Democratic Education Part 1 of 2

[fearghalgill]

Did you by any chance have anything to do with that documentary "Social engineering in the 20th century"?

[death9719]

is that hitler at 52

[aganon77]

Do you have any reference of this video in Spanish, or the author, it's hard to find something like this in google with no other reference.

[dafilip94]

this is exactly how i feel...i'll try to spread this on facebook

[TGeigerChannel]

I love your videos and your way of thinking. I think freedom of choice and having real meaning in our lives is what we as americans are missing the most.

[northwestbranch]

I can't understand how children are allowed to skip the basic area of study, of any good education, such as math, science and English. The fact that not all of these kids don't go on to college concerns me. I would love to see the stats.

[MacoutesGabber]

So if the students want to learn about things that aren't academic, we should allow that? LOL "Hey let's all learn about Sponge Bob Squarepants!" LOL

[madderbass]

THANK YOU! This is what I've been somewhat advocating relating to the public educational system today, and makes so much sense as to why I've hated it. Thank you, I shall post this on Facebook.

[orixaofthewind]

Thank you for the video! I am a LL newbie (after a slap in the face by Prof. Chomsky that I am forever grateful for). I have enrolled 2 of our children in Montessori pre-school hoping this will give them a solid beginning outside of our home. Unfortunately in our current system such progressive schools are out of reach financially for my fellow brothers and sisters. I think creating awareness and demand of such healthy learning pathways should be more a part of the anarchist movement.

[gaybash]

When I was a child I would always ask my mother questions she didn't have an answer to. Questions about the world, about life and death. These are things I'm still questioning to this day and those questions have made me more of who I am than any maths test I've ever done. If you haven't already, please look into The Venus Project and The Zeitgeist Movement.

[PunanyFingerz]

Interesting. People underestimate how mature children can be when they make decisions in groups. In a lot of cases they're more rational than grown ups!

[miXmiLeZ]

I agree with you, I'm a student unfortunately not in USA, and I hate school, I would reather work anything else than go to school. Can you do somethnig about this, and make this org also in Europe?

I really hate school, Im there 8 hours, teachers aren't fair, other students are always rude, they ake fun of other, specilly of "geeks" etc.

[meatwadgunit]

which is why when I got to my second year of college, I realized that I bullshitted my way through highschool and still graduated in white...

[Martiaali]

You should check out the Finnish upper second system. I think it's the closest you can get to a Democratic education in current economic system. It's very flexible and allows for a very customized and individual plan. Only thing is that we have swedish as a mandatory subject even though there is only 5% of swedish population in the country. It's some old relic but we seem not to get rid of it because of some twisty corruption in the politics.

[BuBBaGump014]

Pretty interesting video. I'll just abstract and comment on one positive aspect: the idea of allowing children to guide their own learning.

I can see the face-value in this straightaway. It is a shame that in most school systems now, one gets the feeling that just because I am no longer in grade 12, my education is finished. Education is a life-long processes that never stops. And I think this kind of democratic education both fosters this attitude and gives kids the skills required to do so.

[TovarishGruzin]

great vid

[coladict]

Three questions:

How much of the population do you think would be able to afford an education if public education was abolished? Would it not be just those who already have more money and only their children would stand a chance at success (as it was before public schools)?

Since those children can choose what to study before having sampled most fields, won't that narrowing be of detriment?

[ThisBoyTV]

Are you suggesting that a six year old knows what they should or could learn?

It may be that you are explaining how the US school system operates. In our school system we are taught to challenge and ask questions. In order to move beyond high school I had to be fluent in 3 languages + 8 other areas of study.

[TheLeftLibertarian]

What I'm suggesting is that a 6 year old is naturally curious about the world. They should, in my opinion, be in an environment that facilitates this natural curiosity to help them grow. This video is only about the US system and my understanding of other systems around the world are limited. I think any system of education should promote critical thought. I also think there are many ways to educate children so I don't limit education to just Democratic Education.

[dmydlack]

Well done! Thank you for working on this.

[boomac62]

My sons have been unc\schooled at home for years and the results are off the charts, ....hell I learned about left libertarianism from my oldest who has studied it in detail....he teaches me.

peace

[joemoe23]

Do you know why we need public school and a standard policy on what is being taught rather than having people research for themselves without being taught at an early age? Because our rulers cannot have that...it would ruin the dominance that has taken over the world.

[5ag5]

It sounds like a good idea, but are children mature enough to know wjat is good for them?. I agree with everything but Children decideing their curriculum?, Bullet? Activities? Lunch Breaks? Don't you think children will want to play all the time instead of studying?. This is just a concern that i have. Because why not instead of having a ministy of education like the video says...

[5ag5]

...Why not letting the children's parents decide for them instead?. I mean i am a 100% they know what is good for their children or know them pretty well.

[GodOfTheInternets]

A lot of parents are unfit to educate or raise their children. I see it everywhere, children - age 12 - staying up untill 12:00 midnight "playing" (=rampaging) outside, those are the ones who become the thugs. Children are unfit to make decisions for themselves in their youth they need dicipline it's proven by neuroscience that children and teenagers' brains aren't developed enough to 'calculate' the consequences of their actions.

[boomac62]

so....you want somebody to take those children from those so called "unfit" parents?

[boomac62]

My three sons are unschooled and do amazingly well on end of the year tests..they think for themselves, don't follow the trends that other kids do,and you can talk to them about any subject...my wife and I have seen nothing but positive changes since going this route...maybe not for all but it workds for us.

[migloigle]

What's wrong with playing?

I'm not saying that studying (what most people see as studying) is stupid, but people do tend to have a very narrow vision on learning. As if it's something you can only do by sitting at a desk reading and writing.

You can study by playing, conversating, experimenting, reading, writing, watching others and so on. The regular education system just uses a very controlled and narrow way of studying.

[ryzrocker]

Great Video!

A good companion book to this (if anyone is interested) is "Everywhere All The Time: A de-schooling reader" by Matt Hern

[Tuppington]

At my public high school you could hang out a little after classes were through, but then they told you to get lost, even if you were just doing homework.

5 bucks for new ID cards. Don't need people who want to learn, just money.

Science classrooms had posters of Motorola's logo. They even bankrolled our "Motorola Science Fair."

The reaction when a bunch of arrogant Christians decided to carol in the hallways during classes, disturbing our concentration? Nada. Pot smokers? Arrest and suspend!

[unityrover]

You make videos about what I think.

[aaronhemeon]

Brilliant

[rlvowell]

i've seen a few of your vids now. i feel like i should have subscribed long ago. i appreciate the content you put on youtube.

[lordennis01]

I suspect the term "democratic schools" came from John Dewey, or at the very least was propagated by him. You should have him on the list!

[whoo689]

Get rid of silly local rules that say that a student and his parents must be localted IN THAT AREA in order to attend a certain school, usually public. I find it incredibly unAmerican for school officials to go to someone's house and pry into their lives and find out whether or not they live in that area. If they can get their kids to school on time, WHO CARES?!

If I want to send my kid to a better school halfway across the country, I sould be able to (if he's strong enough emotionally).

[whoo689]

Of course, that's not the ONLY way we can greatly improve our school system. I have long advocated decentralization and "marketization" in schooling. I mean, why is only the university level subject to decentralization and competition?? Why does K-12 have to be so subject to stringent standards, idiot groups like the NEA, and selfish teachers unions? I say no more! Let's open K-12 to competition for many different types of schools as well as give vouchers to less fortunate students.

[whoo689]

States, and more preferably localities, should run the schools. And I can't say I have much faith in school districts, either. I find them to be archaic and ridiculous. In the 21st Century, we don't need a bunch of public schools to be run by the same people, such as school boards and superintendents. The schools should be run independent of each other, to figure out what works best ON TEHIR OWN. Let competition show us the way, not regulation and centralization.

[whoo689]

Unfortunately, I'm very pessimistic about the prospects of democratic education on a huge level. It'll only be concentrated in a few schools here and there per community as long as society doesn't change its thinking. And it'll take a helluva long time to get people to start thinking about hwo shitty the school system is and the fact that it doesn't encourage kids to learn how to think for themselves. Most of all, you'll have to convince the politicians that this is better b/c they hold power

[whoo689]

How the hell is "democratic education" inherently "left-libertarian"?? I didn't know democratic schools teach kids about gay marriage, abortion, gun rights, etc. Of course, I am a full-blown libertarian, so I probably agree with you on social issues. However, us libertarians have the true moral authority for these schools, not just Left "libertarians".

[Scoppertop]

I agree with manicmetropolis!

Great work, as always..... thank you!

[seigneurvoland666]

0:51 sec, the guy on the left sitting, looks like hitler lol

[manicmetropolis]

if i may make some vid suggestions, i would love to see your thoughts on healthcare and energy

[kolomgorov]

Well done! Keep up the good work on these videos man.

[99rhetbaboons]

Although she is one of the few real journalists in the world, and one of the few intellectually honest, Naomi Klein defends public schools. This is likely because she just doesn't know. She is without guile, so I have to believe she simply does't know.

[mistermoen]

This video fucking rules.

[vinainor]

I can see how a democratic education can foster critical thinking, and I'm all for that. However, that doesn't justify libertarianism. Libertarianism is based on the naive assumption that humans are perfectly rational and are in complete control of their lives, independent of social and institutional influences such as marketing and advertising. Overwhelming evidence in the behavioral sciences suggest that this is absolutely not the case. It's about how the brain is wired. Not a matter of opnion

[TheLeftLibertarian]

I agree. That's why I put the LEFT in front of libertarian. Thanks for the comment.

[LibertaerUeberAlles]

@TheLeftLibertarian

Hmm, I'd say that all libertarianism is "left" and all authoritarianism is "right." However, I would ascribe the distinction of Left Libertarian to geoists such as Henry George.

It has nothing to do with how one perceives the world or how the brain is wired, or even how one perceives morality -- it's not as if Left Libs are into pot and casual sex, whereas Right Libs are church goers. Instead, it's only about land/resources distribution.

[LibertaerUeberAlles]

Incidentally, Thomas Jefferson is also listed among prominent Left Libertarians.

[CartCollector]

@vinainor The first person to call themselves a libertarian was an anarcho-communist named Joseph Déjacque. Look it up. The right wing doesn't have a stranglehold on libertarianism.

[jrpigg]

This is a nice set of videos.

I have one quibble though ... Horace Mann. He did establish Antioch College, probably one of the most radical colleges in the country, at least before it ran out of money and had to shut down.

[buddhagem]

Excellent video! Added to my favs. As to the technical advice above, ignore it. The video is great. Your narration is wonderful. And, just as thought, FA8T doesn't even make videos.

[FA8T]

Good doc but I think you need to re-record your narration as it isn't dominant enough in the soundtrack. Also I think you should rerecord it and speak slower and clearer. Pause after fulls top in what your reading, it will stop you swallowing your own words. Hope my advice might help if you want. :)

[manicmetropolis]

holy shit