Teaching, Learning, and Trusting at The Beach School

by: Tane Akamatsu

Much like the zen koan “If this is the sound of two hands clapping, what is the sound of one hand clapping?” I have often long believed that teaching and learning were like the two hands clapping.  In school, you have teachers, and you have learners.  I come from a family of teachers, and I even married one.   I used to be a professor in a college of education.  I am now a practicing school psychologist.  We have lived and breathed public education for so long, that when our son, Matthew, turned four, we marched down to the local public school and signed him up.  Simple.  However, unlike the sound of two hands clapping, what is taught is not always what is learned.  Nowhere is that clearer than in most of today’s schools.

The first few years of Matthew’s schooling were simple.  He made friends, got invited to birthday parties, learned to read, write, and do math, and generally learned how to “do school.”  He learned that recess and lunch were more fun than the other times, and eagerly awaited the 3:15 bell.  Oh, there were a few bumps along the way, but nothing to alarm us, and nothing more than other kids were dealing with.  I should know; I work with kids and families who don’t fit the public school mold, for whatever reason, and that mold is getting tighter and tighter. As time went on, however, things went from okay, to so-so, to bad to worse.  When we began resorting to giving him a day off from school every few weeks, we knew that it was time to start thinking about an alternative. In spite of my professional affiliations, when it came to my son, I have all the perspective of the emotionally laden tunnel vision to which all parents are entitled.  This essay is written from the perspective of a parent who is relatively new to alternative approaches to education.

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Meet Two Beach School Students: Asa and Kurtis

by Kristin Simpson

Asa - Age 11:

Some things he likes to do at school: 
write stories, participate in classes such as art and French, organized a week-long animation workshop, wrote a play which is being produced by the school

What he likes best about The Beach School:  
the self-directed curriculum used at the school because "you can have an animation class and get to write and do really fun things"

Kurtis - Age 12:

Some things he likes to do at school:  
play games, read, draw, create his own series of comic books, watch movies, sing and write his own songs, participate in classes such as art and animation

What he likes best about The Beach School:  
the freedom to choose how to spend his time, having a group of friends who share common interests.

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