Alexia made a great point. What about foster kids and kids who have no opportunities? Along similar lines, I had been thinking about the cost of the school (as a starting point). I'd love for the school to be free. But that is unrealistic. So I thought about making tuition be a percentage of parent's income. That could work. I'd also like to offer bartering options. So parents who landscape could mow our lawns, farms can donate food, doctors could donate clinic hours or other benefits, etc. You get the point. So that could help some kids. But what if kids don't have guardians like that?? Good question. Well if tuition is a percentage of parent's income and they don't have parents, then it could be free or really low. But how would they get there and be supported through it all? We could have a certain number of slots for these kids and even offer housing. They would still have to be pretty motivated kids to go through the process of applying and wanting something different.
What about the kids who don't know there is anything different or who cannot even see that far ahead of themselves? We could have a program internally for foster kids, kind of like a school-based foster home. But what about kids with issues? Can we do anything for them or would it be disruptive? It is hard to pair genius kids with struggling ones in one class, but we shouldn't let their issues leave them behind. There is sometimes only so much we can do, but I don't want a school for smart kids. I want a school for motivated kids who need someone to believe in them and place to carry that out. What about the 6th grader who can't tell time? Do we have a track for struggling students? Can we afford one-on-one time in a private school setting with no government funding? Is any of this financially stable? Can kids with behavior issues possibly succeed in a do-it-yourself environment with many freedoms? I just don't know.
The bottom line is that I want this school to be accessible. Now kids who don't know they want something different, that's another question. Do we help kids see that they could be something better in a different environment? Should we take on major issues or some at least? How can we at least build bridges between the school and kids with issues in the community? Would that be beneficial to either side??
What about the kids who don't know there is anything different or who cannot even see that far ahead of themselves? We could have a program internally for foster kids, kind of like a school-based foster home. But what about kids with issues? Can we do anything for them or would it be disruptive? It is hard to pair genius kids with struggling ones in one class, but we shouldn't let their issues leave them behind. There is sometimes only so much we can do, but I don't want a school for smart kids. I want a school for motivated kids who need someone to believe in them and place to carry that out. What about the 6th grader who can't tell time? Do we have a track for struggling students? Can we afford one-on-one time in a private school setting with no government funding? Is any of this financially stable? Can kids with behavior issues possibly succeed in a do-it-yourself environment with many freedoms? I just don't know.
The bottom line is that I want this school to be accessible. Now kids who don't know they want something different, that's another question. Do we help kids see that they could be something better in a different environment? Should we take on major issues or some at least? How can we at least build bridges between the school and kids with issues in the community? Would that be beneficial to either side??