Aloha Haleakala Times

I totally agree with Gails' "Schools....be jails" commentary.

As an x-P.E. teacher; now homeducator & cooperative family

counselor(since 71), i also observe many fears, depression & even hate of students about schools they attend. I've inter- viewed 100s of kids in 25 years about their 'education' subjects teachers & classes where rewards & punishments are normal & peace is rare. This competitive model of reality, learning & achievement is very unatural & prevents open, fairness, joys, equality & democracy from 'learning spaces' where control is the main game by the top-dogs. Its tragic that teachers want more money, & not work to improve/revolutionize schools to give students & parents way more CHOICES in learning needs & experiences. Like VOTING on critical 'school' issues by all involved in decision making, is really needed for democratic living. But NO, teachers decide the focus, pace & places of learning skills for the future of business success, NOT creativity!.

So why do parents send kids to inferior, expensive $135,000 /class & $4,500/student/year) classes of hi-stress, some call 'day jails', chained to desks by standard fears of rules, failure & rejection?? Most schools are more baby sitting, child-care & managment than learning practical skills for growing happy, healthy & natural living. Of course we/they were 'educated' properly in nice class style, denying instincts, natural needs & freedom by parents treating kids the same or 'better' than we were raised!

But social equality is the 'missing link' in school relations; age-graded, under the seniority system. The other prejudices of: anti-sexual/sexism, social racism, trendy cool fashionism, capitalism & hi-tech 'needs' repress natural joys here now by the 4 Ds of: delay, denial, deception & division of groups by specialization of seperate classes & subjects. No unified approach in learning, except the unified control by authorities.

In Cali. the 'Independent Learning Programs' are growing fast to allow & support learning at home. As do the Wash. state home learning centers in communities allow & help parents. They work because simple choices prevent so much stress & money by comparison. . Anyway 'homeducation' & natural learning can solve many of the current 'eduation crises' of domination, sexual & achievement frustrations from the normal agist bias against youth becoming powerfully aware. Our organic human potentials are needed, at stake & lost under modern school codes. Kids are instinctually focusing herenow passionate & curious, open & honest, untill they're trained brains into neat-boxes of conformity. Natural gardens(anywhere) can make fun work while learning all about the food-cycles of air, fire, water &

earth elements all combining to grow & supply us with good health. We n eed to teach & learn the energetic of science, production, consuming & recycling, while learning about the universe evolving here & beyond. Real learning prevents & solves real problems & conflicts, directly & simply by choosing..

Lets give students more choices than orders, more options than demands, more spaces than desks, more cooperation than competitive sports & grading, more joy than records, more experiments than hard testing, more growing deep than repeating old fashioned, more self pacing than time scheduals &

lessons to prove how good & smart we are. God knows why we've given our children to certified mind trainers, abandoning & forgetting the natural body needs, functions & pleasures, to do homework, take buses, pass tests that wastes our energy, while creating illusions of good learning.

Essential education is constant & free, from birth on, not indoors more than in nature, as parents imprint babies to be like them, or be open channels of creative enthusiasm, magic trust & ecstasy using our multi sensory inputs & dynamic expressions??

Naturallyour micheal sunanda