A teacher at a nontraditional school describes how a 12-year-old boy with a background of personal loss and school failure was helped to find his way by an apprenticeship experience in which he reconstructed his school desk. The pivotal contribution came from the boy's mentor, while the school's contribution lay in what it didn't do. (SV)

The Free School (Albany, New York) was started for children who had experienced little success in public schools. The school advocates a number of therapeutic practices that encourage the healthy expression of emotions as well as the articulation and exploration of life's inevitable conflicts and problems. As children gain in self-esteem, they…

Richard Lewis, founder and director of the Touchstone Center (New York City), discusses how the move toward national education standards works against individualism and expressive learning. He suggests that teachers get so involved in meeting standards and goals that they fail to obey the natural laws of learning. (LP)

Joseph Chilton Pearce, a writer who lectures internationally on child development, discusses the importance of the birth environment on infant development, the negative effects resulting from doctor-assisted births, his experiences in the births of his children, the importance of bonding, and the relationship between childbirth and childhood…

A teacher at an alternative school draws upon his and other educators' experiences to illustrate that learning within relationships and learning about relationships are fundamental to the educational process. Schools must provide safe, caring environments where kids can establish enduring relationships with each other, teachers, and mentors, and…

Introduces the idea that attention deficit disorder is a myth brought about by society's attempts to alter and adapt children's natural behaviors to fit the routines and limits of a flawed educational system. Anecdotes from Albany's Free School describe ways of working with children as unique individuals, based on the faith in every child's inborn…

A chapter of a serialized book refutes the contention that attention-deficit disorder (ADD) is a genetically caused neurological disorder. It argues that ADD arises from the accumulation of risk factors in a child's life, such as poverty, father absence, environmental degradation, demise of extended families, and dysfunctional childrearing, which…