Today was my first day volunteering at the local free school.

Greeted by a room full of smiling faces, I enter.

These kids are those who don’t quite fit in with the traditional “educational system,” and range in age from 11 to 19 years.

I’m almost immediately struck, after just a short period of interaction, by the maturity, interest, and true enthusiasm for life and learning—and extreme variety of talents—each student in the room seems to possess. Their smiling faces seem different than many of the kids I’ve met in the public schools. These kids seem...alive.

It may not look like much, but the real beauty is inside!

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My “teaching” style.

I had mentioned to the head teachers right off the bat that I don’t want to give traditional, goofy-ass English lessons making learning into a gimmick and thus broadcasting the message that without a gimmick or “game,” English isn’t worth learning.

That’s kind of the world I’m engulfed in now, and one I’ll be leaving at the end of March. I was nervous that this new endeavor to volunteer at this free school, my son’s future school, might devolve into another “be a clown for the students” type thing.

Sure, the picture makes it look kinda fun, but trust me, it’s exhausting. If someone needs a constant gimmick or “game” to learn something, they’re not gonna learn anything anyway, because the genuine interest is not there!

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Today, however, those fears were assuaged as I was greeted by a circle of well-adjusted individuals, actually interested in life and people, and not starving for the saccharine-cheap “attention” of a traditional “sensei” just there to play Bozo Buckets and keep student sign-ups coming in.

SCORE!!!

My plan of attack as of now, as English Volunteer/Guide from here on out at the school:

• Presentations on American culture/world events.

• Real life role play situations: meeting new people, calling room service at a hotel, etc.

• Focusing on talents: music, dance, writing, cooking, sports, etc. All while speaking English. This way the focus isn’t “learn English!” but “use English to accomplish a goal you are already genuinely and self-interestedly interested in accomplishing!

And if some don’t want to learn English at all, that’s great! Let’s just enjoy our time together hanging out as individuals.

I hope we can do a kind of exchange, too, where these kids can show/teach me some of their talents and skills as well.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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(Thanks for stopping by! If you missed he last installment of the Unschooling Blog, Vol. 40: “Hair Cut and Ice Cream Date for Me and the Boy!” you can find that HERE.)

What is “Unschooling”?

~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Tube Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)