Founding by Example

How do you go about starting a school?

This is the first question out of just about everyone's mouth when I tell them about my endeavor. My honest answer, "I don't know! I'm learning as I go," is usually met with laughter and agreement that the task is large.

One very helpful resource I've utilized is print media. I've read plenty of websites, online digests, articles, you name it and that's my weekday morning lineup, but I've also delved into quarterly magazine deliveries, journals, and books- actual books. There is an absolute wealth of resources out there, and when you read one, it inevitably links or cites several others, leading to a black hole of reading. I love reading, I love learning, and I love how much information is out there for people looking to start schools. I could probably take a year and just read all day every day and become the most cerebrally knowledgeable school entrepreneur out there. However, in the interest of time and progress, I don't just read. I read and then I act. I read and then I reach out to authors. I read and then I create something: a document, a diagram, and step-by-step plan. The reading inspires my next steps in my school founding process, and this process perfectly illustrates exactly what I hope students will do in my school.

1. Identify a problem that needs solving.

2. Take stock of resources available.

3. Become informed using choice of resources.

4. Come up with method by which to solve problem.

5. Present solution to others and discuss perspectives.

6. Receive feedback and reflect on any changes or next steps needed.

This is what I hope will occur daily in my school. A real-world type of learning situation wherein students cover a variety of subject areas and topics via problem-solving of a relevant topic. There will be a utility to learning the skills needed to problem solve, a relevance to the topics covered, and a natural merging of subject areas. If it is indeed the most realistic way to learn, because it is what I suspect they will need to be able to do in their adult lives, then it makes sense that this is exactly the route that I am taking in my own "real life" while trying to solve the problems in education. The idea naturally emerged from my own experience, and my own experience naturally followed the idea that I had created for students: I am founding by example!