Learning and Teachers at The Free School

Do 9-year-olds usually talk like that? I was amazed at the way children talked about free school and about public schools they used to go.

At Free School, children do not go to school to be taught. They go there to learn. At one point of the film, old ladies were criticizing the Free School that children are not learning; that the school should be strict with them and that they should have daily schedule to follow. However, people at Free School do not consider only studying as learning. Pursuing their own interest in their own creative ways and the experience that they gain during this process is much valued than learning to write or do the math. At the Free School, as Rogers stated, “the focus is primarily on fostering the continuing process of learning. The content of the learning, while significant, falls into a secondary place” (p. 327).

I wondered whether it is alright to place academic learning as second place. In order to “fit into society,” children have to learn to do math, science, writing, reading… all the subjects one learns in traditional schools. Several alumni of the school expressed that when they got into public schools, they felt they were stupid because they didn’t know things which their friends knew. However, children learn how to learn at the Free School so that wouldn’t become a problem. In the end, it is not the knowledge, but how you live your life which is important. The Free School provides the place and support for children to learn how to learn for their entire life.

In order for the Free School to function, teacher quality is important. Teachers at the Free School are facilitating learning. They are not authority figures but someone who will be there for the children when they are in need of help. When Chloe talked to one of the teachers that Max poked her with a stick, the teacher reminded her that council meeting happens only when she has done everything she could to solve the problem. At crucial times, teachers come in for support. However, they never solve problems for the children. The kind of support the teachers provide always starts from children’s will. Teachers occasionally suggest something, but it is up to the children to decide whether they want to do it or not. By having such teachers, children learn to trust and have confidence in themselves because they no longer depend on adults, or ask permission from adults to do anything.