Over the years I have had the desire to see more wholistic approaches to education sprout up in America. I have explored many of the current educational models that exist, some of them I share here, those that I like and draw from. My intention with this website is to share my ideas, highlighting what I feel is needed, integrating from what the strengths and limitations are from the several approaches that I am familiar with, and then to cultivate the sharing of others so more avenues for our children can be made for holistic vibrant learning environments, giving our kids what they deserve so they can thrive.

My own personal experience with education was that one I found a few key teachers that I felt cared for, respected, inspired, and challenged by, but the frameworks that they were working out of sometimes really inhibited them. I found myself feeling socially isolated or bored in the St. Paul School System where I was schooled. In High School at Simley and later at South St. Paul High School, there was some great teachers, a AP and International Bacculaerate program, the schools were well funded, etc. But so much was lacking that I couldn't even put my head around. I did not know, but felt it, and so many of us complained. Not many people had heard of alternative schools.

Waldorf

Integral Education

Daniel Quinn

www.Floweringmountain.com

Initiatory Education (Maledoma Some, www.boystomen.com, www.therosecircle.com)

Emotional Health and well-being as well as relationship health taught in schools

Wilderness Charter School in Ashland

Forest School's

Tom Brown Jr's Tracker school www.trackingschool.com 

Coyote Trails

Outdoor schools

Outward Bound

Freeschools

Homeschooling

Student Guided Schools (the one up in Canada)

Montesorri programs

Anastasia Schools

Community based Schools

Apprenticeships and Mentoring (Festivel Idea for 10-12th grades)

Bibliography on good books about alternative education and the best from traditional education:
Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell
Sharing the Joy of Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell
Listening to Nature by Joseph Cornell
The Spiritual Life of Children by Robert Coles
Everyday Blessings by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Parent as Mystic, Mystic as Parent by David Spangler
The Discipline Book by Mr and Mrs Sears

Some key points:

1. Children need to get out in Nature. I feel that one, there is a vast wealth of learning that is created and sustained by children who maintain a deep and imbedded appreciation and relationship with wilderness. Nature brings with it so many lessons, and a sense of place in our lives.

2. Children need free time to create, imagine, and explore. Lives full of wonder, are happy lives indeed. Kids need to be able to wander, to let their hearts, minds, and bodies soar.

3. Children need structure to feel safe and held.

4. Children need involved parents, relatives, siblings, and community members.

5. Children need to be connected to their ancestors.

6. Children need their parents to be healthy, unburdened by emotional baggage, to be able to thrive.

7. Children need flexibility.

8. Children need some foundation of spiritual heritage, tradition, connection that is supported to cultivate, honor, and receive.

9. Children need good wholesome alive and healthy food and water to be receptive to learning, and non-toxic learning and living environments.

10. Children need to see their parents model active and continued learning into adulthood.

11. Children need stories.

12. Children need other children, of various ages around them.