Reviews

How To Grow a School: Starting and Sustaining Schools That Work by Chris Mercogliano

iambriam's review against another edition

1.0

This book was BRIMMING with White Savior Complexes and notions of naturality which rendered their educational visions as mere missions to most efficiently replicate the status quo. In seeking "natural" learning and child development, as well as uncritical views on institutional histories of oppressions and injustices, the schools which sought to put students and adults in power really gave the reigns to the social "commonsense" and order which results and reinforces it. If you want to create alternatives to traditional education, everyone would be better served starting with the very ideas about what education is supposed to do and be. If you think it is being corrupted by modernity and needs to return to some natural state, you are have a lot more thinking to do about what you implicitly value as good, natural, and important. Don't just rebrand your version of salvation as basal or natural. You shouldn't be out to save anyone. You should be working WITH students and communities.