Learning Through Fantasy Play

Posted by Nancy on Dec 21, 2011 in BLOG, Philosophy | 2 comments My last blog post offered a list of some of the activities our students are engaged in since the Philly Free School opened its doors for the first time on Sept 6, 2011. Each day at the school has been so full that writing entries has proven near impossible. And yet the desire to do so has been great, as a means to record some of what is happening here. Here is a sliver of a deeper look at the...

What are they doing?

Posted by Nancy on Dec 2, 2011 in BLOG, Philosophy | 3 comments For those of you who are curious about what goes on at a democratic free school, here is an incomplete list of some of the activities students at the Philadelphia Free School have been engaged in over the past 3 months. Stay tuned for updates, as well as future blog entries that focus on the learning engendered by some of these… playing chess dressing up writing songs creating Lego...

Real learning

Posted by Nancy on May 19, 2011 in Philosophy | 4 comments In my twenties, I spent a year teaching English in Greece at a private language school. At first, I thought I got the job because of my education, English skills, or at least gumption (the owner seemed impressed that, a complete unknown, I had taken an overnight boat ride from Athens to Crete on the off-chance that she would give me an interview.) As it turns out, a big reason I probably got the...

What kids can do

Posted by Nancy on May 19, 2011 in Philosophy | 3 comments If you are reading this, it means you have probably seen the newspaper article, heard the radio spot, or seen the TV story done about the Philadelphia Free School over the past 2 weeks. (Find links on the In the News page.) As we succeed in getting the word out about our school, a question every reporter and many viewers ask is, “Can children, especially young ones, really learn things on their...

Letter from a Future Student

Posted by Philly Free School on Mar 28, 2011 in Philosophy | 0 comments We received this letter recently from Julia, a 13 year old presently going to a public school. It speaks aptly to why we are starting this school. Can you imagine knowing about Free Schools while still attending a traditional middle...

What kind of adults do we want our children to become?

Posted by Philly Free School on Mar 27, 2011 in Philosophy | 1 comment This post was written by Richard Schiffrin, Esq., trustee, and parent of a graduate of the Circle School. The Circle School is the only other Sudbury school in Pennsylvania, sort of a brother to the Philadelphia Free School. Richard framed this piece as an Op-Ed submission for a newspaper, and has graciously allowed us to share it with you here. Last year, the City of Los Angeles spent nearly...