My ideal school is a school quite unlike any school we’ve heard of. This school consists of a large library and basic recreational facilities. And that’s all. There are no classrooms. The school motto is “I sought not to bring men to me, but to themselves,” a quote by Emerson. The school is built on the idea of active learning. No student is forced to learn. This is a much more effective way of learning. Students at this school can really pursue their interests. Most importantly, students at this school are not “institutionalized.” They do not obey and follow the school bells. They do not act according to a set schedule.

Like I mentioned before there are no classrooms in this school, therefore there are no classes, no homework, and no tests. There are many teachers; however these teachers act more like mentors. They are there to answer questions, to guide and to help the students with their curiosities or problems.

An important part of this school system is that the students at this school must start attending this school from an early age. Older transfer students are not allowed. The reason for this is that this way of active learning can be easily taken advantage of by students who come from an institutionalized environment. Because they are used to being forced to do homework and take tests that when they come to this school they would most likely just be lazy and do nothing which defeats the purpose of the school. But kids who enroll at a young age such as 4 or 5, this way of schooling will help them develop an interest to learn actively.

A normal school day consists of the student arriving at school in the morning. Note that this school is not a boarding school. I believe that the best education consists of an equal balance between time spent at home and time spent at school. After the student arrives at school, he/she can do whatever they want. Or more so they can learn about whatever they want. The school encourages individualism. We encourage each student to deeply learn about the topics they are interested in. On ways of learning, students are encouraged to get hands on experience, like traveling, and taking trips.

The students do not have to follow text books. Instead they are encouraged to read and write each other’s pieces. They can always ask the teachers or should I say mentors questions about anything. According to their interests, students can learn things from how to ride a bike, to Greek mythology, to the modern languages.

Each day is spent following their curiosities, solving mysteries, exchanging ideas with a mentor, or just simply sitting in silence meditating. There is no pressure to be someone, or to achieve something. It’s about naturally learning and enhancing one’s abilities. These students do not need to face standardized testing which is all about meeting specifically set standards. They are not categorized and most importantly they are not institutionalized.