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Derry Hannam Response To Guardian Story

Derry’s response –

The Guardian has a story about the new East Kent Sudbury School this morning – claims it is a ‘bohemian’ and elitist private school in an area of social deprivation.

Here is my just published letter to the supposedly progressive paper –

“I am a retired state school teacher. I attended a Kent grammar school from a working class background (dad a London bus driver). Most of my primary school friends went to secondary modern schools. I ended up at Oxford University – my primary school friends from secondary moderns did not. In my opinion the 11 plus exam was largely luck so I chose to work as a teacher in a secondary modern school. I was a year 7 Humanities teacher with the same class for half the week. The kids arrived in my class with a terrible sense of failure and having let their parents down. I encouraged them to study things they were interested in and ran the class as a democratic community with a weekly meeting to make and enforce class ‘laws.’ Their confidence began to recover and I had a lot of support from parents. I am still in touch with some of these 60 year-old ‘kids.’ Some, against all the odds, went on to get degrees and one ended up as head of a primary school and a strong believer in ‘student voice.’

It has become very hard for state school teachers who want to work in this way to develop the creativity and curiosity of their pupils. The desperately underfunded state system has become obsessed with testing and is driving many of the best teachers to leave the profession – and many more would if they could.

I am opposed to most private schooling in the UK which functions to reproduce a social elite – (often used by Guardian journalists.) I am deeply attracted to the systems of Finland or Norway where private education is almost non-existent yet innovation is encouraged within their state systems. We need more innovation in our state system and less rigid ‘fear-of-Ofsted’ conformity. Until we have this I support small experiments such as the East Kent Sudbury School which is not aiming to produce a social elite but merely to see what happens if kids are allowed to follow their own interests in a community that is run democratically and grounded in respect for human rights.”

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Complications from Eye Surgery

The cataract surgery for the first eye went well. Frustratingly, the lens in the second eye has rotated and they need to go in again on Wednesday to re-position it. Thanks to all who sent me positive notes. Wish me luck.

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Bay State Learning Seeks Part Time Maker Space/Crafts Tutor and Coordinator

Location: Bay State Learning Center – Dedham, MA

Open Position: Part Time – Maker Space/Crafts Tutor and Coordinator

Dates of Employment: ASAP to June 15, 2019 Hours: 2 days per week from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Compensation: $30.00/HR – Independent Contractor

Only U.S. Citizens or those already approved to work in the U.S. should apply. We are unable to help an international candidate get a work visa for this position.

Who We Are:

BSLC was started in 2014 by George Popham with a simple thought – “The way we teach kids in many public schools just isn’t working. I think there’s a better way”. George had been teaching in public schools for many years and he could see that kids were learning to memorize, follow rules, take tests and complete homework, and though there were likely some skills that they might take with them into adulthood, the most important ones weren’t being taught. They weren’t figuring out how to learn on their own, how to think on their own, or how to manage their own time. Thus BSLC was born and we’ve been encouraging kids to take control of their learning ever since.

Our philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that children are naturally curious & creative and that they thrive in an environment that fosters those traits, not one that thwarts their imagination. It understands that kids learn differently but surely and that no one size fits all. It puts the emphasis on learning that helps teens be prepared to lead a satisfying life, personally and professionally, in a constantly changing & evolving world rather than educating based on yesterday’s needs.

BSLC is built with a core belief that growing to be a compassionate and responsible individual is just as important as growing academically. You will see BSLC teens actively working towards being meaningful community members.

What We Need:

We are looking for a mature, energetic, creative person to manage our Maker/Creative Space at our Center. The right candidate should have some experience working with teens in an educational setting. They should also have some experience working with their hands. We have a creative maker space area that includes weaving, a Cricut Maker, electronics, wood working tools, a pottery wheel, a sewing machine, and various other crafting areas.

How to Apply:

Send an email with your resume and cover letter attached to information@baystatelearning.org.

Job Type: Part-time

Salary: $30/HR – Independent Contractor

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Exclusive to AERO: Report from the 2018 IDEC in India!

By Moe Zimmerberg – Tutorial School
This November 15th-21st, democratic educators, students, parents, well-wishers, and friends gathered in Bengaluru, a city in the state of Karnataka, India for the 25th International Democratic Education Conference.  Twenty-one countries were represented including your correspondent from the US. This was also merged with the third Asia Pacific Democratic Education Conference, and the first ever In(dia) DEC.

 

IDEC is always a wonderful time to deepen friendships, make new ones and learn about other schools in other countries.  This one did not disappoint. The week-long conference gave us ample time to connect and learn from each other. There were no scheduled keynote speakers, but rather “open space” scheduling which allowed anyone to post a session or workshop.

 

There were many presentations by various democratic learning places around India.  Many of them are Montessori-based. Maria Montessori was lecturing in India when World War II broke out and, as an Italian, was forced to remain until the end of the war.  She had a profound impact on alternative education in India. She taught then that the teacher should observe the child without judgements or assumptions and endeavor not to interfere with each child’s internal “natural learner.”  If you combine this approach with egalitarian school government and a focus on human rights for the child, you get democratic education–not that it has or should ever be defined.

 

In addition to the informative sessions there were various workshops:  Hand spun thread, clay sculpture, 3d paper objects, music therapy, contact improv dance, tribal stories, varieties of millet, to name a few.  One group spent the conference building a two story treehouse out of bamboo.

 

One remarkable thing we learned about was the Children’s Parliaments of India.  These are neighborhood decision making bodies completely run and populated by children.  They deal with issues of concern ranging from broken street lights or the use of disposable plastic to abusive, alcoholic parents.  There are 50,000 such parliaments in India. They have been to the UN and are now a worldwide movement. Power to the children!

 

Globally, the Democratic Education movement continues to grow at a dizzying pace.  The most surprising country was Indonesia, which is now seeing a surge of new schools. In Europe, Poland and Germany have many schools and startup groups.  Every country in Europe now has at least one democratic school, and many countries have several. France, a latecomer to Democratic Education, has sprouted 47 schools or groups in just 4 years.  Some estimate there to be 2,000 democratic schools worldwide.

 

After a slight stall, the international educator development program is back on track. Self-directed Education for Educators of Democratic Schools/spaces (SEEDS) will soon be online, thanks to the efforts of our new friend, Harsh, who will create the website.  Soon we will be inviting schools, interns, and mentors to join our program. Imagine how encouraging it would be for someone who wishes to learn how to be a democratic educator to find out that he or she would be able to intern at several schools around the world!

 

The passing of the IDEC Guitar to the Ukrainian organizing team directs our focus to the upcoming IDEC 2019, which will start in Kiev on August 1st and move to Vinnystia from the 3rd until the 8th or 9th.  If the last time the IDEC was in Ukraine is any indication, it should be a wonderful conference. 2020 will be in Nepal, and there is a suggestion to meet in the western hemisphere for 2021. IDEC is a conference, not an organization.  Thus, every organizing team has virtually free reign to design their IDEC as they see fit. Nearly everything is up to them, from the time of year to how much open space scheduling there will be.

 

The theme of this IDEC pretty much sums up the experience:  Shanti with Diversity – a very peaceful conference with a broad range of people, workshops, and sessions.