I am building a learning community...

Why not a school? Well, first, it would be silly to call it a school when it’s being built on the principles of “unschooling”. Second, a community is everything that a youngster needs that school is not.

A community is a place where everyone has a voice versus being ruled over. A community nourishes the spirits of both learners and educators by freeing them from mindless bureaucracy. A community thrives on the exchange of energy, affection, and inspiration. A community builds lasting relationships. A community is both diverse and inclusive. A community doesn’t force its members into false competition through testing, ranking, numbering, and filing. A community is a place of cooperative endeavor. A learning center is a community.

Our learning community will be built on learner-directed principles that research has shown time and time again to increase student motivation, engagement, and most of all success. Our community will encourage learners to take ownership of their own education, and propel them on the path to becoming life-long learners. Our community will be built on the inherent inquisitiveness and natural curiosity in every learner. We learn by experience. And we learn by doing. It’s the natural way in which human beings are wired, and it’s how we learn up until the point that we start “school”.

I am rolling out the Elgin Freedom Learning Center. This is a place where education is reimagined. It is a learner-directed, self-paced program where students can get individualized attention and have an opportunity to pursue their passions and dreams. Here you will not find grade levels, strict scheduling, testing, grades, bells or hall passes. Here, learners interact with other learners of all ages and adults alike. Here, the learner is free. Free to learn what they want, how they want, and when they want. They have the freedom to know, freedom to do, and freedom to be.

Visit www.ephesuseducation.com for more info!