Listen "OOL_0062 Starting An SDE Center For Community Unschooling"
Episode Synopsis
Jenn and Claire of Blazing Star School join Annie Friday this week to talk about the process of opening an alternative to school with a center for self-directed education (SDE) in community. Blazing Star School is located in Chicago and serves children ages 4 to 12. Sharing a background in various roles in the education field led Jenn and Claire to realize that they were looking for something that would better support their own kids' development and growth while serving as a place for other youth needing an alternative to school. Blazing Star aims to provide authentic child-led, interest-based, natural learning that centers the relationships of those in their community. Jenn and Claire share vivid stories about moments of incredible growth and learning happening at Blazing Star without coercion, punishment, and evaluation. They share some of the resources that have been most helpful as they have developed their community and programming including other programs in Chicago like the Chicago Free School and Tallgrass Sudbury School as well as the guidance received from Liberated Learners and Ken Danford.
More episodes of the podcast Out Of Line
OOL_0081 Burnout for SDE Founders
08/04/2025
OOL_0078 A Classroom Meltdown
18/03/2025
OOL_0077 Where Ya Been
11/03/2025
OOL_0076 Unschooling From The Start
02/10/2024
OOL_0075 NeuroAffirming Behavior Support
25/09/2024
OOL_0074 Starting With Community
18/09/2024
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.