Making It Up as We Go Along: The Story of the Albany Free School

by Chris Mercogliano, Joseph Chilton Pearce (Foreword)

Grades K - 5 Making It Up as We Go Along is the story of the Albany Free School, a school based on real freedom, real community, real democratic principles, and real affection between teachers and students. There, for over twenty-five years Chris Mercogliano has taught a never-ending variety of children–kids of all ages from every race and social class, from those with developmental and behavioral problems to the so-called "gifted." Thanks to this ongoing experiment in education, one of the longest running of its kind in America, Mercogliano has come to understand how children learn and above all, how important autonomy and authenticity are to the learning process. There is no preset methodology to describe because Mercogliano and his students make it up as they go along. What the author does do is render into words some of the possibilities that abound when teachers and students learn together in an atmosphere of freedom, personal responsibility, and mutual respect. His book debunks many of the misconceptions about teaching and learning, including the belief that education requires a lot of money, sophisticated technology, and extensive specialized teacher training. Mercogliano wrote this book with three broad goals in to provide an in-depth history of the Free School, including a brief analysis of its place in the broader scheme of things; to describe the school in a way that is meaningful to both those who have some point of reference to the various alternatives to conventional schooling and those who do not; and to address certain fundamental subjects that are too often neglected in our national thinking about aggression, sexuality, race/class, and spirituality. In the process, he proves that teachers can help all students pursue their genius and their dreams through the union of self-direction, excitement, joy, and emotional honesty.

Genres: Education, Teaching

136 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 1998

About the author

Chris is the author of How to Grow a School: Starting and Sustaining Schools That Work , In Defense of Childhood , Teaching the Restless , and Making It Up as We Go Along and long time director at The Free School in Albany.

Reviews

[Richard Bamattre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much attention is paid to the author's personal opinions on "compulsory schools," television, and religion; there is too little of focus, in my opinion, on the organic structure of the school - how council meetings are performed, how lessons are given, how children spend their day. More interesting accounts of free, or democratic schools, can be found in books about A.S. Neill's Summerhill School or Daniel Greenberg's Sudbury Valley Scool.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I searched and searched for this book because there is very little out there on the free school movement as it applies to elementary students. I was really pleased to find this one. I think that I learned a lot about being with kids...unfortunately, not a lot of it is practical to what I am currently doing. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers.

[Alex]

this book is an amazing account of children learning and loving to do it. it shows how much the schools are forcing kids into boxes, and then punishing them for not enjoying it. when all kids want to learn, but not always when forced into a box to do it.

[Kelly Rueda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly inspiring book....

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful ground-level outline of one solution to our educational crisis.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a must read for those interested in informal education and alternatives to traditional schools.