Back to School with Alfie Kohn
Today is the first day of school at my before-baby place of employment, a lovely little progressive gem outside of Burlington, Vermont called The Bellwether School. Â So, although I’m not yet joining the ranks of Baltimore Mamas who are packing lunches, driving carpools, rearranging their routines, and cheering/weeping as they watch their kiddos enter their new classrooms for the first time, it’s hard for me not to associate early September with the excitement, anxiety, and anticipation of the new school year.
And, while my role has changed and I’m seeing the world from a mama’s perspective instead of a teacher’s, I find that I’m still passionate about ensuring that all children receive the education they deserve, whether from our public schools, independent institutions, or those patient souls who practice the art of homeschooling. Â In my journeys through the world of education, I’ve come across perhaps the most articulate and outspoken (and slightly controversial) contemporary proponent of real education for all, Alfie Kohn. Â Kohn has written eleven books and a multitude of articles on homework; standards, tests and grades; competition; discipline; parenting and many other topics. Â He lectures nationally and internationally at school board meetings, education conferences, university classes, and conventions and doesn’t shy away from challenging both mainstream ideas and practices as well as so-called progressive education that does not live up to its name.
Back in September of 1996, Educational Leadership published Alfie Kohn’s chart “What to Look for in a Classroom.”  The chart has been reworked and has appeared in his books What to Look for in a Classroom…And Other Essays and The Schools Our Children Deserve and can be found online at:
www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/wtlfiacchart.htm
I loved to consult this chart as I was getting geared up for a new school year, and I always encourage parents to peruse it as well.  Take a look.  Then take a look at your child’s learning environment, at drop off/pickup times, a classroom visit, or at a Back to School Night.  You might be surprised by what you learn at your child’s school.
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Filed under: Schools
Thankfully there are many charter schools popping up and my daughter was lucky enough to get in to one. Her classroom would pass the AK test. But, if she hadn’t gotten in she would have ended up at an overly structured Catholic school.
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