UNSCHOOLING SCHOOL
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With great freedom comes great responsibility

The decision to be designated a Free Learner should not be taken lightly. FL is a label of responsibility.
It says to the world that you wish to take full responsibility for your education--what you learn, how you learn it and who you learn with and from. It also says that you are mature, respectful and considerate enough to handle the freedom.
​

freedom + responsibility = Free learner

  •  Freedom is when a person can do what they want to do and have what they want to have.
  •  Responsibility is when a person chooses to limit their freedom to allow others to enjoy theirs.
  •  Both are needed for a good society to be possible.
  •  Rights are the means by which each person’s freedoms are balanced against the freedoms of other people.
  •  Laws are the means by which the rights of others are encoded and enforced.
  •  Responsible action is freely chosen whereas legal action is coerced through enforcement on pain of penalty for disobedience.
  •  Education should aim to develop responsibility - which is morally superior to law-abiding obedience.
  •  Responsible behaviour derives from thoughtful reflection with regard to consequences, empathy, and free choice.

Responsibility is best learned through living in a community which solves its problems and disputes through negotiation and respect for the rights of others rather than fear of punishment.
 
The work of New York psychologist Stephanie Fagin-Jones is of interest. Courageous altruism: Personal and situation correlates of rescue during the Holocaust. The Journal of Positive Psychology  When Stephanie interviewed 79 non-Jewish Holocaust “rescuers” and compared their attitudes and personalities with a similar number of non-Jewish “bystanders” she found that those who took risks to intervene tended to be autonomous and non-conformist with high levels of moral responsibility whereas those who stood by and failed to intervene were more law-abiding and obedient.
"The best environment for helping young people to develop the necessary traits would seem to be one that allows the freedom of self-directed learning within a community context of rights-respecting democratic decision making. You cannot be forced to be responsible – you have to learn it through taking and sharing responsibility – just as you cannot be forced to learn to swim by passing tests in a classroom without being allowed in the pool."
-Derry Hannam, Author, Another Way is Possible: Becoming a Democratic Teacher in a State School
© Unschooling School, an initiative of Classroom Connections.
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Photos de Pixabay et Unsplash
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  • About Us
    • Our Philosophy
    • Projects
    • Phases of Unschooling
    • Misconceptions/Truths
    • Request a speaker
    • We're Here to Help
  • FREE LEARNER
    • What is a Free Learner
    • What a FL looks like
    • Get a FL Designation
    • High School Diploma
    • FL Diploma
    • Freedom/Responsibility
    • Deschooling
  • RESOURCES
    • Crash Course
    • How Students Learn
    • Students
    • Parents
    • Homeschoolers
    • Educators
    • Allies
    • Mental Health >
      • Anxiety
      • Suicide Risk
    • Decolonizing School
    • FAQ
    • Media
  • TAKE ACTION
    • Join the Movement
    • Donate Now
    • Find Your People
  • À PROPOS DE NOUS
    • Déscolariser l'école
    • Que faisons-nous ?
    • PHASES DE DÉSCOLARISATION DE L'ÉCOLE
    • IDÉES FAUSSES ET VÉRITÉS
    • DEMANDER UN CONFÉRENCIER OU UN ATELIER
    • NOUS SOMMES LÀ POUR VOUS AIDER
  • Apprenant.e libre
    • À QUOI RESSEMBLE UN APPRENANT.E LIBRE ?
    • OBTENIR UNE DÉSIGNATION AL
    • DIPLÔME D'ÉTUDES SECONDAIRES
    • FR-FL Diploma
    • Ressources >
      • Étudiants
      • Parents FRANÇAIS
      • Cours accéléré
      • Éducateurs
      • Alliés
      • FAQ FRANÇAIS
      • Médias
    • Liberté/Responsabilité
    • DÉSCOLARISATION
  • AGIR
    • DÉCOLONISER L'ÉCOLE​
    • L'apprentissage à l'épreuve du COVID
    • Résolution pour les enfants non scolarisés
    • Faites un don
    • Trouvez vos collaborateurs
  • Français
  • English