Free to Learn- Unprotected

When watching the film, “Free to Learn”, the first aspect of The Free School that can be surprising is the lack of structure. The students are not required to attend class; they can come and go as they please. They appear to spend much of their time just playing in the yard. This is enough to make anyone that grew up with traditional schools uneasy.

Even though this is an unusual aspect of the school, there is something else that really sets the school apart and that is the lack of protection the teachers provide to students. In pretty much every scene of the film the students were left unprotected. This is something that would not be experienced in a traditional school. The children are able to climb trees, play in the rain and even examine a tree that was struck by lightning. Anywhere else the students would be brought inside or told not to do such dangerous things.

Not only were they not protected physically, but they were also exposed to very strong emotions. For instance, in the council meetings, all of the students listened to the problems of others and were involved in trying to solve them. While at other schools the teacher may just bring the two students into one room and make one apologize to each other without even discussing the problem. The council meeting is a healthy way of taking control and sorting out problems in a way that is fair.

When the school had a fire that destroyed their barn and kill their animals they confronted the problem directly. Instead of trying to hide the students from the death of the animals, they were open and honest. They told them how they died, brought them to the site of the barn and even held a memorial for the animals. This may have been the children’s first experience with loss and the teachers handled it in a very open and healthy way.

The purpose of this lack of protection was not to hurt or toughen the children; instead it makes them more capable. They may not come out of elementary school able to recite their times tables or facts about U.S. history, but they have other strengths. They will have already learned the fundamentals about being thoughtful and independent people that are genuinely interested in learning.