Photos by Sue Johnson
Next time you look at the news on TV take a look at the children in the background. Most likely they’ll be the upper grades of the new Neighborhood Unschool located in Grace Methodist Church.
So far this well-traveled group of youngsters have appeared twice on TV — once at the opening of the Far East Festival at Stix and again at Shaw’s Garden, That they were there at news events is not a coincidence — it’s part of the philosophy of the teachers — Ms. Ann Hasting and Ms. Karen Techner. School is where the action is.
Basically there are two separate groups of children: the younger children under the tutledge of Ms. Ann Manganaro (full-time) and Ms. Dede Coughlin (part-time). The younger children have a self-contained, well-equipped classroom where they spend the day. The older children spend approximately two hours a day in their classroom and the rest of the time out in the community using it as a classroom.
Ms. Hasting explains how they use the community. “We have classes at the Zoo, the Arboretum, Shaw’s Garden, the library, campaign headquarters, any place where real things are happening that the children can learn from.” Each teacher has a car and they spend the time driving there and back teaching the children.
Generally the teachers believe in letting the learning evolve out of the experience.
Ms. Hasting believes in teaching the children “while they’re hot — while they’re interested. If you miss that spark it may be gone later. For instance, if a child wants to learn to read at age four, you teach him then. If you wait until the age the curriculum dictates (such as those in the public schools) he may not be as ready to learn.”
Ann Manganaro who espouses much the same philosophy has a busy classroom where nearly all the children are working at different things. In one corner a child uses the typewriter learning to write words. Around a table some of the three year olds are sewing. Others are in the church’s kitchen baking.
The children have made a puppet theatre, planted seeds, etc.
Ms. Manganaro uses many different approaches in teaching the children to read, depending on their needs (example: if they are sound oriented — then a phonics approach is used). Her assistant Dede helps the children in writing original stories.
However Ms. Manganaro does not let the children waste time, “We have clear social boundaries which tell them what’s possible and what’s not possible. Within those boundaries they have a great deal of freedom.”
The community and the parents have been actively involved in the school and Ms. Manganaro seeks volunteers who can come regularly to do something specific.
## Facts
The Neighborhood Unschool Children: group 1: (ages 3 to 7); group 2 (6 to 13) Total:40
Where: Grace Methodist Church
Tuition: $450 per child is needed in order for the school to survive, but the tuition is flexible according to ability to pay, since the school receives donations.
School is operated and run by teachers who have formed a corporation.
Originally published in The Paper, October–November 1972.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1972_10.pdf, printed page 4.
