Kids need freedom.
They need to be free to run and jump and talk and laugh and play. They need to be free to follow their interests. They need to be free to make friends and have adventures and explore this amazing world of ours. They need to be able to see the world through fresh eyes, so they can fix the mistakes of previous generations. Today's children are tomorrow's adults, after all.
When I was young, I desperately needed freedom. But my parents, my school and the world in general wouldn't let me have it. They wanted obedience. They wanted homework and grades. And sure, they had a good side too, but even so they wounded me deeply, and they didn't even see what they were doing.
I know I'm not the only one who has this history. I've spoken to a number of people, especially children, who have shared with me their own struggles, their own need for freedom.
If today's children are raised properly, if they're given the freedom and respect that they need, then they'll grow up with joy and wisdom, and when they have kids of their own they'll raise those kids properly, and they'll grow up to raise their kids properly. If we can fix just one generation, we can fix countless generations, on down through the centuries.
Children have been mistreated in almost every culture for hundreds of years. It's time to change that. It's time to make kids free again.
No one should have to endure what I endured. Freedom must be provided to those who need it. And honestly, I think everybody needs it.
Sudbury is one way to make children free. Agile Learning Centers are another. Unschooling is a third way. I will do whatever I can, because this needs to happen. Some kids, especially teens, are actually driven to suicide by all the pressure, stress and confinement. Other kids live, but they die a little on the inside, and they grow up to become adults who have no idea who they really are or what they really want, and that discontent may well haunt them to their dying day, unless they come to realize what went wrong.
When innocent people suffer, it is our moral duty to help them. That's why I do this. That's why I'm founding a Sudbury School.