The Weekly Newsletter of Educational Alternatives - www.EducationRevolution.org
Last chance to have your donation to AERO doubled - Will you help sustain us?
We've been overwhelmed with the support so many AERO supporters have given us as we've worked toward the New Visions challenge grant of $10,000. So far we've had donations from 21 states, five Canadian provinces and nine other countries. The deadline is the end of this month, in four days, and we're nearing the finish line. So this is your last chance to make a contribution to support AERO's work that will be doubled or tripled!
 
You can support AERO with a one-time or monthly recurring tax-exempt donation of any amount
 
 
 
Pioneers in Alternative Education, a new TEDx Talk by Jerry Mintz
A few weeks ago I went to Bergen, Norway to do a TEDx talk. I was taking a chance because it was only ten days after I had finished with procedures related to my kidney stone surgery, but I felt it was very important to go and participate in this event. I'm very pleased with how it went and was just informed that my talk has now been posted.

We've mentioned before that we never know whether the work we do will be effective or where the ripples may go. For example, one of the current members of our school starters course said about the TEDx talk I did a year ago at Brooklyn Free School, "I can't say how much this changed my life. 
'What do you want to learn today?' So easy yet so powerful. I quote this TEDX talk all the time and tell people to watch it when they ask what an alternative education system is. I've watched it more then a few times. Thank you."

This kind of feedback makes all the work worthwhile. Please take a look, send feedback, and let other people in your networks know about it.
 
Three New Books on Sale
Place-Based Education
Connecting Classrooms & Communities
David Sobel

List Price: $12.00
Sale Price: $11.45



Another Kind of Public Education

Race, Schools, the Media, and Democratic Possibilities
Patricia Hill Collins

List Price: $21.00
Sale Price: $18.95


The Unschooling Unmanual

Nanda Van Gestel, Jan Hunt, Daniel Quinn, Rue Kream, Earl Stevens, Kim Houssenloge, John Holt, and Mary Van Doren

List Price: $18.00
Sale Price: $15.95 
Top Authors Say No to Standardized Testing
More than 120 authors and illustrators of books for children - including Maya Angelou,  Judy Blume and Jane Yolen - urged President Obama in a letter sent Tuesday to curb policies that promote excessive standardized testing and said they are "alarmed" about the impact "on children's love reading and literature."

Daniel Visits New AERO School in NC


Daniel Sage


As I was driving from rural NC to Charlotte I started thinking about what the first free school in Charlotte might look like. I imagined a rough inner city urban environment, similar to Manhattan, Brooklyn or Albany free school. When I arrived at the bottom of a long winding hilly road I realized how different this free school would be! They are renting a mobile home in the back of a Unity church located in south Charlotte. Most of the days are spent outside when the weather is nice, and there are many walking trails in the woods, a medicine wheel, and many, many yellow jackets! This was quite an issue for the older boys of the school since someone stepped on the nest and got stung over a dozen times. While we were walking through the woods, I realized I had the perfect song to solve the problem.

As I was setting up to play a 6 year old girl named Tessa and a few other kids were curious; what was in my magical musical suitcase? A heart shaped rock that a girl had given me in Montana was in there, and I gave it to Tessa and said, "Now you have my heart". Needless to say I made a few fans.

Nancy Tilton, founder of the school knew that I was going to be in NC for the Reinventing Higher Education Unconference in Black Mountain, and asked me to drive down a couple hours and talk about my experience as an un-schooler, and play a musical show for the community. I've been playing music for 9 years, have 100+ original songs, have toured the US coast to coast, and am about to go into the studio with a grammy-winning producer followed by a european tour. The song I mentioned earlier is a gospel/soul/folk song I wrote in Tennessee; aptly called "I am not afraid!". It's a sing along and by the last chorus everybody was singing! It is now the school's official theme song.

Mosaic School is not democratically run yet, but hopes to be in the near future. Nonetheless, they are a true free school, nothing is programed, and field trips are frequent. Since this there first year they have 12 students, with plans of adding many more. Nancy took our school starters course last year, and commented to me that it was crucial to the mosaic schools well being in the early stages. They are doing great things down there, and they are now my favorite free school.

Nancy Tilton, founder of the Mosaic School, is a graduate of our start a school course.
 
 
News & Resources: IDEC 2013 Documentation
Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to jerryaero@aol.com.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support. With your help, we will make learner-centered alternatives available to everyone!

Sincerely,

Jerry Mintz
Executive Director
Alternative Education Resource Organization

October 26, 2013 
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