FREE
FOR ALL
said, where if someone thinks
well of you, then you thrive. She
said she wishes this notion was
more central in inner-city schools,
where some teachers are often
despondent and kids are caught in
“bubbles” that they never burst.
“Know the whole child, understand where the child is coming from, adapt the curriculum
to the child’s background and
interests, give the child a lot of
autonomy, there’s so much info
out there, and all of it speaks to
the sorts of things being done
in progressive schools like Albany Free School, Brooklyn Free
School,” Morrison said. “Those
schools take it to the far extreme
of progressive education, but
there’s a lot of research out there
that says: This stuff works.”
One potential problem in free
schools being widely accepted,
Morrison said, is free school “official data.” When asked how
many graduates the Brooklyn
Free School has had, for instance,
Berger said “20 or 21.” When
asked how many had gone to college, Berger said, “We know how
many have gone,” but wouldn’t
provide a number.
Still, Berger said, there are 60
students at the Brooklyn Free
HUFFINGTON
01.13.13
School, and a “growing waiting
list.” He just wants to make sure
he continues fostering a diverse
mix of students, and to keep offering affordable tuition.
“We’ve learned a lot since we
first started,” Berger said. “But we
try to make it work for all kids. We
support kids for who they are.”
WHEELS!
SCREENS! CHOICE!
After “Chemistry: The Gathering,” the students clear the classroom of folding tables, and both
the upper and lower school kids
s