Secure, not Stressed

Recent article by Oliver DeMille...inspiring as always.

Secure, Not Stressed–Applied to Our Children and Youth: The Weekly Mentor

By Oliver DeMille

During the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools.

I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and research that increasingly prove the common-sensical reality that students learn better when they are free to be self-directed and follow their passions.

Indeed, in a free model most students learn better in all subjects, not just in their chosen areas of focus.

Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn is an excellent addition to this genre of books on restoring freedom in education.

Gray clearly states:

“Children are biologically predisposed to take charge of their own education.

“When they are provided with the freedom and means to pursue their own interests, in safe settings, they bloom and develop along diverse and unpredictable paths, and they acquire the skills and confidence required to meet life’s challenges.

“In such an environment, children ask for any help they may need from adults. There is no need for forced lessons, lectures, assignments, tests, grades, segregation by age into classrooms, or any of the other trappings of our standard, compulsory system of schooling.
“All of these, in fact, interfere with the children’s natural way of learning.”

So why did we create schools that so directly “interfere with the children’s natural way of learning”?
Gray shows that in tribal cultures the focus of childhood was playing and learning knowledge, skills, and how to live self-sufficiently and honorably.
When the agrarian revolution increased the need for child labor on farms, the values of school turned to toil, competition and status.
While Gray’s view of this is perhaps a bit idyllic, the reality is that modern schools are less concerned with student knowledge, skills, honor or abilities than with the universal goal of job training.
Certainly job training has an important place in advanced society, but Gray is focused on the education of children, and in fact the toll on children in our modern job-obsessed schools is very high.
For example, Gray cites one study, among others, that compares the levels of anxiety and stress of youth ages 14-16 in 1948 versus 1989:
Question:                                                      1948               1989
“I wake up fresh and rested most mornings.”      74.6%            31.3%
“I work under a great deal of tension.”                 16.2%             41.6%
“Life is a strain for me much of the time.”             9.5%              35.0%
“I am afraid of losing my mind.”                             4.1%              23.4%

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.

Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.

In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.

Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.
I’m in the middle.
I must comply.
I can’t measure up.
I am better than those below me.
I must impress my superiors.
What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.
Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.
Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.

If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know.

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.
Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.
In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.
Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.

I’m in the middle.

I must comply.

I can’t measure up.

I am better than those below me.

I must impress my superiors.

What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.

Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.

Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.
If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know.
- See more at: http://www.tjed.org/2013/06/secure-stressedapplied-children-youth-weekly-mentor/#sthash.pH1SEnDB.dpuf

During the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools.
I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and research that increasingly prove the common-sensical reality that students learn better when they are free to be self-directed and follow their passions.
Indeed, in a free model most students learn better in all subjects, not just in their chosen areas of focus.
Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn is an excellent addition to this genre of books on restoring freedom in education.
Gray clearly states:

“Children are biologically predisposed to take charge of their own education.
“When they are provided with the freedom and means to pursue their own interests, in safe settings, they bloom and develop along diverse and unpredictable paths, and they acquire the skills and confidence required to meet life’s challenges.
“In such an environment, children ask for any help they may need from adults. There is no need for forced lessons, lectures, assignments, tests, grades, segregation by age into classrooms, or any of the other trappings of our standard, compulsory system of schooling.
“All of these, in fact, interfere with the children’s natural way of learning.”

So why did we create schools that so directly “interfere with the children’s natural way of learning”?
Gray shows that in tribal cultures the focus of childhood was playing and learning knowledge, skills, and how to live self-sufficiently and honorably.
When the agrarian revolution increased the need for child labor on farms, the values of school turned to toil, competition and status.
While Gray’s view of this is perhaps a bit idyllic, the reality is that modern schools are less concerned with student knowledge, skills, honor or abilities than with the universal goal of job training.
Certainly job training has an important place in advanced society, but Gray is focused on the education of children, and in fact the toll on children in our modern job-obsessed schools is very high.
For example, Gray cites one study, among others, that compares the levels of anxiety and stress of youth ages 14-16 in 1948 versus 1989:

Question:                                                      1948               1989

“I wake up fresh and rested most mornings.”      74.6%            31.3%
“I work under a great deal of tension.”                 16.2%             41.6%
“Life is a strain for me much of the time.”             9.5%              35.0%
“I am afraid of losing my mind.”                             4.1%              23.4%

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.
Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.
In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.
Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.

I’m in the middle.

I must comply.

I can’t measure up.

I am better than those below me.

I must impress my superiors.

What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.

Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.

Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.
If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know.
- See more at: http://www.tjed.org/2013/06/secure-stressedapplied-children-youth-weekly-mentor/#sthash.pH1SEnDB.dpuf

uring the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools.
I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and research that increasingly prove the common-sensical reality that students learn better when they are free to be self-directed and follow their passions.
Indeed, in a free model most students learn better in all subjects, not just in their chosen areas of focus.
Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn is an excellent addition to this genre of books on restoring freedom in education.
Gray clearly states:

“Children are biologically predisposed to take charge of their own education.
“When they are provided with the freedom and means to pursue their own interests, in safe settings, they bloom and develop along diverse and unpredictable paths, and they acquire the skills and confidence required to meet life’s challenges.
“In such an environment, children ask for any help they may need from adults. There is no need for forced lessons, lectures, assignments, tests, grades, segregation by age into classrooms, or any of the other trappings of our standard, compulsory system of schooling.
“All of these, in fact, interfere with the children’s natural way of learning.”

So why did we create schools that so directly “interfere with the children’s natural way of learning”?
Gray shows that in tribal cultures the focus of childhood was playing and learning knowledge, skills, and how to live self-sufficiently and honorably.
When the agrarian revolution increased the need for child labor on farms, the values of school turned to toil, competition and status.
While Gray’s view of this is perhaps a bit idyllic, the reality is that modern schools are less concerned with student knowledge, skills, honor or abilities than with the universal goal of job training.
Certainly job training has an important place in advanced society, but Gray is focused on the education of children, and in fact the toll on children in our modern job-obsessed schools is very high.
For example, Gray cites one study, among others, that compares the levels of anxiety and stress of youth ages 14-16 in 1948 versus 1989:

Question:                                                      1948               1989

“I wake up fresh and rested most mornings.”      74.6%            31.3%
“I work under a great deal of tension.”                 16.2%             41.6%
“Life is a strain for me much of the time.”             9.5%              35.0%
“I am afraid of losing my mind.”                             4.1%              23.4%

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.
Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.
In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.
Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.

I’m in the middle.

I must comply.

I can’t measure up.

I am better than those below me.

I must impress my superiors.

What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.

Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.

Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.
If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know
- See more at: http://www.tjed.org/2013/06/secure-stressedapplied-children-youth-weekly-mentor/#sthash.pH1SEnDB.dpuf

By Oliver DeMille
During the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools.
I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and research that increasingly prove the common-sensical reality that students learn better when they are free to be self-directed and follow their passions.
Indeed, in a free model most students learn better in all subjects, not just in their chosen areas of focus.
Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn is an excellent addition to this genre of books on restoring freedom in education.
Gray clearly states:

“Children are biologically predisposed to take charge of their own education.
“When they are provided with the freedom and means to pursue their own interests, in safe settings, they bloom and develop along diverse and unpredictable paths, and they acquire the skills and confidence required to meet life’s challenges.
“In such an environment, children ask for any help they may need from adults. There is no need for forced lessons, lectures, assignments, tests, grades, segregation by age into classrooms, or any of the other trappings of our standard, compulsory system of schooling.
“All of these, in fact, interfere with the children’s natural way of learning.”

So why did we create schools that so directly “interfere with the children’s natural way of learning”?
Gray shows that in tribal cultures the focus of childhood was playing and learning knowledge, skills, and how to live self-sufficiently and honorably.
When the agrarian revolution increased the need for child labor on farms, the values of school turned to toil, competition and status.
While Gray’s view of this is perhaps a bit idyllic, the reality is that modern schools are less concerned with student knowledge, skills, honor or abilities than with the universal goal of job training.
Certainly job training has an important place in advanced society, but Gray is focused on the education of children, and in fact the toll on children in our modern job-obsessed schools is very high.
For example, Gray cites one study, among others, that compares the levels of anxiety and stress of youth ages 14-16 in 1948 versus 1989:

Question:                                                      1948               1989

“I wake up fresh and rested most mornings.”      74.6%            31.3%
“I work under a great deal of tension.”                 16.2%             41.6%
“Life is a strain for me much of the time.”             9.5%              35.0%
“I am afraid of losing my mind.”                             4.1%              23.4%

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.
Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.
In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.
Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.

I’m in the middle.

I must comply.

I can’t measure up.

I am better than those below me.

I must impress my superiors.

What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.

Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.

Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.
If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know.
- See more at: http://www.tjed.org/2013/06/secure-stressedapplied-children-youth-weekly-mentor/#sthash.pH1SEnDB.dpuf

By Oliver DeMille
During the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools.
I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and research that increasingly prove the common-sensical reality that students learn better when they are free to be self-directed and follow their passions.
Indeed, in a free model most students learn better in all subjects, not just in their chosen areas of focus.
Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn is an excellent addition to this genre of books on restoring freedom in education.
Gray clearly states:

“Children are biologically predisposed to take charge of their own education.
“When they are provided with the freedom and means to pursue their own interests, in safe settings, they bloom and develop along diverse and unpredictable paths, and they acquire the skills and confidence required to meet life’s challenges.
“In such an environment, children ask for any help they may need from adults. There is no need for forced lessons, lectures, assignments, tests, grades, segregation by age into classrooms, or any of the other trappings of our standard, compulsory system of schooling.
“All of these, in fact, interfere with the children’s natural way of learning.”

So why did we create schools that so directly “interfere with the children’s natural way of learning”?
Gray shows that in tribal cultures the focus of childhood was playing and learning knowledge, skills, and how to live self-sufficiently and honorably.
When the agrarian revolution increased the need for child labor on farms, the values of school turned to toil, competition and status.
While Gray’s view of this is perhaps a bit idyllic, the reality is that modern schools are less concerned with student knowledge, skills, honor or abilities than with the universal goal of job training.
Certainly job training has an important place in advanced society, but Gray is focused on the education of children, and in fact the toll on children in our modern job-obsessed schools is very high.
For example, Gray cites one study, among others, that compares the levels of anxiety and stress of youth ages 14-16 in 1948 versus 1989:

Question:                                                      1948               1989

“I wake up fresh and rested most mornings.”      74.6%            31.3%
“I work under a great deal of tension.”                 16.2%             41.6%
“Life is a strain for me much of the time.”             9.5%              35.0%
“I am afraid of losing my mind.”                             4.1%              23.4%

Why are we raising a generation of children and youth who are “stressed, not secure?”
Gray’s answer, based on a great deal of research which he outlines in the book, is that we have turned learning into a chore, a task, a labor, rather than the natural result of curiosity, interest, passion to learn, and self-driven seeking of knowledge and skills.
In short, we’ve taken too much play out of childhood and too much freedom out of learning.
The results are a major decline of American education in the last four decades.
The solution is to put freedom back into education.
Interestingly, Gray suggests that for many of the classrooms, schools, homes and teachers that have found a way to successfully overcome these problems and achieve much better educational results, one of the key ingredients is “free age-mixing.”
Where students are allowed to freely mix with other students of various ages, without grade levels, the capacity of individuals to effectively self-educate is much higher.
As for the impact on college and career success, students from free educational models excel.
This is a good book, and a must read for those who really care about education.
I don’t agree with everything the author teaches, but I learned something important on almost every page.
Whether or not you read Free to Learn, all of us who have children or work in education need to do more to promote the importance of increased freedom in education.
Gray is a particular fan of “unschooling,” a type of homeschooling and private schooling where parents and teachers set an example of great education, create an environment of excellent learning, and let the kids become self-learners.
While this may not be the ideal learning style for every student, it is the best model for a lot of them–and for nearly every young person under age 12.
If you disagree with this conclusion, you simply must read Gray’s book.
The research is impeccable.
If you do agree, the book can help you get to work setting a better example for any students in your life.
Another important book about freedom (and the lack of it) in modern education is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olson.
It outlines the normal ways in which modern education hurts most children, shows the history of why schools adopt such harmful policies, and suggests real solutions.
For example, Olson writes:

“Many theorists suggest that the purpose of schools is to mold and shape individual self-concept so that pupils will accept a particular place in society…”

Is this really what you want for your children?
On a larger scale, what is the impact on freedom of raising a generation of youth to “accept a particular place in society”?
This is a class system, pure and simple.
Olson points out that “Schools are deliberately designed to sort and track” students into order to promote the class system.
In my book A Thomas Jefferson Education I called this a conveyor belt approach to learning.
Olson also suggests that among the key ways modern schools wound students are things like the following:

I felt sick in school.

I’m in the middle.

I must comply.

I can’t measure up.

I am better than those below me.

I must impress my superiors.

What I want isn’t as important as what my betters want.

Creativity must be secret—my focus must be conformity.

Learning isn’t fun.

And for parents: “I feel helpless about saving my child,” and “The experts know what my kids need more than I do.”
Olson’s solutions center around bringing freedom back into schooling.
Indeed, this is the focus of a lot of cutting-edge books and research on education.
Above all, we need to be clear about one thing: Freedom works.
It does.
Freedom is the best choice in society and also in education.
If you are a parent or teacher, you have more power than you know.
- See more at: http://www.tjed.org/2013/06/secure-stressedapplied-children-youth-weekly-mentor/#sthash.pH1SEnDB.dpuf

Learning with our hearts

The education of the soul is a truly noble and ambitious endeavor.   As it states in "Norms and Nobility," the supreme task of education is the cultivation of the human spirit.

In this book, it breaks it down further into the following areas:
-to know what is good
-to serve it above self
-to reproduce it
-to recognize that in this knowledge lies responsibility

The author, David Hicks, further states: "Classical education lays on man the burden of inner change in according with the Ideal Type." (For further juicy clarification, read pg 18-19 in the book...inspiring!)


Needless to say, this is not the educational pattern followed in most of the world around us. :)

I reviewed a talk this morning from the 2012 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Elder Gonzalez titled: "Learning with our Hearts."  It reminded me so much of how essential it is to teach and learn true principles by the spirit, whether they seem secular or strictly religious.  (Personally, I believe all truth works together, and that there is no distinction, but that is the topic for another discussion :)...)

One way to come unto Christ is by seeking to learn essential truths with our hearts. As we do so, impressions that come from God will give us knowledge that we cannot get by any other means...

This truth was well stated in a children’s book, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In the story, the little prince became friends with a fox. Upon parting, the fox shared a secret with the little prince. He said, “Here is my secret … : It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Today, surrounded by so much information, we might think that navigating millions of web pages will give us all that we need to know. We can find good and bad information on the web, but information alone is not enough. God has given us another source for greater knowledge,⁶ even knowledge sent from heaven. Our Heavenly Father can give us such knowledge when we navigate the celestial web in our hearts and minds. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that he had “the oldest book in [his] heart, even the gift of the Holy Ghost.”⁷

We access this celestial source when we do things such as reading the scriptures, hearkening to the living prophet, and praying. It is also important to take time to be still⁸ and feel and follow the celestial promptings. When we do this, we will “feel and see” things that cannot be learned with modern technology. Once we have some experience in navigating this celestial web, we will discern the truth, even when reading secular history or other topics. The honest seekers of truth will know the truth of all things by the power of the Holy Ghost.

My friend, Karen, recently posted something perfectly relating to this.

Here is an excerpt that I have taken the liberty to include (as well as the bolding and italics):

(Refering to a talk she linked...)   He shared many important principles, but he mentioned two main ways that the 2 types of education differ.  The first is that the Lord is interested in educating the whole soul while the world is simply interested in the mind.  Elder Bednar's Increase in Learning is a great guide on how to do this.  Put simply - it comes down to acting on the principles that we learn so they become part of our character,and we become better because of what we learn.  Principles are everywhere and in everything that we learn if we know how to find them.  They don't teach you that in school, though.  At school we get taught stuff we need to know (to pass a test and get to college).  God would have us learn how to better live because of the principles we discover in the world around us.

The second way worldly education differs from God's is that the world is competitive as we try to get ahead.  Instead, a crucial way of educating our whole being is by lifting others to where we are.  We have all experience learning a new truth and wanting to share it with everyone because of how great it makes us feel.  As we do this we grow in truth, our knowledge expands, our character develops and we become truly educated.

"If we are living as the gospel requires, when we ourselves are learning, we are unwilling to leave others behind. An essential part of our growth comes in helping others grow. And then those we help in turn help others—among them, in many instances, our own posterity. This draws us close to one another, even across generations, and we become united, a Zion people. Fundamentally, education in the kingdom of God is different because it operates on the Zion principle of love."

The youth group that I have the opportunity to mentor is built on these principles.  It is amazing to see them repeated over and over as I read words of the prophets, Christian books on education, and as I receive inspiration on teaching my family and those around me.  Recently I have noticed them in the new youth programs of my church.  A book I am reading right now mentions that the home, school and church are what build the character of our youth and our nation. Unfortunately, the modern schools are secular and are failing and the homes are often places of distraction and entertainment instead of houses of learning.

I guess that is why I think it is important to invest my time on our homeschool youth group.  I want this education to be available to all, and I am sad when I see so much potential going to waste because we are neglecting the education of our youth. I am amazed at the insights and spiritual power of the youth I mentor as they are learning with the spirit of God present in their studies and discussions.  I am encouraged by their power and as I learn about similar schools and homes that are dedicated to this education of the soul.

Resource/Training in how to mentor a Spirit/Truth-led classroom

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has incorporated a new teaching program in their Sunday School classes for youth that parallels one of the basic principles of Vanguard Youth: that the youth should come prepared to share, teach, and learn from each other.

They have set up some training videos that, although they might not be comprehensive in application for an individual mentor's style or religion, there are truths to be gained and perpsective broadened when humbly viewed with the intent to seek truth.

Come, Follow Me training link

A neat quote from Boyd. K Packer about the blessing of having the spirit in our classrooms:
Each of us must stay in condition to respond to inspiration and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Lord has a way of pouring pure intelligence into our minds to prompt us, to guide us, to teach us, and to warn us. Each son or daughter of God can know the things they need to know instantly. Learn to receive and act on inspiration and revelation. ("These things I know" April '13)

This is an incredible promise to mentors and youth alike!

Karen had the following to say:
"I thought this was so incredibly insightful that I had to share it! Sometimes in a group like Vanguard or in your homeschooling environment, you may wonder if you are "learning enough" since there are no grades, no report cards and other measures. Elder Bednar shares some incredible insight in this video about how to tell if we are progressing as we should."

"Seek Learning" by Gordon B. Hinckley

Excerpts--well, I included most of it, because it is a quick-read and phenomenal.

"You have the potential to become anything to which you set your mind.
Many years ago I worked for a railroad. I was in charge of what is called head-end traffic. One morning I received a call from my counterpart in Newark, New Jersey. He said, “Train number such-and-such has arrived, but it has no baggage car. Somewhere, 300 passengers have lost their baggage, and they are mad.”
I went immediately to work to find out where it may have gone. I found it had been properly loaded and properly trained in Oakland, California. It had been moved to St. Louis. But some thoughtless switchman in the St. Louis yards moved a small piece of steel just three inches, a switch point, then pulled the lever to uncouple the car. We discovered that a baggage car that belonged in Newark, New Jersey, was in fact in New Orleans, Louisiana—1,500 miles from its destination. Just the three-inch movement of the switch in the St. Louis yard by a careless employee had started it on the wrong track, and the distance from its true destination increased dramatically.

There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again.

That is the way it is with our lives. Instead of following a steady course, we are pulled by some mistaken idea in another direction. The movement away from our original destination may be ever so small, but, if continued, that very small movement becomes a great gap and we find ourselves far from where we intended to go.
It is the little things upon which life turns that make the big difference in our lives, my dear young friends.
There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again.

Fulfill Your Potential

You have the potential to become anything to which you set your mind. You have a mind and a body and a spirit. With these three working together, you can walk the high road that leads to achievement and happiness. But this will require effort and sacrifice and faith.

You must get all of the education that you possibly can. Life has become so complex and competitive. You cannot assume that you have entitlements due you. You will be expected to put forth great effort and to use your best talents to make your way to the most wonderful future of which you are capable. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field.

The Lord Wants You to Be Educated

You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. The Lord has said, “Teach ye diligently . . . of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—that ye may be prepared in all things” (D&C 88:78–80).

The Lord wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives.

The Lord wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives. And as you do so and as you perform honorably and with excellence, you will bring honor to the Church, for you will be regarded as a man or woman of integrity and ability and conscientious workmanship.... Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you.

Special Counsel for Girls

In this day and time, a girl needs an education. She needs the means and skills by which to earn a living should she find herself in a situation where it becomes necessary to do so.

The whole gamut of human endeavor is now open to women. There is not anything that you cannot do if you will set your mind to it...Set your priorities in terms of marriage and family, but also pursue educational programs which will lead to satisfying work and productive employment in case you do not marry, or to a sense of security and fulfillment in the event you do marry. Education will increase your appreciation and refine your talent.

Special Counsel for Boys

No boy anxious to please his Heavenly Father would fail to take advantage of educational opportunities. But there is a troubling trend taking place. Young men are more likely to drop out of school than young women. Women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men.

It is plainly evident that young women are exceeding young men in pursuing educational programs. And so I say to you young men, rise up and discipline yourself to take advantage of educational opportunities. Do you wish to marry a girl whose education has been far superior to your own? We speak of being “equally yoked.” That applies, I think, to the matter of education.

More Than Secular Learning

Never before have so many been educated in the learning of the world. What a powerful thing it is—the intensive schooling of a large percentage of the youth of the world, who meet daily at the feet of instructors to garner knowledge from all the ages of man.

As we pursue our secular studies, let us also add to our lives the cultivation of the Spirit.

The extent of that knowledge is staggering. It encompasses the stars of the universe, the geology of the earth, the history of nations, the culture and language of peoples, the operation of governments, the laws of commerce, the behavior of the atom, the functions of the body, and the wonders of the mind.
With so much knowledge available, one would think that the world might well be near a state of perfection. Yet we are constantly made aware of the other side of the coin—of the sickness of society, of the contentions and troubles that bring misery into the lives of millions.
Each day we are made increasingly aware of the fact that life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is need for another education, without which the substance of secular learning may lead only to destruction. I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character, of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another.

Over fifty years ago while serving in England as a missionary, I went to the London Central YMCA. I suppose that old building has long since gone, but I can never forget the words that faced visitors in the foyer each time they entered. They were the words of Solomon: “With all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
Understanding of what? Understanding of ourselves, of the purposes of life, of our relationship to God who is our Father, of the great divinely given principles that for centuries have provided the sinew of man’s real progress!
As we pursue our secular studies, let us also add to our lives the cultivation of the Spirit. If we do so, God will bless us with that peace and those blessings which come from Him alone.

Different stages of absorbing and processing information in kids

I came across this great article by Susan Wise Bauer, that helps us understand why our 12 year olds in Vanguard don't reason or process information the same way our 15 year olds do :)...why when we ask them to reason and apply it is so challenging at a younger age, when they are just getting into using logic to reason about what they are learning.  I included the entire first part of the article, and give complete credit to her and her genius with no profit to myself, other than the betterment of the world around me, and therefore a benefit to myself :)...

What is Classical Education?

by Susan Wise Bauer

Classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium.

The first years of schooling are called the “grammar stage” — not because you spend four years doing English, but because these are the years in which the building blocks for all other learning are laid, just as grammar is the foundation for language. In the elementary school years — what we commonly think of as grades one through four — the mind is ready to absorb information. Children at this age actually find memorization fun. So during this period, education involves not self-expression and self-discovery, but rather the learning of facts. Rules of phonics and spelling, rules of grammar, poems, the vocabulary of foreign languages, the stories of history and literature, descriptions of plants and animals and the human body, the facts of mathematics — the list goes on. This information makes up the “grammar,” or the basic building blocks, for the second stage of education.

By fifth grade, a child’s mind begins to think more analytically. Middle-school students are less interested in finding out facts than in asking “Why?” The second phase of the classical education, the “Logic Stage,” is a time when the child begins to pay attention to cause and effect, to the relationships between different fields of knowledge relate, to the way facts fit together into a logical framework.

A student is ready for the Logic Stage when the capacity for abstract thought begins to mature. During these years, the student begins algebra and the study of logic, and begins to apply logic to all academic subjects. The logic of writing, for example, includes paragraph construction and learning to support a thesis; the logic of reading involves the criticism and analysis of texts, not simple absorption of information; the logic of history demands that the student find out why the War of 1812 was fought, rather than simply reading its story; the logic of science requires that the child learn the scientific method.

The final phase of a classical education, the “Rhetoric Stage,” builds on the first two. At this point, the high school student learns to write and speak with force and originality. The student of rhetoric applies the rules of logic learned in middle school to the foundational information learned in the early grades and expresses his conclusions in clear, forceful, elegant language. Students also begin to specialize in whatever branch of knowledge attracts them; these are the years for art camps, college courses, foreign travel, apprenticeships, and other forms of specialized training.

Of course, there are kids that are more logical and more ready for "rhetoric" sooner than others, but it can explain the struggle (hence, blank stares) that younger scholars experience when asked to reason and apply what they are learning.

Mentors to match our message...

 This is a presentation I put together with valuable thoughts about mentoring (I am good at plagiarizing others' thoughts...)

Mentors to Match our Message

Julie had some great thoughts on mentoring as well and how it fits into Vanguard:

Mentors:

Need to have a passion for their subject

Need to have a passion for their students

Ideally same mentor at apprentice and journeyman level

Individual mentoring (especially at journeyman level). Individual study plans..pushing some further when ready. For example some students have a learning style that they favor...reading, writing, digital media, drawing, etc. A wise mentor allows them to express themself often using that learning style but also inspires them to become proficient in all of the learning styles by encouraging growth in new areas.

Classics:

Oliver demille said a scholar looks like a youth reading classics and discussing them and writing about them (and I'll add applying them...)we should whenever possible have the student actually be engaged in reading a classic for their class preparation...both at journeyman level and in vanguard

Simplicity:

Simple curriculum (classics)...discussion and reading environments

Simple structure (individual mentoring plan)...this is the coaching environment

Simple reporting (individual mentoring time)..oral and written (this is the testing environment)

This may feel more complex in ways since it puts more squarely on the shoulders of the youth the responsibility to plan, prepare and choose along with the mentors guidance, but that is what scholar phase is...especially at 14-15.  Self directed scholars should be choosing their own study plans because they are engaging deeply in their own education rather than being led into their own education

Student:

Inspiration and ability to choose what they want to study deeply about...early scholar phase is not the time to fill in all the gaps, it is the time to learn study skills and habits and to change and grow and become as well as study deeply into things you are passionate about

 

Guidelines for mentors about classes

As we create this scholar environment for our youth, let us be mindful of the following:

Oliver DeMille, in his article “Force vs. Rigor” :

The tone of youth seminars for those 13 and above could be summed up as:

-You have important things to accomplish in your life, and you need a world-class education

-Push yourselves a lot harder!  Work! Work!  Work!

-What you have to contribute is unique and world-altering

-A great education is a fabulous thing, and it us up to you to go earn one!

-Study, study, prepare!  The world needs what you were born to do.

-Learn more about the areas that interest you, and dig so much deeper into the areas that haven't yet excited you.  You just haven't learned enough about them yet.

-All knowledge is fun, Study a lot more!  How exciting!

What each class should contain:

-At least one scripture

-At least one piece of information to add to their time-line

-your testimony about truth and the Savior

What each class can also contain:

-A Word study

-Music that is wholesome, uplifting, and inspiring

-Reflection moment after particularly impactful experience

-connection to the leadership theme for the month

-something that references the period of history we are studying for the year.

I would like to see us use a method I learned about called “the four R's” either in reflections or word studies:

-Research: study it out using scriptures, words of the prophets, the Noah 1828 dictionary, and other sources of truth

-Reason: write/verbalize your own conclusion of what the truth of that matter is based upon your research

-Relate: figure out how it relates to you in your life

-Record: write or draw your conclusions in your commonplace book

Please try to keep your material within the time frame allotted...going over often makes students restless and makes it harder to learn.

Julie had these great thoughts:

Classes:

Purpose?   Why does the student need to learn this?  As a mentor am I teaching to the purpose or am I just teaching to the subject?  For example if the purpose of constitution is to Help the student understand and apply the principles of freedom in their own life then every time we should be discussing how what we are learning applies to self...how rewriting the emancipation proclamation teaches us about freedom....perhaps by specifically looking for principles of freedom in the document, perhaps by writing a essay after about how the proclamation applies to you.   It gives the student and the subject purpose...rather than just work to be done.  We should always teach to the purpose.    Each class should have a specifically stated purpose and a wise mentor would reflect upon that purpose while planning and preparing for class time

 

Example...In speech my purpose is to help them be used to public speaking so that it is not so intimidating to them, to help them be better at speaking in public and to help them learn to think quickly and to have virtuous thought so that they always have something important to say.  I teach to the purpose by giving them time to speak, by giving them feedback about their speaking, by sharing scriptures that relate to speaking and elevating our thoughts, and by giving short lessons about skills such as eye contact and projection, etc.  as mentors we should always teach to the purpose or we loose or focus and become knowledge based rather than principle based

Value?  This goes along with purpose, but the youth need to see the value in the things they are learning.  This is really the application part.  At some points in our lives it is good to get knowledge just for knowledges sake, but it is so much more valuable to have knowledge for wisdoms sake.  If I can't apply what I'm learning to my life right now, my mission, or my foreseeable future I have a hard time motivating myself to want to continue gaining knowledge.  This is both the job of the mentor and the student to find value.  I think value comes from reading classics and from discussion of them with peers who are finding their own value.

Engagement? Are the student engaging?  Are they participating, are they sharing ah has, are they excited to learn, are they cheating, are they skimming the surface, are they just doing the minimums to get by?  As mentor we need to look at the level of engagement to see when we may have lost our purpose or our value.  Are the students responding by doing more than is required because we have given purpose and they have found value and are now willing to do the hard work.  

Example...Megan has mentioned that sometimes in the geography game there is cheating.  I mentioned that maybe that it was okay with the mentors to keep the game moving.  I was upset with myself later for saying this to her as I don't ever want to teach my children that it is okay to cheat or okay to allow others to cheat.  If students are compromising their virtue...and even just meeting minimums sometimes can be compromising virtue....then we may need to go back to purpose and value....please don't take this as an attack on geography :). That was not my intent only to show that engagement is a reflection of the level of purpose and value being discussed in the class.

I think if we are seeking always for purpose and value in the things we are teaching and looking for signs of engagement from the students then we are truly growing in light and truth not just knowledge.