LiberatED Podcast

Melissé Segesman is the homeschool director and a teacher at Montessori Peaks Academy, a tuition-free homeschool enrichment program run through the Jefferson County public school district in Colorado. Melissé has a Bachelor's degree in elementary education and a Montessori certificate, and she has been serving the Montessori Peaks Homeschool Community since 2014.

Montessori Peaks Academy is a unique public program that caters to homeschooled children ages 5 to 13 who attend part-time during the week. It blends Montessori principles, a project-based approach, and ample time in nature, fostering a holistic, well-rounded educational experience.

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Once a booming area buoyed by the automotive industry, Highland Park, a city just outside of Detroit, has faced decades of blight. In 2011, the city repossessed more than two-thirds of Highland Park's residential streetlights due to outstanding electric bills. The streetlights were removed, literally leaving residents in the dark.

It was around this time that a visionary woman known to everyone as Mama Shu, decided to embrace a mission of "blight to beauty" for her Highland Park neighborhood known as Avalon Village. She began buying up crumbling properties on her rundown street, having solar-powered lighting installed, renovating buildings or tearing them down and replacing them with new shipping containers to house small shops run by local entrepreneurs. She was named one of CNN's Heroes.

One of Avalon Village's great accomplishments is The Homework House, a renovated single family home that now serves as a meeting space for local youth. There, young people can enjoy a warm meal, get help with homework, and gain important life skills.

Under the guidance of our guest today, education director Boniswa Brock, who was a public school teacher and administrator for 35 years, The Homework House also serves as a warm and welcoming hub for local homeschooled students who enjoy daily access to the space for classes and enrichment opportunities.

Boniswa is currently preparing to launch a STEM-focused, child-centered preschool, called Every Child Is A Genius, at The Homework House, but has encountered regulatory snares that have delayed the preschool's opening. We talk about that frustration and more on today's episode.

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The Sudbury Valley School is a self-directed, democratic school located in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1968 and has inspired the growth of dozens of Sudbury-model schools around the world over the past half-century. The Sudbury model is based on the belief that children learn best when they have the freedom to explore their interests and take responsibility for their own education. Today's podcast guest is a Sudbury Valley School alumna who now sends her children there and who recently became a staff member.

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Ian Lindsey is the cofounder, along with his wife Stephanie, of Acton Academy St. George in St. George, Utah. It is part of the fast-growing Acton Academy network of learner-driven microschools that includes more than 300 independently owned and operated schools, serving thousands of learners. Ian and Stephanie launched their microschool in fall 2020 with 12 students in their home. They grew to 22 students in their first year, and today have 40 students, pre-K through elementary ages, with plans to open a middle school in Fall 2025 and grow from there.

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Sherrilynn Bair is a certified teacher and school librarian who works for the Snake River Public School District in rural Blackfoot, Idaho. In this episode, she shares her experience with in-system innovation, explaining how she created an entirely new school within her district that focuses on personalized learning and curriculum customization.

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Ross Hill has been in education for over 15 years, with most of that time spent working as a high social studies teacher in public schools. He quit his teaching job in 2023 to launch Mariner Learning Collaborative, a self-directed learning center in Florence, South Carolina. Mariner is part of the Liberated Learners network of non-coercive, self-directed learning centers for homeschoolers that was launched in 2013. Mariner is the first faith-focused learning center in the Liberated Learners network.

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Kristine Fringer was a college administrator for almost two decades before leaving higher education to launch Symbiosis, a learning center for middle school and high school-age homeschoolers located just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Kristine opened Symbiosis in the fall of 2019. She currently serves 20 students with both full- and part-time enrollment options.

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Today's episode is special in that I am joined by both a school founder and a parent so we'll hear two interesting perspectives on the draw toward alternative education options.

Sarah Max is a former public school teacher who cofounded Acton Invictus in 2021 in Leander, Texas, just outside of Austin. Acton Invictus is part of the global Acton Academy microschool network that was founded in 2009 and now includes over 300 schools serving thousands of learners.

Tim Tran is an entrepreneur and one of Acton Invictus's original founding parents. He moved to Texas specifically so that his children could attend an Acton Academy.

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Tobin Slaven is the founder of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale who was previously on the podcast in fall 2022 (episode #46) to talk about the launch of his microschool. I'm delighted to have Tobin back on the podcast today to kick off 2024 with a conversation about artificial intelligence, technology, techno-optimism, and the future of learning. In addition to leading his microschool, Tobin is also the founder of vPAL Labs, working at the forefront of developing AI companions that combine the roles of a personal tutor, life coach, and mentor.

More School Districts Ban ChatGPT. Here's Why That's A Bad Idea

Why Youth Social Media Bans Are A Bad Idea

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Kyle Gamba is a former public school teacher and principal who in 2021 launched La Luz, a learner-centered lab school focusing on experiential learning for Latino students in Denver, Colorado.

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