Decentralized, Democratic and Self Directed- The Genius School with Karema Akilah
In this episode Karema Akilah and I talk about her journey from public school teacher to unschooling parent of 6, to the creation of The Genius School. Karema is an advocate of children learning in freedom. She brings not only passion to this episode, but she clearly explains the practice of self directed education and the myths that surround it, as well as the the framework of having a “school” that is decentralized, democratic and self directed. She asks, “what is really the end game of this k-12 education?”
If you are looking for inspiration and clarity, I encourage you to listen.
In This Episode
Homeschool Burn-out almost drove this mama of The Half Dozen to the edge of depression! Being a slave to her curriculum, Karema Greene, felt like a failure; always behind with apathetic kids who lacked a luster for learning! It took 3 strikes; a trip to the craft store, a “slap in the face” from a 16 year old and the idea of “a fish climbing a tree,” to finally convince her to try something she said she would NEVER DO; Unschool!
Karema is the founder of The Genius School, a decentralized, democratic, self directed school. Karema champions other mamas and papas to discover the Genius of their children by encouraging kids to do something they would enjoy, do well and be proud of, thus leading to their Strengths! Once strengths and interests are identified and articulated, Karema believes kids should be invited to dream up disruptive and scalable solutions housed in marketable systems that are nurtured and funded by successful entrepreneurs with the intent of bringing a child’s gift to the world. That’s a world she believes we all would like to live in!
The Genius School
With her teaching background and her oldest in adulthood, Karema saw what was lacking in the conventional learning experience. That is the reason why she created The Genius School and the 5 pillars that frame. We delve into:
- The foundation of trust
- Having good experiences
- Servicing community
- What it means to be decentralized, democratic and self directed and why she chose this model
Karema and I also spoke of the obstacles that self directed learning schools face which are; lack of awareness, lack of diversity, lack of funding, lack of documentation and how we can go about overcoming these obstacles.
If you are inspired by Karema and what she is creating with The Genius School and would like to offer your support or learn more, you can go HERE to register for the virtual open house.
And please, spread the message of self directed learning.
Resources and Links
The Genius School
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/decentralizedlearning/
Register for the Virtual Open House- https://www.thegeniusschool.org/events
You can contact Karema directly- info@genius
Dr. Glenn Doman – Institutes For The Achievement of Human Potential
Homeschooling Global Summit 2020 https://2020.hgsummit.com/
Getting It Together Parent Summit July 15-17
If you would like to learn more about the Sudbury School Model, check out my interview with one of the founders, Daniel Greenberg http://imhomeschooling.com/sudbury-valley-school-daniel-greenberg/
If you would like to hear more about decolonizing education and liberated learning, listen to my interview with Akilah S Richards http://imhomeschooling.com/educational-freedom-akilah-richards/
