Modern School from Nellie Dick, a former teacher there, when she was 96 years old, in 1989. I’ve attended most of the annual meetings since then and have met many truly remarkable people there. For example, one was Alfred Levitt, who was 100 years old when I met him there. He was an immigrant from Ukraine, His teacher was Will Durant and a fellow student was Ariel. They became a famous writing couple selling millions of their books on philosophy. Meanwhile Levitt studied art with some famous Dadaist artists who dropped into the school. I attended a special event at Ellis Island to honor Levitt, at age 103, as one of the most important people to pass through there. They displayed 20 of the paintings he had made, borrowed from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can see a video of it here. You can read some of the history of the Modern School here. One of the pictures from 1911 is of Durant, and I assume Levitt was one of the students in it.

Following is the official announcement of the Annual Meeting. Rutgers houses the archives of the Modern School. If you are nearby you should go!

The Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Modern School this year will again be co-sponsored by Rutgers Libraries. The gathering will begin with a musical theater performance followed by a speaker and refreshments. This year will mark our 46  th annual gathering of the Friends . It will be held from 1 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, September 15, 2018 in the Remigo U. Pane Room in the Alexander Library, Rutgers University. The building and room are accessible for the disabled . Directions and parking availability are given on page 2. There is a $20 entrance fee to cover the cost of the presentations and refreshments.

The play is called Mother Jones in Heaven featuring a musical theater performance by Vivian Nesbitt. ED
More information and directions here