As we celebrate AERO’s 15 conferences and AERO’s entry into our 30th year, we thought you might enjoy some of our attendees comments about the conference over the years:
I enjoyed and profited greatly from the AERO conference 2008. I was very interested in the concept of democratic schooling and also wanted to explore other “alternatives” such as unschooling, Waldorf and Montessori, and the conference gave a boost in getting more information and understanding of those concepts. the informality and potential
for dialogue, both organized and spontaneous, was significant. It was particularly helpful to interact with some of the leaders in the democratic school movement, as well as the “troops on the ground” who try to make it work every day. It’s also gratifying to see people who are taking this idea seriously. -Lou Lieb
I thought it was the best conference I’ve ever been to. I am still sifting through all the thoughts and feelings that got stirred up over the weekend, but mostly, I’m excited to be a part of the education revolution. THANK YOU to you and your whole team for all your hard work and passion. -WS
Amazing to be among like-minded people from around the globe. One could write a book about the characters attending. The topics discussed (sometimes into the wee hours) were exceptional. The conference portrayed a dream of the world I carry in my heart and soul. Not an impossible dream. May we wake soon to find these dreams a reality for all. -FL
What a great time ….. I am still on cloud 9 from the conference. Everything so positive, sincere and loving. Seeing Zoe again was super, just super. She made a wonderful presentation and the sustaining applause was a tribute to Neill, Summerhill, and the whole idea of participatory democracy AERO is central and valuable to alternative as well as “mainstream” education process. It has been “out there” supporting those of us who believe in the dignity and equality of and for children. It has helped public and private school teachers and administrators for a very long time. By its very existence, it tells all that there are many different ways to “educate” (not train) young people.
-Herb Snitzer, former director, Lewis-Wadhams School, Westport, NY
I so much appreciated your love, commitment, energy, compassion, thoughtfulness, bravery and creativity in putting on the conference. It had a huge impact on me! -BB
Thank you for causing a Major Ripple in my life. Thank you for the experience and my awakening. -LH
Thanks again for putting on an inspiring international conference. I am buzzing now with ideas. It was very inspiring. -S.M., Hawaii
Congratulations to you and all of your troop for a SPECTACULAR job. The parts of the conference that I was able to attend were worth every minute. Thanks for your hard work. -PM
It will take a while to process all the experiences, but the many opportunities to explore our concerns and meet new people have inspired us to work even harder on a democratic boarding/day school for the “next generation.” I’ll always remember this conference. -CL
Parents and kids are absolutely happy. Thanks for your help and support. -LS
I’d like to thank you all for sharing your energy. It was truly a memorable experience, and I have a feeling that many flowers will bloom from this gathering. -AM, Japan
We had a wonderful time at the conference. We met a lot of great people and we can start cooperating with many schools in the future. And it was fantastic to see and feel that there are so many enthusiastic people around us, who want to do some really important work in education. -KR
Thank you so much for all the work that you did for the conference. I was totally impressed with all the details that you had to attend to and all the events that you organized. It was an amazing event for me and I missed all the folks from the conference when I got home. I am feeling sad that I am so far away from people who have such similar philosophies and share such similar issues But after the conference I would say, yes, we need more people who care about our young and who will offer them vibrant and meaningful alternatives. -RS
The conference was indeed a great event–from which I learned a multitude of both the conceptual and directly practical. Of even greater value were the relationships formed by so many with so many. I feel extremely fortunate in my life to have been able to experience it. (And that’s spoken by someone who was at Woodstock.) -PZ
This conference was the high point of my life (other than the birth of my sons) and I will never forget the experience. -SC
I am adding my thanks to all of the people who worked so hard to make the conference the wonderful gathering place it was. I found every aspect: presenters, workshops, mealtimes, bumping into someone and chatting, browsing the books, field trips, the fair, brainstorming with like-minded people, and being challenged by unlike-minded people. -HH
I learned from the people who participated in the conference that we should never give up our beliefs; we always must be brave enough to stand up for our rights, and even if it seems sometimes that all the circumstances are against us, and we’re fighting with the whole world we must not give up our values and beliefs because only this can give us inner peace and confidence. And only this matters. I truly believe that there were some real heroes at the conference, heroes of everyday life, people who work for peace, who fight against poverty and social inequality, who truly believe in democratic values and can work for it even if it is very hard. -KD
This has been the best conference experience I’ve ever had. And I’ve been to lots of educational conferences of all kinds. The open and accepting attitude has been a unique and rare highlight for me. Thank you for all your hard work and great intentions! -CA
I had a vision to start a homeschool resource center. At the time I could not afford to pay registration for the conference, but you didn’t turn me away. I signed up to volunteer.
Today, I am so thankful that a small amount of “extra” money has come my way. And now I can give. I am so grateful to AERO and what all of you are doing; I am happy to be able to donate $200. It’s not much and hope to one day give more, but it comes with a huge, heartfelt thank you! I’ve now opened my homeschool resource center! -KE
I have never fully expressed what the conference did for me. It changed my life, and that’s not hyperbole. I absorbed EVERY spec of information and, being unemployed, went home to read virtually every book I could find on the topics of unschooling, homeschooling, democratic free schools, the Sudbury model, Summerhill….man, I have read SO much! I have never been happier! When I was at AERO I felt, at last, among people who “spoke my language,” so it gave me the confidence to go forward with my own nonprofit. I am now registered. -JH
