Education Freedom Manifesto

8/9/2019 Education Freedom Manifesto

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Education Freedom Manifesto by Rob Nielsen

Preamble

Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Education means emancipation. It means liht and liberty.It means the upliftin of the soul of man into the lorious liht of truth,

the liht by which men can only be made free.!rederic" #oulass

Rerettably, much of man"ind strules in inorance and dependency. Inorance and dependency arenot reserved only for the poor, and they do not result from a lac" of institutional oversiht. In many

cases, inorance and dependency are actually perpetuated by official sources in the name of education

itself. $s a result, many people unconsciously trust in a cult of e%perts to oversee their lives.

&f course, this situation is not new. 'hrouhout history, powerful people have souht to maintain and

e%tend control of others by obscurin "nowlede and limitin access to resources. 'his stratey has

always functioned best when the eneral population has been conditioned over time not to questionauthority.

&ne notable victory in this strule was the invention and proliferation of the printin press, and themass literacy it helped to enable. !or much of the world(s history, information was relatively easy to

manipulate and control. &nce boo"s became ine%pensive and rapidly producible, many controllin

interests were forced to ive way to freedom of thouht and e%pression. 'he resultin cultural andtechnoloical advancements were a testament to the transformational power of freedom.

In the late )*++s, the foundin documents of the nited tates of $merica trumpeted to the world that

people everywhere have rihts to life, liberty, and private property. 'he principles of those preciousdeclarations inspired an unprecedented e%pansion of freedom, "nowlede, and increase in quality of

life for many millions of people. amentably, this leacy of freedom and prosperity is in decline.

'he proliferation of diital media and computer networ"s have made sharin information e%tremely

ine%pensive and almost instantaneous. /nowlede can indeed flood the earth. 'he remainin challene

is to lead people everywhere by e%ample in truth and freedom to empower them to live in reaterindependence, abundance, and peace.

In order to enable individuals and families in their 0od-iven rihts and responsibilities, this documentoutlines the obstructions to and principles, values, and applications of a true education.



Section 1Modern Schooling

The Tragedy of Compulsory Schooling

It is in fact nothin short of a miracle that the modern methods ofinstruction have not yet entirely stranled the holy curiosity of inquiry1

for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainlyin need of freedom1 without this it oes to wrec" and ruin without fail.

It is a very rave mista"e to thin" that the en2oyment of seein and

searchin can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.

$lbert Einstein

Modern school methods do not help children become reat thin"ers or creative individuals.

3ompulsory schoolin is a counterproductive prison. $fter enerations of conditionin, it has become

difficult for many people to distinuish between what "ind of education is beneficial and desirable andthe real purposes and results of modern schools.

No trace of slavery ouht to mi% with the studies of the freeborn man.

No study, pursued under compulsion, remains rooted in the memory.

4lato

5ith any captive audience, there is a lac" of feedbac".

John 6olt

In many cases, people don(t even consider the matter beyond how convenient it is to have a place for

their children to live out most of their youn days until someone can help them find a 2ob. 3onitive

disconnections li"e this have perpetuated a system of accredited childcare centers desined to help parents feel comfortable about bein compelled to turn over their responsibilities to straners.

The Real Lessons of Compulsory Schooling

5e want one class of persons to have a liberal education and we want another

class of persons, a very much larer class of necessity, to foro the privilees

of a liberal education and fit themselves to perform specific difficult manual tas"s.

5oodrow 5ilson

'he plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaanda 7 a deliberate scheme

to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity to weih ideas, but with a simple appetite for ulpin ideas ready-made.

'he aim is to ma"e 8ood9 citi:ens, which is to say, docile and uninquisitive citi:ens.

6. . Menc"en

Most modern schools are places where bored, lonely children are coerced to echo the approved

responses to the wron questions. 'hese systems do an e%ceptional 2ob of perpetuatin aristocracy. 'hereal lessons of modern schoolin affect the wor"ins and attitudes of the unconscious mind. 3hildren

are absorbin values li"e these in schools near you;

$ppeasement

'he authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.



Marcus 'ullius 3icero

chools teach that success means pleasin those in authority. tudents learn to compete for the favor ofteachers and administrators. 'his, they are told, prepares them for 8the real world9 where ma"in

manaers happy is the difference between bein rich or poor. 'he reality is that addictin people to

praise only prepares them for a life of e%ploitation where only administrators can provide approval.

!ear

I thin" the bi mista"e in schools is tryin to teach children anythin, and by usin fear as the basic motivation.

!ear of ettin failin rades, fear of not stayin with your class, etc.

Interest can produce learnin on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear e%plosion to a firecrac"er.

tanley /ubric"

chools teach fear of mista"es, fear of failure, and fear of the un"nown. chools teach that onlycertified e%perts are qualified to form their own opinions and define the truth. tudents learn to accept

constant invasion of privacy and intimidation. chools schedule no private time, and offer no private

space.

3ompliance

If I were as"ed to enumerate ten educational stupidities, the ivin of rades would head the list...

If I can(t ive a child a better reason for studyin than a rade on a report card,

I ouht to loc" my des" and o home and stay there.

#orothy #e <ouche

chools teach that motivation and self-control are to be deleated to those who are properly trained tomanae others( lives. chools employ threats and bribes =li"e detention and rades> which create a

mindset of slavery, not one of maturity and individual responsibility.

3hildishness

'o find yourself, thin" for yourself.

ocrates

chools teach that true freedom is freedom from responsibility, rather than freedom of choice. 'heyteach that choice is too ris"y to be overned by individuals. 'hey teach that there is safety and fairness

in lettin e%perts decide what is best for everyone in every circumstance.

In short, children learn from an early ae to turn themselves over to the system. 'hey becomeconditioned for lives of limited opportunity, subordination, supervision, and control. 5ith this basic

understandin, it becomes clear why most people in modern societies crave promises of salvation fromdifficulties they have been told are too comple% to understand. 5ithout even reali:in it, enerations of people have been trained in willful inorance and submission to their masters.

Truth Hidden in Plain Sight

It isn(t that they can(t see the solution. It is that they can(t see the problem.

0./. 3hesterton



5hat everybody "nows is frequently wron.

4eter #ruc"er

Most people assume that there are benevolent reasons behind compulsory schoolin. 'hey believe that

systems that have been in place for decades or centuries would have been chaned already by others if

chanin them would benefit the people they claim to serve.

If everybody is thin"in ali"e, then somebody isn(t thin"in.0eore . 4atton, Jr.

'he stron tendency for invisible assumptions to o une%amined and unchallened is not surprisin.

5hat people don(t perceive, they don(t consider. 'he inception of an idea into the subconscious mind isa powerful thin.

'he reat problem for reform or transformation is the tyranny of common sense.

ir /en Robinson

'he truth cannot be reconi:ed until the riht questions are entertained. 'he riht questions oftenchallene assumptions that have come to be mista"en for common sense. 5hen definitions and

questions are all formed by those who stand to benefit financially and politically from the implied

conclusions and answers, the result is propaanda.

?ein an intellectual beins with thin"in your way outside

of your assumptions and the system that enforces them.

5illiam #eresiewic:

5e can(t learn to see until we admit we(re blind.

$lan /ay

4eople don(t li"e to admit that they have been fooled, not even to themselves. It ta"es courae to accept

uncomfortable truths, but it is the beinnin of becomin a free-thin"in and critically aware

individual.

'he worst attitude of all would be the professional attitude which reards

children in the lump as a sort of raw material which we have to handle.

3. . ewis

3hildren aren(t units of production destined to be processed into human resources. 4eople deserve to be

treated with dinity, and that means respect for and support of their ability to become trulyindependent. Education should empower people to ta"e control of their lives.

Earnest falsehoods left unchallened ris" bein accepted as fact.Monty Montomery

!or the enemy of truth is very often not the lie@deliberate, contrived, and dishonest@

but the myth@persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. 'oo often we hold fast to the clichAs of our forbears.

5e sub2ect all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations.

5e en2oy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thouht.

John !. /ennedy

School is ot !bout Learning



$ three-year-old is not half of a si%-year-old.

ir /en Robinson

If school were about learnin, then it would be very different. It would be a place where students would

be allowed to proress unhindered toward reater understandin and ability. Instead, it is a place where

students are sereated by ae and socioeconomic class to have their time manaed. If students learnedtoo quic"ly, it would cause administrative headaches and fundin uncertainties.

It(s not that I feel that school is a ood idea one wron, but a

wron idea from the word o. It(s a nutty notion that we can have a

place where nothin but learnin happens, cut off from the rest of life.

John 6olt

$fter more than a decade spent in these systems, even most collee-bound "ids have no idea what

they(re oin to do there, aside from spendin the prescribed amount of time and money. Evene%clusive, prestiious universities have become lorified vocational trainin institutions. 'rainin

critical thin"ers is a danerous business1 they are li"ely to be critical. It is safer to prepare them for

middle-manaement positions where they can watch over other subordinates.

Education is what remains after one has forotten everythin he learned in school.

$lbert Einstein

Too Much" ot Too Little

6e who "nows nothin is closer to the truth than he

whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

'homas Jefferson

4roponents of compulsory schoolin often arue in favor of more schoolin. 'hey promote the

assumption that more learnin requires more hours spent in classrooms. 'hey propose loner schooldays and years, more standardi:ed testin, and more power. More schoolin bes for more money to

solve the problems that it creates. 'he truth is that a quality education does not require certain amountsof time in certain rooms with certain people. It requires empowered motivation to achieve.

tudied inorance is the most indelible "ind.

#enver nuffer

Inorance is easier to remedy than learned helplessness. 'he huner for "nowlede is easy to remove.ystems teach that you should wait to be told what to do, when to do it, and the rewards and

punishments that depend on your compliance. Not even the aents of the system "now the reasons

behind the methods, either. 'he resultin emotional and pseudo-intellectual dependency is much more

harmful and difficult to correct than not "nowin much at all.

If we forced children to learn to wal" with the same methods we use to force them to read,

a few would learn to wal" well in spite of us,most would wal" indifferently, without pleasure,

and a portion of the remainder would not become ambulatory at all.

John 'aylor 0atto

4eople don(t need school to learn. 'hey don(t need school to learn to wal" or tal". 'hey don(t need it tosociali:e or play. 'hey don(t need it to read or count. 6umanity didn(t need school to discover how our



solar system wor"s. It wasn(t needed to invent the airplane, liht bulb, or television. It wasn(t needed to

posit the theory of relativity. It wasn(t needed to map the human enome.

Most of what we call manaement consists of ma"in it difficult for people to et their wor" done.

4eter #ruc"er

Most school reform efforts ta"e for ranted that students must have a certain amount of their time

reulated by school officials. 'eacher-proofed school systems waste vast amounts of human time. 'hedebate that centers around how to best waste that time is fruitless.

'here is nothin so useless as doin efficiently that which should not be done at all.

4eter #ruc"er

'he prime directive of any bureaucracy is to row in power and autonomy from public oversiht,

whether the stated purpose is to wae war aainst terrorists, deliver mail, or educate children. 5hen

policy is enacted, it is done to benefit the structure of the system and its "ey aents. 'he ultimate 2ustification for all decisions is the threatened e%istence of the system itself. $dministrative ad2ustments

only serve to perpetuate the bureaucracy and show that remonstration is futile.

Education... now seems to me perhaps the most authoritarian and danerous

of all the social inventions of man"ind. It is the deepest foundation of the

modern slave state, in which most people feel themselves to be nothin

but producers, consumers, spectators, and (fans,( driven more and more, in all

parts of their lives, by reed, envy, and fear. My concern is not to improve

(education( but to do away with it, to end the uly and anti-human business of

people-shapin and to allow and help people to shape themselves.

John 6olt

chool doesn(t help people learn to reulate their emotions, manae their time, or develop theircharacter. It doesn(t ma"e them better1 it renders them manaeable. 'he people of the world need less

classical animal conditionin, not more.

Rising !bo#e Control

No one is more truly helpless, more completely a victim,

than he who can neither choose nor chane nor escape his protectors.

John 6olt

'here is always tension between freedom and control. !reedom implies ris" and uncertainty, which is

why systems avoid it. ystems require predictability, and impose limits on freedom to et it. 6owever,

freedom and independence should ta"e priority, not orani:ational convenience.

5e must be willin to brea" with the educational establishment

=not foolishly or cavalierly, but thouhtfully and for ood reason>

in order to find ospel ways to help man"ind.

0ospel methodoloy, concepts, and insihts can help us to do

what the world cannot do in its own frame of reference.pencer 5. /imball

0ettin off of the conveyor belt of compulsory schoolin is critical, but it should not be done

carelessly. Many people who disconnect from the system do so in order to avoid the harm it inflicts



without sufficient thouht for how they miht best proceed.

Bou have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplued.

$nd many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fiht to protect it.

Morpheus, The Matrix

chool is a hard habit to brea". i"e other harmful thins, it is always better not to start. #isabusin

people of false notions can cause them to react in defense of the very systems that have caused them somuch harm =to say nothin of how the system itself is desined to respond>. Many ood people defendharmful systems because they can(t imaine a better way.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.

Johann 5olfan von 0oethe

5hat we call reality is a "ind of hallucination, a wa"in dream.$lan /ay

6elpin people rise above the system and wa"e up from their subliminally enineered consent canreally only happen by settin the e%ample and encourain and preparin people to self-select freedom

and insist on independence when they are ready.

5antin somethin is not enouh. Bou must huner for it.

Bour motivation must be absolutely compellin in order to

overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.es ?rown



Section $The Education of a Free Mind

Earth is a school, and learnin is freedom in practice. It is the means by which people deal with reality

and discover how to transform their lives and their world.

Choice and Responsibility

'he reatest ifts you can ive your children are the roots of responsibility and the wins of independence.

#enis 5aitley

'he essence of life is choice1 do not cripple others by ta"in it from them. ?y the same to"en, do not

shelter them from natural results1 let real consequences shape their understandin. $endas of control

and entitlement prevent people from becomin thouhtful and independent. 'he best preparation forlife is livin it.

Self%&etermination

'he ob2ective of education is to prepare the youn to educate themselves throuhout their lives.Robert Maynard 6utchins

$n education cannot be iven1 it must be ta"en. 'he first and most important lesson a free mind mustlearn is that someone else cannot educate you. earnin can happen without a teacher, but there is no

learnin without a learner. If people aren(t interested, they won(t learn. 4eople must consciously ma"e

the decision that they will educate themselves. elf-determination is the beinnin of learnin.

$ll men who have turned out worth anythin have had the chief hand in their own education.

ir 5alter cott

$ny teachin that the learner has not asked for is li"ely to impede and prevent his or her learnin.

John 6olt

Bou cannot teach someone aainst their will. 'he opposite is also true; self-determined people areunstoppable. 'hose who insist on "nowin the truth and are willin to loo" for it are the ones who will

reconi:e it when they find it. 4eople must pursue "nowlede, not the other way around. 'he same is

true of all worthy pursuits; only those who see" will find.

Nothin can stop the man with the riht mental attitude from achievin his oal1

nothin on earth can help the man with the wron mental attitude.

'homas Jefferson

The Fruits of Self%&etermination

4ersistence

Nothin in the world can ta"e the place of persistence.



'alent will not1 nothin is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

0enius will not1 unrewarded enius is almost a proverb.

Education will not1 the world is full of educated derelicts.4ersistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

'he sloan, (4ress on,( has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

3alvin 3oolide

$lso "nown as attention span, persistence is the ability to stay with a tas" for a reasonably lon periodof time. nmotivated people ive up easily when they are not instantly successful. 4eople learn persistence when they are successful at a challenin tas". &vercomin setbac"s and failures shows

people that challenes should not be overwhelmin.

3hallene ee"in

$ccept the challenes so that you may feel the e%hilaration of victory.0eore . 4atton

Motivated people see" challenes. 5hen they have e%perienced success in meetin a challene, theywelcome other challenes. Masterin appropriate challenes is very satisfyin. nmotivated people

will choose very easy tas"s that ensure instant success, which is not satisfyin.

Independence

Man(s release from a tutelae is enlihtenment.

6is tutelae is his inability to ma"e use of his understandin without uidance from another.

Immanuel /ant

4eople with stron intrinsic motivation do not need others constantly watchin and directin their

activities. 4eople who are conditioned to need constant attention and assurance from others cannot

function independently. #ependence on others reatly limits a person(s ability to live a life of dinity.

atisfaction

If you want to be happy, set a oal that commands your thouhts, liberates your enery, and inspires your hopes.

$ndrew 3arneie

elf-motivated people are happy. 'hey en2oy their wor" and find reat satisfaction in it. 4eople who

have been conditioned to only follow orders become sullen and bored, and often complain. 4eople

should never need to as" if they have done well1 they should "now and be confident in their ownsuccess. It is not necessary to praise and reward people for their own actions as they learn to control

their lives and their environment.

'ntrinsic Moti#ation

'he process by which children turn e%perience into "nowlede is e%actly the same,

point for point, as the process by which those whom we call scientists ma"e scientific "nowlede.

John 6olt

'he assumption that people need artificial incentives to learn is false. ?y the ae of C, children set their

own oals and evaluate their own efforts. ?y the ae of D, they become interested in doin thins well,



as opposed to 2ust doin them. 'hey 2ude their success by their own internal standards, and do not

need a lot of adult feedbac" about the quality of their efforts. ?y the ae of , children become active

verbal problem solvers and direct their own learnin throuh speech and direct their own behavior to

solve problems. 'hey can often be heard tal"in themselves throuh a problem. $s they et older, thistal"in becomes an internal monoloue.

Bou cannot teach a man anythin1 you can only help him discover it in himself.0alileo 0alilei

4eople learn from everythin they do and e%perience. 'hey are naturally curious1 they want to learnand discover. If their e%plorations brin pleasure or success, they will want to learn more. In their first

few years of life, people form attitudes about learnin that can last a lifetime. 4eople who receive the

riht sort of support and encouraement durin their formative years are most li"ely to be creative andadventurous throuhout their lives.

Bou can motivate by fear. Bou can motivate by reward.?ut both of these methods are only temporary.

'he only lastin thin is self-motivation.

6omer Rice

5hen people ma"e their own choices, they achieve satisfaction from both the act of choosin and from

pursuin their interest. 'heir motivation is self-sustainin for as lon as they want to continue theactivity. ince intrinsically-motivated activity is more rewardin in and of itself, people learn more

from this sort of activity, they learn faster, and they retain that learnin better. earnin is most

dependent on inherent interest, which inspires emotional enaement, authentic social interaction, physical activity, and the pleasure of mastery.

Ho( to Thin)" ot *hat to Thin)

earnin how to learn is life(s most important s"ill.

'ony ?u:an

0ivin answers to people apart from teachin how to et answers is wron.

5ron because 2ust ivin an answer alone creates dependence upon the one answerin.

'hat is not the way in which I have tried to proceed.

Instead, I have tried to teach how to obtain your own answers.

'he whole purpose of teachin is N&' to create dependence. It is to ma"e you independent.

#enver nuffer

'he most valuable s"ill is the ability to thin" creatively and independently. 'he ability to thin" and

reason is more important than memori:in facts and procedures. !acts are only meaninful if you can

find them, interpret them, analy:e them, and connect them to each other.

5e learn more by loo"in for the answer to a question and not findin it than we do from learnin the answer itself.

loyd $le%ander

Mental acuity comes from solvin problems, not from bein told how to solve them. nderstandin ameaninful problem is more important than memori:in the related opinions of others. 0ood questions

are more valuable than their answers.

&rthodo%y is unconsciousness.



0eore &rwell, 1984

'hat which can be done without thin"in usually is done without thin"in. !ree minds as" their ownquestions and are not satisfied with domatic responses. !ree minds re2ect the superstition of

memori:in and believin thins they don(t understand.

Education is more than fillin a child with facts. It starts with posin questions.

#.'. Ma%

Thin)ing is a Set of S)ills

Many people thin" they are thin"in when they are merely rearranin their pre2udices.

5illiam James

i"e other s"ills, thin"in s"ills can be practiced and improved. Every mind is a tool that can be

sharpened. 0reat thin"ers are made, not born1 and it(s never too late to start.

Bou are not thin"in1 you are merely bein loical.

Niels ?ohr

#eep, critical thin"in is more than orani:in the apparently obvious1 it is an e%ercise in purposeful

e%amination and problem solvin. ?eyond loic, reat thin"ers must learn; problem perception,

information atherin, evidence appraisal, relevant conte%t, precise lanuae, historical precedence,unstated assumptions, core values, self-e%amination, pattern reconition, nuance discernment, accurate

interpretation, implication pro2ection, conclusion evaluation, alternative consideration, and effective

communication.

Even people who aren(t eniuses can outthin" the rest of man"ind if they develop certain thin"in habits.

3harles Muner

5hen s"ills of thouht are practiced correctly and consistently, they become positive habits of mind.

4eople who develop these habits are not susceptible to the propaanda of mar"eters, con men, or

politicians. 'hey are not easily swayed by irrational aruments or emotional manipulation.

'he whole of science is nothin more than a refinement of everyday thin"in.

$lbert Einstein

imply trustin important matters to e%perts is not always wise in a world where e%perts often disaree

with each other. Even reat thin"ers do not always reach the same conclusions. In matters ofsinificance, everyone must e%amine the truth for themselves.

6e who will not reason is a biot1 he who cannot is a fool1 and he who dares not is a slave.

5illiam #rummond

Connections to Truth and +reatness

'hose who "now how to thin" need no teachers.

Mohandas 0andhi



!ree minds don(t benefit from havin reality edited on their behalf by certified professionals1 they

benefit from e%posure to truth and reatness in all of their enuine forms.

E%perience is a ood school, but the fees are hih.

6einrich 6eine

'ime is a reat teacher, but unfortunately it "ills all its pupils.

6ector ?erlio:

'ime and e%perience teach us all, but people ideally learn wisdom from the times and e%periences of

others as well. 0reat thouhts and reat lives are elevated on the shoulders of others.

I don(t pretend we have all the answers, but the questions are certainly worth thin"in about.

$rthur 3. 3lar"e

5hat is important is to "eep learnin, to en2oy challene, and to tolerate ambiuity.

In the end there are no certain answers.

Matina 6orner

!ree minds are not without their doubts and uncertainties. Indeed, it is their doubts and uncertaintiesthat uide them in findin and reconi:in truth and reatness. $ free mind must develop a tolerance

for uncertainty.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anythin without losin your temper or your self-confidence.

Robert !rost

It is the mar" of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thouht without acceptin it.

$ristotle

+reat ,oo)s and +reat 'deas

'o be inorant of what happened before you were born is to be ever a child.

Marcus 'ullius 3icero

It is chiefly throuh boo"s that we en2oy intercourse with superior minds.

5illiam Ellery 3hannin

'he reat conversation of human history is filled with e%periences and insihts that are too often

nelected. Even people with years of formal trainin are often led to accept false dichotomies andflawed assumptions that distract from and distort truly reat ideas.

0reat minds discuss ideas. $verae minds discuss events. mall minds discuss people.

Eleanor Roosevelt

!or a mind to become a reat tool, it must be sharpened on reat ideas. 0reat ideas help people findsolutions to practical concerns, but they also answer the most basic questions of life. 5restlin with

reat ideas promotes liberty and prosperity, brins about new technoloies, and enriches human life

with purpose and meanin.

Employ your time in improvin yourself by other men(s writins

so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.

ocrates



In order to comprehend the ideas that have shaped the world, we need to confront those ideas at their

sources. 5e must face reality and rapple with its comple%ity and variety. 'his is best done by readin

real boo"s and enain in real e%periences. Readin and writin about reat ideas refines the humanmind and enlares its capacity faster than any other activity.

4hilosophy is everybody(s business.Mortimer J. $dler

E%posure to the ideas and lives of reat people ives balance to perception and weaves toether thecommon principles in all facets of life; prorammin machine systems, practicin law, learnin

lanuaes, analy:in business opportunities, considerin politics, playin team sports, settlin

conflicts, creatin art, etc.

It is boo"s that are the "ey to the wide world1 if you can(t do anythin else, read all that you can.

Jane 6amilton

0reat care must be ta"en by every free mind to see" out and study the best boo"s.

Readin furnishes the mind only with materials of "nowlede1

it is thin"in that ma"es what we read ours.

John oc"e

'he combination of critical thin"in and reat ideas empowers men and women to control their ownlives and chane the world they live in for the better. 0reat minds are not only able to converse freely

about reat ideas1 they are able to enae in reat causes and brin about ood results for themselves

and others.

5hen you want to teach children to thin", you bein by treatin them seriously when they are little,

ivin them responsibilities, tal"in to them candidly, providin privacy and solitude for them,

and ma"in them readers and thin"ers of sinificant thouhts from the beinnin.?ertrand Russell



Section -The Role of Family

5hat can you do to promote world peaceF 0o home and love your family.

Mother 'heresa

'he homema"er has the ultimate career. $ll other careers e%ist for one purpose only -

and that is to support the ultimate career.

3. . ewis

!amily is the first and most important thin in society. !amily is the foundation for and repository of a

ood life. 3ommunities, cultures, countries, and civili:ations cannot rise above the level of the families

that compose them.

Education of Children is a Family Responsibility

G5e shouldH reassert the primary riht and responsibility of parents for the total education of their children... 4arents should stand firm

on this and not be intimidated by (professional educators.(

$fter all, it(s their children and their money.

E:ra 'aft ?enson

4arents ive up their rihts when they drop the children off at public school.

Melinda 6armon, .. !ederal Jude, )

4arents are responsible for the education of their youn children. 5hen parents simply abdicate thisresponsibility to others, their correspondin rihts et assumed as well.

Family is a Li#ing Curriculum

chool can never deal with really important thins.

&nly education can teach us that quests donKt always wor",that even worthy lives most often end in traedy, that money canKt prevent this1

that failure is a reular part of the human condition1

that you will never understand evil1

that serious pursuits are almost always lonely1

that you canKt neotiate love1

that money canKt buy much that really matters1

that happiness is free.

John 'aylor 0atto

Every environment is a learnin environment, and teachin happens in every home. 5hether childrenattend a formal school or not, the home is their first and forever most important learnin environment.

'he attitudes and priorities observed in family life are unforettable.

'here is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.

Mohandas 0andhi

'he most sinificant and consistent factor for success in education and life is the direct involvement of



carin parents. 'eachers in classrooms cannot replace parents in homes. $ll people deserve carin adult

mentors who teach by e%ample and with whom they have a sincere relationship.

'he home is the first and most effective place to learn the lessons of life;

truth, honor, virtue, self control, the value of education, honest wor", and the purpose and privilee of life.

Nothin can ta"e the place of home in rearin and teachin children,and no other success can compensate for failure in the home.

#avid &. Mc/ay

Change .ourself" ot Them

Bou must be the chane you wish to see in the world.

Mohandas 0andhi

et him that would move the world, first move himself.

ocrates

4arents who want their children to be educated must educate themselves. 'hey must show how

important an education is by their actions, not 2ust their words. 'he most effective and sincere messaein true teachin is 8do as I do,9 not 8do as I say.9

'he favor you can bestow on your children is to show by your own e%ample

that hard, painsta"in wor" is the toll an independent spirit chares itself for self-respect.

John 'aylor 0atto

'hin"in ood thouhts is not enouh,

doin ood deeds is not enouh,

seein others follow your ood e%amples is enouh.#oulas 6orton

If you want a better life for your family, become what you want them to become. Bou must be willinto commit to a life of learnin. It is never too late to educate yourself. #on(t let pride and la:iness stop

you. Bou may have to set new priorities, but you and your children will benefit immensely from

pursuin truth, wisdom, and success toether and bein more involved in each other(s lives.

5e have to abandon the idea that schoolin is somethin restricted to youth.

6ow can it be, in a world where half the thins a man "nows at C+ are no loner true at + -

and half the thins he "nows at + hadn(t been discovered when he was C+F

$rthur 3. 3lar"e

,eyond the Family

$s important as families are, they should not try to live life in isolation. 'hey should see" out

e%periences and orani:ations where they can contribute and receive value from others. 'hey should

see" wise mentors and ood e%periences wherever they can be found.

I have never let my schoolin interfere with my education.

Mar" 'wain

&rani:ations worth 2oinin should have prorams desined to both require and support self-assertion,

mental independence, and personal sovereinty. uch self-discipline prorams require a commitment



from home to be successful.

/fficial Credentials

'o confuse compulsory schoolin with equal educational opportunity is li"e

confusin orani:ed reliion with spirituality. &ne does not necessarily lead to

the other. choolin confuses teachin with learnin, rade advancement with education,a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say somethin new.

5endy 4riesnit:

chools typically serve the purpose of offerin accredited credentials. 'he often overloo"ed truth is thatmany people with official credentials are not well-educated. If official credentials from accredited

institutions must be pursued, remember that only the credentials can be iven. ?ecomin competent is

the responsibility of the learner.



Section 0True Human alues

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to ma"e man a more clever devil.

3.. ewis

It is not livin that matters, but livin rihtly.

ocrates

5hatever an education is, it should ma"e you a unique individual, not a conformist1it should furnish you with an oriinal spirit with which to tac"le the bi challenes1

it should allow you to find values which will be your road map throuh life1

it should ma"e you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doin,

wherever you are, whomever you are with1

it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.

John 'aylor 0atto

! Curriculum of Meaning

Educatin the mind without educatin the heart is no education at all.

$ristotle

Lalues are acquired, doctrine and doma are imposed.uata Mitra

Lalues ive meanin to life. 'hey are uidin principles that must be internali:ed by individuals. 'heyare the oriin of attitudes and behavior. Internali:in principles that ennoble human life is an essential

part of a true education. Reardless of reliious affiliation or lac" thereof, all people have ultimate

concerns. 'hey desire to connect with others in a positive way and find peace and fulfillment.

0ood and Evil

$ reat many of those who (debun"( traditional...values have in the bac"round

values of their own which they believe to be immune from the debun"in process.

3. . ewis

0ood and evil are not sub2ective. 'he conscience of all people teaches that freedom, love, and service

are ood and that force, abuse, and harm are evil. Moral relativism results from vanity, and pride leadsto manipulation, materialism, and moral deeneration.

#o all the ood you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as lon as you ever can.

John 5esley

?y doin ood we become ood.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

ove

5e must "now that we have been created for reater thins,

not 2ust to be a number in the world,





'rue courae is not based on blind hope and uncertainty, but on true principles and informed

willinness to act in spite of fear or opposition. 5hen ood people are armed with true courae, they

can stand stron in the face of any challene.

'he man who fihts for his ideals is alive.

Miuel de 3ervantes

ervice

4eople are often unreasonable and self-centered. !orive them anyway.

If you are "ind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. ?e "ind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. ?e honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be 2ealous. ?e happy anyway.

'he ood you do today may be forotten tomorrow. #o ood anyway.0ive the world the best you have and it may never be enouh. 0ive your best anyway.

!or you see, in the end, it is between you and 0od. It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother 'heresa

Every act of service improves the world. 'he most noble lives of all are lived in service.

If you wish to e%perience peace, provide peace for another.

If you wish to "now that you are safe, cause GothersH to "now that they are safe.

If you wish to better understand seeminly incomprehensible thins, help another to better understand.

If you wish to heal your own sadness or aner, see" to heal the sadness or aner of another.

'hose others are waitin for you now. 'hey are loo"in to you for uidance, for help, for courae, for strenth,for understandin, and for assurance at this hour. Most of all, they are loo"in to you for love.

'en:in 0yatso, )th #alai ama



Section 23no(ledge and the Human Curriculum

'houht is the wind, "nowlede the sail, and man"ind the vessel.

$uustus and Julius 6are

The Right to Learn

6e who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessenin mine1

as he who lihts his taper at mine receives liht without dar"enin me.

'homas Jefferson

'he fundamental freedoms of thouht, belief, and sharin belon to all man"ind. $ll people have the

riht to learn and the riht to share "nowlede with each other.

3ontrol over the use of one(s ideas really constitutes control over other people(s lives1

and it is usually used to ma"e their lives more difficult.Richard M. tallman

/nowlede must be free. 'hat is, free from artificial limits to access, use, adapt, and share. It is also

enerally available without sinificant cost, since modern technoloy has made the cost of copyin,

storin, and sharin information neliible. 4rintin and libraries chaned the world for the better1electronic media and networ"s are acceleratin that chane.

Nothin could be more misleadin than the idea that computer technoloy introduced the ae of information.'he printin press bean that ae, and we have not been free of it since.

Neil 4ostman

/nowlede freedom also requires technoloy freedom. 3omputer software, standards, and file formatsthat respect people(s rihts to learn and share are increasinly important in our modern world. 'healternatives of artificial scarcity and unnatural monopoly of ideas can be profitable for some, but at the

cost of inorance, e%clusion, and marinali:ation of the ma2ority. 'he traedy of the commons has no

effect on information1 it is not conserved li"e matter and enery.

$ccess to "nowlede determines our deree of participation in society today.

!ree /nowlede !oundation

The Human Curriculum

$ liberal education... frees a man from the prison-house of his

class, race, time, place, bac"round, family and even his nation.

Robert Maynard 6utchins

$ll "nowlede is interrelated and must be understood in proper conte%t. 'he human curriculum has two

aspects; intellectual studies and practical studies. 'hese two aspects are naturally lin"ed and provide balance in education and life. Each sub2ect area represents a cateory of concepts and activities that

enable people to live in reater independence, abundance, and peace in our modern world.



'ntellectual Studies

anuae

?e not the slave of words.

'homas 3arlyle

anuae shapes the way we thin", and determines what we can thin" about.

?en2amin ee 5horf

&ur thouhts are limited by the lanuae we can employ to ive them substance. #eep thouhts areenabled by a deep vocabulary and a deep understandin of how to use words.

Most people are unable to write because they are unable to thin".

6enry ouis Menc"en

5ritin and learnin and thin"in are the same process.5illiam <insser

Readin and writin well are the pillars of a formal education. 'hey directly affect the ability to thin"and create. 'hey also help to clarify ideas that are worth e%pressin to others.

'o have another lanuae is to possess a second soul.3harlemane

In an increasinly networ"ed lobal society, "nowin more than one lanuae is more valuable thanever. earnin another lanuae also provides a unique perspective for e%aminin your own lanuae.

anuae e%erts hidden power, li"e the moon on the tides.Rita Mae ?rown

Essential 'opics; Readin, 5ritin, 0rammar, Rhetoric, 4ublic pea"in, !orein $ncient anuae

6istorical $wareness

If you would understand anythin, observe its beinnin and its development.

$ristotle

Man"ind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothin new or strane

in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature.

#avid 6ume

6istory is man"ind(s collective memory. It is a testament of human nature. 4eople who study the pastcan see the world and themselves in conte%t. 6uman nature is at the heart of our past, and those who do

not understand it are easily misled.

'he only true "nowlede of thins is the "nowlede of their causes.$rchbishop eihton

I thouht it necessary to study history, even to study it deeply,

in order to obtain a clear meanin of our immediate time.

4aul Lalery





increasinly comple% problems. Mathematical formulas should only be learned as part of the process of

solvin interestin problems.

Essential 'opics; $rithmetic, oic, $lebra, 6istory of Mathematics, 0eometry, 'rionometry,3alculus, 3omputer cience, tatistics and 4robability, Enineerin

Reasonin and #iscovery

No doubt those who really founded modern science were

usually those whose love of truth e%ceeded their love of power.

3. . ewis

5e ain our ends only with the laws of nature1 we control her only by understandin her laws.

Jacob ?ronows"i

Educated people "now how the physical world wor"s. 'hey are familiar with natural laws of cause and

effect, matter, enery, livin oranisms, ravity, environmental systems, and solar systems.

cience is simply common sense at its best1 that is,

riidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in loic.

'homas 6enry 6u%ley

Natural truths are discovered by people who have learned to observe accurately, reason with discipline,

and ma"e educated uesses.

5isdom beins in wonder.

ocrates

/nowlede is an unendin adventure at the ede of uncertainty.

Jacob ?ronows"i

Essential 'opics; Earth ciences, ?ioloy, 3hemistry, 4hysics

3reativity and E%pression

My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy,and we should treat it with the same status.

ir /en Robinson

In a world where computers and machines perform so much predictable and physical wor", the

capacity to formulate new ideas and create new thins is crucial to success.

3reativity is allowin yourself to ma"e mista"es. $rt is "nowin which ones to "eep.

cott $dams

3reative e%pression ives meanin and pleasure to effort. It connects what we feel with what we thin",

and helps us move beyond the limitations of what we "now and believe.

$rt is a lie which ma"es us reali:e the truth.

4ablo 4icasso

Essential 'opics; 3reativity, Music, Lisual $rts, #esin, $uthorship, Innovation



Practical Studies

4hysical 5ellness

'o "eep the body in ood health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to "eep our mind stron and clear.?uddha

'hose who thin" they have no time for healthy eatin, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

Edward tanley

4hysical activity and healthy eatin are essential parts of a ood life. Everyone should "now how

human bodies function and develop.

/nowin self-defense is somethin everyone should be concerned with. No one has the riht to hurt you, ever.

Michael Janich

4ersonal safety is a human riht, and "nowin how and when to defend yourself and others from harm

is an important part of life.

eave all the afternoon for e%ercise and recreation, which are as necessary as readin.

I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learnin.

'homas Jefferson

Recreation is not only important for personal reasons, but for social reasons as well. 4eople must set

aside sinificant time to en2oy with others.

Essential 'opics; 6uman 6ealth and #evelopment, Nutrition, elf-#efense, Recreation

3iti:enship

I "now no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves1

and if we thin" them not enlihtened enouh to e%ercise their control with a wholesome discretion,

the remedy is not to ta"e it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.

'homas Jefferson

!ree people "now what their rihts are, how to e%ercise them, and how to defend them. 4eople in

positions of power can only abuse that power with the consent of their constituents.

I am a citi:en, not of $thens or 0reece, but of the world.

ocrates

I am a citi:en of humanity first and by necessity, and a citi:en of !rance second, and only be accident.

3harles de Montesquieu

Essential 'opics; Manners, 3ulture, 3ommunity, 3ivics, Ethics, 'eamwor", eadership

elf-Reliance

elf-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and bein one(s own person is its ultimate reward.

4atricia ampson



Everyone is a self-made person, but only the successful admit it.

n"nown

Educated people have useful practical "nowlede and s"ills. 'hey "now how to produce and prepare

food, ma"e and maintain clothin and shelter, and naviate their environment.

'he hihest manifestation of life consists in this; that a bein overns its own actions.$ thin which is always sub2ect to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thin.

t. 'homas $quinas

E%ercises in self-reliance do more than teach the basics of survival. 'hey teach people that they cantrust and rely on themselves even when they aren(t forced by circumstance to do so. 'he resultin

confidence is somethin every mature individual should possess.

Essential 'opics; $riculture, 3oo"in, ewin, Naviation, 4roperty Maintenance and Repair, helter

3onstruction

'echnoloy

cience and technoloy multiply around us.

'o an increasin e%tent they dictate the lanuaes in which we spea" and thin".

Either we use those lanuaes, or we remain mute.

J.0. ?allard

$ll people should be familiar with basic tools and machines and how to safely use them. 'hey should

learn to ma"e simple useful ob2ects from common materials. 'hey should be able to troubleshoot andma"e elementary repairs on the devices in their daily lives. In modern society, people who do not "now

how a car functions, how a liht switch functions, or how a computer functions are at a considerable

disadvantae in life.

$ny sufficiently advanced technoloy is indistinuishable from maic.

$rthur 3. 3lar"e

Essential 'opics; 6and 'ools, 4ower 'ools, $ppliances, Machines and Manufacturin, 'ransportation

'echnoloy, 3omputer 'echnoloy

?usiness

'he number one problem in today(s eneration and economy is the lac" of financial literacy.$lan 0reenspan

'hose who are financially illiterate live their lives at the mercy of others. !rom a very youn ae, people should e%ercise the financial discipline to earn their own money, trac" income and e%penses,

and avoid consumer debt. Educated people are comfortable and familiar with topics such as; value,

e%chane, commodity, stewardship, money, debt, credit, fiat currency, scarcity, abundance, supply anddemand, equity, mar"et, monopoly, capital, cash flow, asset, liability, deficit, foreclosure, ban"ruptcy,

surplus, net and ross income, profit, investment, dividend, principle, simple interest, compound

interest, compound inflation, liquidity, funds, accounts, ris", e%it stratey, ta%, tariff, fee, premium,incorporation, insurance, collateral, mortae, public and private stoc", bonds, derivatives, reulations,

and so on.



Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.

4eter #ruc"er

$ wise man will ma"e more opportunities than he finds.

!rancis ?acon

Educated people can earn material thins they need for life. 'hey do not believe that the world owesthem a 2ob, or that success is decided by chance. 'hey are proactive and prepared to ma"e their own

opportunities. 'hey mitiate ris" rather than avoid it. 'hey ma"e lon-term financial resource

manaement plans for their financial security rather than blindly trustin others with their material

future. Reardless of their profession or station in life, they ta"e responsibility for their wor".

If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can ta"e it away from him.

$n investment in "nowlede always pays the best interest.?en2amin !ran"lin

Essential 'opics; ?udetin, !inancial iteracy, Entrepreneurship, ?usiness Manaement, $ccountin,Investment

piritual #evelopment

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

?uddha

I pray thee, & 0od that I may be beautiful within.

ocrates

!ollow effective action with quiet reflection.

!rom the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.

4eter #ruc"er

Educated people handle solitude and time well. 'hey are comfortable in their own mind and at peace

with their own conscience. 'hey "now who they are and what their lives are about. 'hey understand

and accept their own mortality. 'hey find meanin in life and strive to live a life of meanin.

/now 'hyself.

Inscription at the 'emple of $pollo at #elphi

6e who "nows others is learned1 he who "nows himself is wise.

ao ':u

5isdom and love cannot be developed without careful searchin of one(s own soul.

!or what shall it profit a man, if he shall ain the whole world, and lose his own soulF

Mar" ;D

Essential 'opics; piritual and cripture tudy, Meditation and 4rayer, ervice



Section 4Learning" Teaching" E#aluation" and Their Counterfeits

Education is the "indlin of a flame, not the fillin of a vessel.

ocrates

Bou teach who you are, you learn what you live, and you remember what matters to you.

Everyone "nows, or certainly should "now, that indoctrination is not enuine teachin

and that the results of indoctrination are the very opposite of enuine learnin.

Bet, as a matter of fact, much that oes on in the classrooms of our schools is nothin but indoctrination.'he results that are measured by our standardi:ed tests are not products of enuine learnin.

Mortimer J. $dler

Learning is ot the Product of Teaching

'he most important thin any teacher has to learn, not to be learned in any school of education I ever heard of,

can be e%pressed in seven words; earnin is not the product of teachin.earnin is the product of the activity of learners.

John 6olt

6ow can teachers be of value to learnersF Not by decidin what they are to learn, but by encourainand helpin them to learn what they are already busy learnin.

elf-education is the only possible education1 the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child(s nature.

3harlotte Mason

.ou Teach *ho .ou !re

No written word, no spo"en plea

can teach our youth what they should be.

Nor all the boo"s on all the shelves -

It(s what the teachers are themselves.n"nown

5hat you do spea"s so loud I cannot hear what you say.

Ralph 5aldo Emerson

My life is my messae.

Mohandas 0andhi

6ow teachers live is more important than what they "now. &nly virtuous people should be trusted with positions of influence.

0ood teachers are first of all ood learners, who use their learnin

to teach better and their teachin to learn more.

0eraldine Lan #oren

6e who dares to teach must never cease to learn.Richard 6enry #ann





True Teachers and Their Counterfeits

'he best teacher is the one who suests rather than domati:es,

and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.

Edward ?ulwer-ytton

I never teach my pupils1 I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.$lbert Einstein

'rue teachers require commitment and enaement, not compliance. 'hey "now that personalmotivation and personal responsibility can(t be deleated. 'hey "now how to uide students in ma"in

the most of their independent study time and how to ma"e the most of personali:ed teachin

opportunities.

$ thin vitally important in my life O was brouht home to me when one of my oldest friends said,

8In my house I was a child. In your family(s house I was a person.9

Mararet Mead

'rue teachers influence others throuh a compact of trust, not from deleated or compulsory means.

$uthority is not enouh to ma"e people your partners.

'o teach a man how he may learn to row independently,

and for himself, is perhaps the reatest service that one man can do another.

?en2amin Jowett

$ true teacher must always be tryin to wor" himself out of a 2ob.

John 6olt

$ teacher is one who ma"es himself proressively unnecessary.

'homas 3arruthers

$ leader is best when people barely "now he e%ists,

when his wor" is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say; we did it ourselves.

ao ':u

'rue teachers liberate people from dependency. 'hey do not condition them to rely on it. 'hey do not

assume responsibility for the choices of others or manipulate them. 'hey "now that the oal of teachin

is to enable independence.

'he normal curve is a distribution most appropriate to chance and random activity.

Education is a purposeful activity and we see" to have students learn what we would teach.

'herefore, if we are effective, the distribution of rades will be anythin but a normal curve.

In fact, a normal curve is evidence of our failure to teach.?en2amin ?loom

'rue teachers help people, not audit them. 'hey are service oriented. 'hey "now how to best facilitate

learnin rather than simply sort students accordin to prepared criteria.

'he best teachers as" many more questions than they answer1

ideally, perhaps, a teacher should never answer a direct question from a student, but instead respond by as"in another question that will aid the student to solve his own problem.

3harles Lan #oren



'rue teachers "now how to as" conscious questions. 5hen tal"in, teachers should not try to elicit a

certain response, but to invite others to reflect deeply on complicated issues. Rhetorical questions do

not inspire a real e%chane of ideas. 'rue teachers as" questions that increase and consciously direct the powers or perception, reason, memory, imaination, 2udment, and feelin. Repeated questionin will

in time be internali:ed by true students and they will form the habit of questionin thins for

themselves for the rest of their lives.

If you want to build a ship,

don(t drum up men to ather wood, divide the wor", and ive orders.

Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

$ntoine #e aint-E%upery

'rue teachers e%emplify wisdom. 'hey are philosophers, not sophists1 that is, they are lovers of

wisdom, not vendors of wisdom. 'rue teachers can demonstrate mastery, distill simplicity from

comple%ity, and teach people how to reconi:e and internali:e feedbac" for themselves. 'hey do notmanipulate students, but they can be reconi:ed for inspirin them.

&ne machine can do the wor" of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the wor" of one e%traordinary man.

Elbert 6ubbard

'eachers that can be replaced by machines, should. Rather than lecturin to passive observers, teachers

should act as facilitators, introducin individual students to new concepts based on their interests anddevelopmental state. Individuali:ed instruction should be the standard.

*orth(hile E#aluation and 'ts Counterfeits

Measurements are not to provide numbers but insiht.

Inrid ?ucher

Bou must measure thins of value rather than simply valuin thins you can measure. earnin

evaluation should be done on the basis of demonstratin mastery.

uccess in school means rememberin the answers to teachers( questions,

ettin clever about uessin what questions they as",and about how to fool them when you don(t "now the answers.

John 6olt

Multiple choice tests do not provide acceptable evidence of mastery. 'hey are widely employed

because machines can quic"ly provide comparable results. Even relatively well-desined multiple

choice tests are vulnerable to a mi%ture of common sense, process of elimination, and educateduesses.

#escription of a rade;

$n inadequate report of an inaccurate 2udment

by a biased and variable 2ude

of the e%tent to which a student has attained an undefined level of masteryof an un"nown proportion of an indefinite material.

4. #ressel



Evidence of mastery is best demonstrated by portfolios of wor" products and by open e%amination.

&pen e%aminations can be oral, written, or practical. &ral and written e%aminations should use

questions that require e%aminees to reflect on what they have learned and done to formulate

appropriate answers. 4ractical e%aminations require students to perform real tas"s or solve real problems.

$n appro%imate answer to the riht question is wortha ood deal more than an e%act answer to an appro%imate question.

J. 5. 'u"ey



Section 5Failure" Creati#ity" and Play

$im for success, not perfection.

Never ive up your riht to be wron, because then you will lose the ability

to learn new thins and move forward with your life.Remember that fear always lur"s behind perfectionism.

#avid M. ?urns

Con6uering Failure

$ ood education is not so much one which prepares a man

to succeed in the world, as one which enables him to sustain a failure.

?ernard Iddins ?ell

!ailure is the best learnin tool we have. #o not fear it. $naly:e it. 3onquer it. 3onquerin failure leads

to challene-see"in activities and self-confidence. !ear of failure leads to ris"-averse activities andlearned helplessness and dependence. 'here are important lessons that can only be learned by failin

and then tryin aain.

'here are some sinificant misunderstandins about failure.

$ common one, similar to one we seem to have about death, is that if you don(t plan for it, it won(t happen.

$ll of us fail. uccessful people fail often, and, worth notin, learn more from that failure than everyone else.

eth 0odin

'ryin to avoid mista"es by lettin others ma"e all of your decisions for you only results in you

ma"in their mista"es instead of your own.

It is impossible to live without failin at somethin,unless you live so cautiously that you miht as well not have lived at all 7 in which case, you fail by default.

J./. Rowlin

Harnessing Creati#ity

Reward e%cellent failures. 4unish mediocre successes.

'om 4eters

3reativity is comin up with new ideas that have value. If you(re not prepared to be wron, you(ll nevercome up with anythin oriinal. !reedom to ma"e mista"es and benefit from them is the basis of

intellectual rowth. 5hen people are stimati:ed for ma"in mista"es, innovation ceases.

Embracing Play

3ombinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thouht.

$lbert Einstein

&ur minds are much more powerful when discoverin than memori:in,

not least of all because discoverin is more fun.



John 6olt

?oredom is the brain castin about for new information.It is the feelin you et when there are no new patterns to absorb.

Ralph /oster

5henever possible, learnin should be playful. It is more fun that way, but we also remember the

e%perience more clearly. 5hen problems become pu::les, wor" becomes play. 4eople shoulde%perience themselves as triumphant problem solvers. 'his e%hilaration is what ma"es many ames

compellin. i"e ame players, students should o on to the ne%t level only after masterin the

previous one, ta"in as lon as they need to solve each problem, and stayin with it as lon as they

li"e. Everyone should develop a deep internal reali:ation that you can fiure thins out by foolinaround.

Bou can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

4lato

$ll ood ameplay is hard wor". It(s hard wor" that we en2oy and choose for ourselves.$nd when we do hard wor" that we care about, we are primin our minds for happiness.

Jane Mc0onial

4lay for play(s sa"e is often seen as a waste of time, but it is an essential part of bein creative, and

even productive. $ll wor" and no play doesn(t 2ust ma"e Jac" a dull boy, it impedes his braindevelopment at any ae. If you aren(t havin fun alon the way, you(re doin it wron.

4lay is not 2ust preparation for a future adult life.

It has a bioloical place, 2ust li"e nutrition, sleep, and dreams do.

It(s huely important in learnin and in craftin the brain.

#r. tuart ?rown

0ames, learnin, and life are all a delicate balance between boredom and frustration. earn to naviate

the fun space between the two.

'here is a bi misconception about ames; that they(re a waste of time. ?ut )+ years of

scientific research show that playin ames is actually the most productive thin we can do.

More productive than most of what we spend time doin at wor" or school.

Jane Mc0onial



Section 7Money" ,usiness" Success" and Happiness

?efore you spea", listen. ?efore you write, thin". ?efore you spend, earn. ?efore you invest, investiate. ?efore you

critici:e, wait. ?efore you pray, forive. ?efore you quit, try. ?efore you retire, save. ?efore you die, ive.

5illiam $. 5ard

The !rt of Li#ing

Everyone is enaed in the pursuit of happiness. Many people falsely believe that money and fame willma"e them happy. 0ood character and healthy relationships are true assets in the pursuit of happiness,

and inner peace comes from livin accordin to true human values.

It is too difficult to thin" nobly when one thin"s only of earnin a livin.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

'here is only one class in the community that thin"s more about money than the rich, and that is the poor.'he poor can thin" of nothin else.

&scar 5ilde

till, resources and effort are necessary to afford the needs and wants of life. nderstandin money and business is crucial to livin in abundance.

8nderstanding the alue of Money

$ wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.

Jonathan wift

#o not value money for any more nor any less than its worth1 it is a ood servant but a bad master.

$le%andre #umas

Money is not the root of all evil, but it can(t buy happiness either. Money has no inherent value. Moneyis a convenient way to e%chane value. Money is simply a tool. It enables action. It is how money is

acquired and used that affects our happiness.

It is not the creation of wealth that is wron, but the love of money for its own sa"e.Mararet 'hatcher

5hen wealth is acquired throuh honest effort, it is a ood thin. $bundance is not a :ero-sum ame.

Money may be the hus" of many thins but not the "ernel. It brins you food, but not appetite1 medicine, but not health1

acquaintance, but not friends1 servants, but not loyalty1 days of 2oy, but not peace or happiness.

6enri" Ibsen

5ise maintenance of your money increases abundance. sin your means to respectfully care for

yourself and others is true human stewardship. 'o be a true master over money, you must learn to

employ and invest it honestly and wisely.



No one would remember the 0ood amaritan if he(d only had ood intentions1 he had money as well.

Mararet 'hatcher

8nderstanding the Manipulation of Money

o you thin" that money is the root of all evil. 6ave you ever as"ed what is the root of all moneyF

$yn Rand

0ive me control of a nation(s money and I care not who ma"es her laws.

Mayer $mschel Rothschild

It is well enouh that people of the nation do not understand our ban"in and monetary system,

for it they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow mornin.

6enry !ord

6umanity now commonly strules beneath the burden of monopoli:ed artificial money and theconsequences of its manipulation. !ractional reserve ban"in has allowed for the leali:ed plunder of

people all over the world. 'he downfalls of counterfeit debt bein mista"en for capital are felt first and

most sharply by the poor and inorant who do not understand the sophisticated ways in which moneyand credit are manipulated.

6ave you ever wondered why our school systems do not teach us

much@if anythin@about moneyF Is the lac" of financial education

in our schools simply an oversiht by our educational leadersF

&r is it part of a larer conspiracyF Reardless, whether we are rich or poor,educated or uneducated, child or adult, retired or wor"in, we all use money.

i"e it or not, money has a tremendous impact on our lives in today(s world.

'o omit the sub2ect of money from our educational system is cruel and unconscionable.

O &ur educational system has failed millions of people@even the educated.

Robert /iyosa"i

The ,usiness of ,usiness

'he trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you(re still a rat.

ily 'omlin

Everyone has business. Most people choose to sell their time directly to employers who ma"e decisions

about how to best spend that time. &ther people employ their efforts to create value in reater proportion, which often results in ownership of an enterprise. In any case, everyone has ood reason to

learn the fundamentals of business because lettin others manae your affairs can never lead to

stability, maturity, and independence.

!ormal education will ma"e you a livin1 self-education will ma"e you a fortune.

Jim Rohn

'he most basic fundamental of business is value. 4art of livin in abundance is understandin that

prosperity is a result of creatin value. If you want to be successful in business, don(t serve yourself1

serve others somethin of value. Many people spend time thin"in about how to et more money. 'heonly honest way to et more money is to provide more value to more people.

5hoever renders service to many puts himself in line for reatness -



reat wealth, reat return, reat satisfaction, reat reputation, and reat 2oy.

Jim Rohn

0ood business manaement requires both mental and moral discipline. !irst, you must invest your own

efforts to understand how to ma"e ood decisions. econd, interity must uide your analysis and

decision ma"in. 'hese two disciplines will blunt reed and ive you a wise viewpoint from which toreconi:e ood value propositions, mitiate ris"s, and cooperate with interity.

'here are two types of education...

&ne should teach us how to ma"e a livin, and the other how to live.

John $dams

Success" Satisfaction" and Happiness

'he best way to predict the future is to create it.

4eter #ruc"er

4eople are always blamin their circumstances for what they are. I don(t believe in circumstances.

'he people who et on in this world are the people who et up andloo" for the circumstances they want, and, if they can(t find them, ma"e them.

0eore ?ernard haw

uccess is not determined by luc" or maic. 5hen you have defined success, you are ready to live your

life on purpose. ives of meanin, satisfaction, and value are not lived by chance.

uccess is not to be measured by income but by influence,

not by power but by personality, not by capital but by character.

tephen 5. 0ilman

#on(t be seduced into thin"in that that which does not ma"e a profit is without value.

$rthur Miller

Even the rich are hunry for love, for bein cared for, for bein wanted,

for havin someone to call their own.

Mother 'eresa

I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for 2oy.

3. . ewis

uccess with money only satisfies money concerns. It cannot provide you with purpose or fulfillment.

'hat which we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lihtly.'homas 4aine

Everyone must define success for themselves so that they can pursue it, reconi:e it, and appreciate it.

uccess, however defined, can only be achieved throuh effort. 5orthwhile effort in itself is a

satisfyin e%perience, and increases overall satisfaction by increasin appreciation for the results.

uccess cannot be reconi:ed without ratitude, and cannot be fully en2oyed without bein shared.

Not what we have but what we en2oy, constitutes our abundance.

Jean $ntoine 4etit-enn



Section 9Social Life and Community

'he need for community is universal. $ sense of belonin, of continuity, of bein connected to others

and to ideas and values that ma"e ourselves meaninful and sinificant@these needs are shared by all of us.

'homas eriovanni

Social" ot 'nstitutional

3hildhood is not preparation for adulthood 7 it is a part of life.

$. Neill

6umans are social creatures, but not institutional creatures. Real sociali:ation is not somethin that is

done to people1 it is somethin people do naturally and willfully. 'he so-called sociali:ation of

compulsory schoolin is an institutional aenda of control based on myths. In such schools, adults

control and humiliate students, and students follow suit by controllin and humiliatin each other. 'hissocial ha:in does not help people become well-ad2usted adults, ood neihbors, or informed citi:ens.

'here is nothin ennoblin or humane about forcin children to share such miserable conditionin.

Community" ot Conformity

I learned most, not from those who tauht me but from those who tal"ed with me.

t. $uustine

In real communities, people are free to move around and to choose when, for how lon, and with whom

they will associate and cooperate. 'here is no other way to develop authentic relationships. 4eople

naturally see" and create small roups of friends with whom to share and compare their abilities,opinions, and emotions. 5hen people are free to choose their associates, they are happier. 'he

counterfeit of voluntary participation and enaement is force. are-scale forced affiliation leads to

conformity and other neative behaviors.

/rganic" ot Linear

5e would rather be in the company of somebody we li"e than

in the company of the most superior bein of our acquaintance.

!ran" winnerton

ife is not linear1 it is oranic. Bou cannot predict and control people, but you can foster communities

where people can develop in healthy ways. 4eople need opportunities to develop meaninfulrelationships of their choosin in their communities. ereatin children accordin to ae and socio-

economics and isolatin them from the productive and the elderly is destructive to communities.

'alent develops in tranquility, character in the full current of human life.

Johann 5olfan von 0oethe

Documents

Education Freedom Manifesto