When Kids Rule the School (eBook)

lt;p> Jim Rietmulder is a founding staff member and educator at The Circle School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a pioneering democratic school, where he has worked for 34 years. With his support, students at The Circle School practice freedom and responsibility in a scaled-down version of the larger world, becoming experts at life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Jim also tutors students to take college entrance exams, plays mixed-age soccer at every opportunity, and anchors the daily Critical Thinking Discussion Group. Prior to, and overlapping with, The Circle School's early years, Jim was a history magazine editor, business analyst, independent software developer, and management consultant to manufacturers. Jim is married to co-founder Beth L. Stone and is the father of two Circle School graduates. He lives in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania.

Stories
Prologue: Taming the Wild
Introduction

Part One: Self-directed Democratic Schools
1. What's a Democratic School?
Small-scale Democracy
Sudbury Schools
Summerhill School
Integral Education
Free Schools

2. The Circle School
Scaled-down World
Foundation Principles

Part Two: A Case for Democratic Schooling
3. Integral Education: An Emerging Era
Traditional to Modern to Integral
Fill a Bucket, Light a Fire, Fan a Flame
The Radical Difference

4. Democratic Schools: A Better Fit
Aligning School with Society's Ideals
Alignments Within the School
Aligning School with Children's Lives
Bliss It Isn't
Human Development and Democratic Schooling
And Finally There's This

5. Seven Ideas
Democratic Schooling in a Nutshell
Community: Less Obvious, More Important?
Intrinsic Motivation and Autonomy
Optimal Challenge: Children Reaching Higher
Embodied Cognition and Deep Learning
Coercive Curriculum Harms Children
Practicing Life

Part Three: Thinking about Thinking
6. How and What Do They Learn?
Worldviews, Culture Wars, Concerts, and Railroads
Expanding the Scope of Education in School
Old Ways
Integral Learning Patterns Enabled by Democratic Schooling

7. Critical Thinking
Capable Cognition
Provocations
Culture of Critical Thinking
Deep Play and Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking in Perspective

Part Four: In Practice
8. Jargon
School Meeting
Ends We Seek
School Meeting Committees
School Meeting Officials
Corporations
Certification
Lawbook
Judicial Committee
Board of Trustees

9. A Typical Day?
Walking Tour
Bulletin Board
Room Reservations
Daily Schedule
What You See and What You Don't

10. School Government
Elections
School Meeting
Corporations
Staff
Management Manual
Laws
Enforcement and Empowerment
Judicial Committee
Formal Governance
Legal Structure

11. The Chore System

12. Safety, Safety, Safety
Standards
Laws
Safety Practices

13. Moving On: College and the World
High School Diplomas
College Admissions
Not Going
College and Degrees

Part Five: Frequently Asked Questions
Basics
Curriculum
Assessment and Reporting to Parents
Getting into a Democratic School

Epilogue: Seeking Infinity
Acknowledgments
Appendix A: Management Manual Table of Contents
Appendix B: The Circle School Corporation Bylaws
Appendix C: Colleges Attended by Circle School Graduates
Index
About the Author
A Note about the Publisher