PITTSFIELD — In 1871, Lewis Carroll introduced a generation of American readers to the neologism “un-birthday,” a newly-coined term that, once made familiar, gave rise to “The Unbirthday Song” in Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
Fast forward 100 years, and educator John Holt coined another novel term, “unschooling,” one that has slowly slid into the English lexicon during the past four-plus decades. In a bout of serendipitous timing, as students and families across Berkshire County begin the epic countdown to summer, a pair of Berkshire-based professionals (who happen to be parents of school-aged children), Jennifer Crews and Deborah Rimmler, are knee-deep in preparations to launch Berkshire Freedom Academy, an “unschool” aimed at enabling kids ages 5–18 to become responsible, successful people by putting them in charge of their own learning.
“We’ve [been given] a model that kids are blank slates,” Crews told The Edge in a recent phone interview, a reference to Locke’s philosophy of tabula rasa — the theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content, and all knowledge comes from experience or perception. But this has not been her experience. “They came almost fully formed,” Crews said of her children, ages 9 and 12, “and the more I get out of the way, the more they delight and surprise me in what they choose to do,” she said about her family’s positive experience with unschooling in New Jersey, prior to their relocation to the Berkshires in September 2019.
Which is not to say that Crews is bashing public (or private) schools. In fact, she holds a Masters of Teaching and began her career as a public school teacher and administrator, knowing that one day she would return to education from a different angle. That time has now arrived.
The goal? Creating a community where curiosity is the driving force.
Crews’ passion, for the unschooling movement and providing kids an alternative to traditional school, has led to a self-directed learning experience built in the Berkshires; she and Rimmler chose Pittsfield (on the shores of Onota Lake) to make their model accessible to individuals throughout the county. Crews is quick to admit the model is not for everyone, but it’s likely a good fit for a student who is bored or unhappy in a traditional classroom, or one who is not experiencing “that spark they thought they’d find in school.” ‘[Unschooling is] turning the education model inside out, with a focus on the learning not the teaching.”
While she started thinking of this school for her own kids — who will attend in the fall — Crews was equally fueled by “all the other [kids who were unschooling with her kids, and] how their lives were transformed by being given the freedom by adults who said, ‘we trust you.’”
Take, for example, Max Cusack, Crews’ 12-year-old son. Save for a single year in traditional school, all of his education to date has been gleaned via the unschooling model. As to what he’s most proud of learning in that time? “I learned that I love making music … which I’ve been doing my whole life,” he told The Edge. Cusack has only been in a traditional classroom for one year, because, “It started to get really stressful [when] a lot of the homework [was challenging] and [the teachers] were getting mad at me for having a hard time managing my time, which was difficult,” he explained. Given the platform to recommend unschooling to someone unfamiliar with the model (something he’d never contemplated having to do before), Cusack cut straight to the chase: “When you go to traditional school, you usually have to just do what the school thinks you should do … and sometimes that is not in your range. It’s better to branch out and learn new things that you might be able to make a career out of.”
The Berkshire Freedom Academy will be structured as a democratic community — with rules about how to treat others — and the kids will be able to choose what they pursue. Crews cites “tons of resources” that include “experts-in-residence,” all organized around the students’ interests. “The approach is that, if kids are interested in a class, we form one,” said Crews, who points to adults being present to maintain a structure “as guides, as a support.” Furthermore, “because the kids participate in making the rules, they have ownership over whether the rules are followed,” which essentially shifts the onus from following rules to cultivating good community members. Mixed age groups is the biggest benefit of this model — one that builds on the one-room schoolhouse with multiple spaces — and students can mix with one another as they please. This might look like an 8-year-old being taught piano by a 15-year-old, which helps to diminish the myth of the surly teenager and instead establish ample leadership opportunities. In short, it’s teaching kids how to be responsible with their freedom, including the freedom to fail. “Kids don’t learn to be responsible in the absence of freedom to learn to be responsible,” Crews said, repeating a quote she attributes to Dr. Jeri Quirk, founder of the Jersey Shore Free School.
The timing might be just right for this venture. For many parents and caregivers, the past 15+ months have provided them a front-row seat to their children’s education, one they were not expecting. “This year, we really got our beliefs challenged, especially [with regard to] how our kids are taught,” said Crews of the remote and hybrid models most schools employed for part, if not all, of the year. “Many parents re-engaged with how their kids are learning [and] became very present as to the experience kids were having day in and day out,” which, for many, had not been the case prior to the pandemic.
Despite myriad different viewpoints, there is one constant: “We, as a society, are dealing with a lot of unknowns, a lot of uncertainty,’ said Crews. “I have no idea what my kids are going to need to know in 10 years, and I feel it would would be irresponsible to tell them you need to know this [or that], [when] it could be totally irrelevant.” Hence, Berkshire Freedom Academy’s emphasis on understanding, analysis, application, and critical thinking which translate as life, not simply school, skills. Plus, if a kid opts out of traditional school, they can go to college, find meaningful work, explore their dreams, and have an independent, joyful life. Based on some of the research, graduates of self-directed education might even be better off.
Rimmler lauds the “great public schools in the Berkshires,” but has also learned “first-hand, as a mother, that traditional schools are not great for all children.” She mentioned her own son’s experience in a traditional classroom where, “the rigid structure, tests, and lack of significant playtime [was] simply unbearable.” Hence her enthusiasm to join Crews in embarking on what she believes will be her “finest endeavor, to launch the Berkshire Freedom Academy.”
The time between now and September will be a challenge, the biggest of which “is to find a core group of children and teens to join us so that we have a critical mass for launch,” said Rimmler, who believes she and Crews will get there and is excited to be able to offer this alternative learning journey for homeschooled children. “Every child that joins the community increases, exponentially, the amount of creativity [present].” Crews and Rimmler are committed to getting a diverse group — in every imaginable way — and efforts are underway to make it so “cost is not a barrier.” The pair is presently reaching out to local organizations for grants, to fund scholarships, and asking families who can pay to do so in support of others who cannot. While tuition has yet to be set, they are targeting a number that is accessible to a broad range of people (and lower than a typical private school due to fewer overhead costs).
“There is a reason people are drawn to some learning experiences more than others,” said Crews, pointing to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. “Kids can notice: What do I gravitate toward, and what might this be telling me about what I’m interested in?” Which is where unschooling comes in, by helping kids find a sense of their purpose. Or, as Rimmler puts it, “I hope to help other families with children who cannot thrive in traditional schools. And by doing this, I believe we will help show that more freedom is a better way for all children to cultivate their curiosity.”
Note: Join this online group for conversations on self-directed education, information on Berkshire Freedom Academy open house dates, and talks — including a live, in-person event with Dr. Peter Gray, possibly the foremost expert on freedom in education, slated for August 2.
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