What Do You Want to Learn Today?
Op/Education #1: Blue School, Manhattan
19Nov2008 Filed under: Educational Philosophy & Practice, Op/Education Author: Melia
This week’s TIME Magazine features an article called “At the Blue Man Group’s School, Kids Rule.” The founders of the quirky Blue Man Group, the popular performance art team, started a school in New York City for 61 kids in kindergarten and younger. The school will add a grade each year, eventually enrolling kindergarten through fifth graders. Tuition is a jaw-dropping $27,300 per year, comparable with other elementary schools in Manhattan.
Chris Wink, one of the founders, says that the school is “sort of a support group for people whose creativity had been all but squeezed out of them by education.” He says, “At one point, we asked, What if there was a school you didn’t have to recover from, that didn’t make you question the idea of being creative?” The physical environment of the school is set up for exploring, climbing, and expanding the imagination: for example, the Wonder Room features a climbing wall and a floor programmed with games that lights up. Kids choose their own activities, and teachers emphasize inquiry over instruction. Read the brief feature here and watch the TIME’s Blue School video here.
Thanks to Kathleen Doise and Jill Hisaw for forwarding the TIME article.
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2 Responses to “Op/Education #1: Blue School, Manhattan”
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At the age of 28, I went back to kindergarten. I needed to get my life back on track, and I wanted to start over from the very beginning.
Over several months, I repeated my education, from kindergarten to college. I spent the months that followed learning how to grow up. I'm still learning.
This site is a place for me to tell my story of education, and for you to tell yours: our experiences past and present, and our vision for how it could look in the future.
— Melia Dicker
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Alicia C.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Okay, this is totally awesome! If I’d attended this school I’m sure I would have LOVED it. I love creative, fun activities. While I’m not one of those people who can never stop doodling, I’m one who can never stop looking with an artistic eye and thinking up new projects to try.
As for the question of what I would have found challenging… nothing that I can think of but it leaves me wondering what do you do if your child isn’t creatively minded? My dad couldn’t care less about artistic things. He’s very analytically minded. The whole point of trying to cultivate creativity would have been lost on him. Some kids just do not care to learn how to create a planter out of old egg cartons or even that “rojo” is Spanish for “red”.
I love that they mention kinetic learners–so true! It’s really a shame that more schools haven’t picked up on that yet. Hello, ADD kids! My mom tutors an English language learner who has two young sons. She’s having a hard time getting the oldest to study so his grades are going downhill. He would rather practice his soccer skills. I suggested that she quiz him while kicking his soccer ball around. I have yet to hear from my mom whether she tried it or not.
Ruth @ kids learn Spanish
December 8th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I always love learning if its creative and fun. Kudos to the school