The School and Mikhail Shetinin

I've just finished watching this amazing 30 min video on a school in the Russian Mountains. It's a school the likes of which we have been dreaming. It is a school where the children are encouraged to think, to ask questions, to delve deeply into a subject until they have mastered it. All students teach, they work in interactive groups that range in age from 8 to 22. They design their own curriculum and design the coursework as well as teach each other what they've learned.

They built the buildings, decorated them, they grow their food. They study marshall arts, folk dancing, rise at 5am and bathe daily in a cold stream. They talk of deep spiritual connections to all of life, and finish high school in 2 years, have masters degrees by 17.  .

They clean the campus themselves, cook their food, grow it. By the time they leave they know how to build a house.

Mikhail Shetinin, the founder, says all children are geniuses if we remove fear and limitation from them and open them to the joy of learning. Ah yes. Fear. The architecture of the buildings, the handpainted murals all is amazing.

There are no tests, no grades, they love to learn and are eager to find out the answers to their questions. These children shine and they are fearless. This is the school we have dreamt of, all of us! They say themselves, this is the future of Peace.

We've wondered what it would be like to live without fear, without competition, without war, strife and limitation, and so many say, it's impossible, it goes against human nature. Watch this and see the shine in the face of these children and tell me then that we thrive on war? That it is our nature to kill each other?

I've said before, we must model what we wish the future to be. Hats off to Shentinin! Well done.

http://www.deepsnowpress.com/school.htm

The DVD is available for sale at the link above. I'm well impressed!