Radical education is relative to our focus, goals & choices, natural or not now. I’ve been doing natural home learning & teaching since 1971 in Ore. In your "Progressive private schools’ (Sept. ‘97) Chris Maag called them "radical freedom, equality & solidarity", featuring Cascade Valley, comparing it to Pacific Crest alternative school, both real into democracy. They’ve switched from competitive to democratic decision by kids & staff. However he totally missed the ‘home schooling/education movement thats far vaster, deeper & diverse than either public or private school usually is.

As creative alternatives of homEd is from radical country living to urban Christian fundamentalism, networking their resources with similar souls. Most public schools districts now waste their $4,500/yr/student, & $35,000(ave) teacher’s salery totalling $135,000/class/yr costs. The primal question is, how simply natural, self-pacing & bonding is any education, learning experience & cooperating trust? Is it public, private or home activity, training & feeling ones spaces? or very structures, controlling, indoors, academic, artsy, etc?

How much curiculum, play & creative projects are democratically decided by students, teachers & parents meeting together in trusting cooperation? Democracy is 99% missing from most competitive group in U$A. However the ‘peace movement’ has helped families, some schools & sport to become more peaceful, deep & equal learning partners creating lessons. Cooperating is more natural, easy & enjoyable than hi stress learning is now, read Summerhill & Sudbury school books). Even Montessori is very structured learning programs, tracking kids indoor, with some do-it-yourself creations under the rules.

Are kids allowed to touch kids, homo-fobic or what? The other ignored energy field is emotional freedom & expression, without censorship of ideas, words & feelings peacefully, without hate, blame & pity, angry blame & rage. Is there space for deep dreams, passions & instincts in the learning space relaxing. We need to listen closely to all in education, encouraging creative impulses, growing & evolving in the spirit of free-will of choosing potential, making contact, etc.

Our sensitivity is essential for learning cosmic, natural & creative ways! even tribal in nature, wild in play, universal in awareness, not attention craving, power-struggles, revenge attacks or victims helpless. We need these to grow up, in & out to field the challenges of stress, conflicts & heavy earth changes coming up. Organic family gardening & natural farming are great ways to teach kids how the universe works in organic spaces of energy patterns.

Your photo or younger kids learning with older teens playing chess shows a major way students learn anywhere in life, by curiosity & focusing by sharing interests, not made to solo study to pass tests in age-graded business style classes. I wonder if they get to trek or camp out? do any biking, massage or newage trips in simple learning? that’s mostly self-evalutation, DIY, etc? How is healthy living, diets & environments encouaged in learning? Do they do community service for local needs of the poor or needy in neighbor hoods? The Allience mediating focus of ethnics, Indians, homeless, bioregions & victims of competition is great. Please apply this to children learning peacefully at home, in parks & nature free of money demands for approval..We can have a deep 2nd childhood learning with children in joy, equality & love.

respectfully micheal sunanda