Freedom School Catalog Winter 2013

South Side Freedom School

Course catalogWinter 2013

Education is a human right

Science, restorative justice, yoga, gardening, media literacy, creativewriting, civic engagement, multimedia production, and more!

January 7 - March 28

Welcome to the South Side Freedom School! We are happy youhave found us. We are a group of Chicago residents who are takingour education into our own hands. We are young and old, from allkinds of backgrounds, and with a variety of interests. What we have incommon is a belief that education is a human right, not somethingyou should be "rewarded" with in exchange for conforming to theexpectations of the system or a special gift given to you by "experts"who have deemed you worthy.We believe everyone is an educator and everyone is a learner. Whenwe pool our resources together and teach one another and learntogether, something powerful happens that often does not happen inthe CPS classroom - joyful learning.This coursebook describes the classes available in the months ofJanuary through March as of the latest printing of this catalog.Courses may have been added since then and workshops areconstantly in development, so consider this an introduction to what weoffer. This book may also be missing you! What skil ls could youcontribute to the community? What have you always wanted to learnabout? Chances are, there are other people who want to learn fromyou and with you. Contact us and join the community at the FreedomSchool.

What we know can free usSouth SideFreedom School6026 S. Vernon Ave.

occupythesside@gmail .com

www.occupyfreedomschool.blogspot.com

Writing & Language,Mondays and Wednesdays,9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.,facilitator to be announcedTake your writing abil ities to greater

heights through the writing and

language course. The facil itator

wil l explore both the fundamentals

and the vast possibi l ities of the

written word. All ages and levels of

experience and interest are

welcome. We all can benefit from

sharpening our writing abil ity, both

personally and professionally.

Astronomy, Mondays, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m., Marissa Brown, facilitatorAstronomy wil l explore the Earth's place in the solar system and more in this exciting course

that wil l introduce participants to the remarkable universe we live in.

Algebra and Geometry, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,David Olo and Marissa Brown, facilitatorsBudding geometers! Explore questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the

properties of space. Learn how to translate shapes into numbers. Polynomials, radicals, and

planes await your curiosity.

Current Events, Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., MarissaBrown, facilitatorThe Current Events class wil l grab stories out of daily news outlets, analyze the content and

discuss how it relates to our daily l ives (if at al l). The student wil l take away the habit of

regularly reading beyond the headline of a story to its content and gain an understanding of

the difference between what is reported as news and what is happening in the world around

us.


Neuroscience, Mondays, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., David Olo, facilitatorAlthough we may never reach the valley floor of the depths of our own minds, there is sti l l a

lot to learn even from what is offered on the surface. The purpose of this class wil l be to give

students some basic working knowledge of the human brain as well as some insight into our

cognition (how information is represented, processed, and transformed) as the framework for

which we wil l tumble down the proverbial rabbit hole and learn simultaneously as a group

just what exactly goes on behind the scenes and why.

GUM (Grammar Usage and Mechanics), Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00a.m.-11:00 a.m., Marissa Brown, facilitatorGUM classes wil l focus on the mechanics of language and making effective sentences. We

wil l work in coordination with the writing and language class to provide a wraparound writing

experience for students.

World Management & Global Thinking, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00a.m.-noon, Winbush, facilitatorWorld Management & Global Thinking is an opportunity to better understand the World we

live in and how it operates. The primary aim of this course is to expand the learner’s

knowledge of the history of the Peoples of the United States, and how geography and

geology influence historic events, inventions, and institutions.

The WMGT students shall make critical examinations of our modern society and its origins

through historical research, topical discussions, and other resource data. We wil l more

clearly define the importance of knowing the interwoven influence of geology and geography

on the Human Development local ly & globally and explore ways we can make the world a

better place for al l .


Our heritage ... our legacyThe South Side Freedom School is named after the freedom schools that catalyzed the Civi l Rights Movement

in the South in the 1 960s. Here is a brief history of the origins and purpose of the Freedom Schools, available

at http: //www.educationanddemocracy.org/FSCfiles/A_02_Introduction.htm.

By Kathy Emery, Sylvia Braselmann and Linda Reid Gold

In the summer of l964, forty-one Freedom Schools opened in the churches, on the back

porches, and under the trees of Mississippi. The students were native Mississippians,

averaging fifteen years of age, but often including small chi ldren who had not yet begun

school to the elderly who had spent their l ives laboring in the fields. Their teachers were

volunteers, for the most part sti l l students themselves. The task of this small group of

students and teachers was daunting. They set out to replace the fear of nearly two hundred

years of violent control with hope and organized action. Both students and teachers faced

the possibi l ity, and in some cases, the reality, of brutal retal iation from local whites. They had

little money and few supplies. Yet the Freedom Schools set out to alter forever the state of

Mississippi, the stronghold of the Southern way of l ife.

The schools were an integral part of the 1 964 Mississippi Summer Project (later known as

Freedom Summer). The Summer Project was designed by an umbrella organization called

the Council of Federated Organizations. COFO was an organization coordinating the efforts

of representatives from the four major civi l rights groups. For example, the National

Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) provided lawyers for those

thrown in jai l when they participated in voter registration drives and civi l disobedience. The

Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) helped organized community centers. The Southern

Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had established the Citizen Education Program in

Mississippi the year before Freedom Summer. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating

Committee (SNCC, pronounced “snick”) provided the field workers that went to the most

dangerous parts of Mississippi to register voters. Freedom Summer was also supported the

National Council of Churches, and during the summer volunteers of the Medical Committee

for Human Rights, and lawyers from a variety of groups worked in Mississippi. The long-term

aim of Freedom Summer was to transform the power structure of Mississippi. The short-term

aim of the summer project was to challenge the legitimacy of the all white Mississippi

Democratic Party at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City in August of 1 964.

To do this, organizers needed to create a paral lel state party that was truly representative of

the people of Mississippi—both blacks and whites.

To create a truly representative political party, the vast majority of disempowered African

Americans would need to develop the self confidence and organizational ski l ls required of

active citizens. Freedom Summer’s three programs, distinct yet reinforcing each other, were

voter registration, Freedom Schools and Community Centers (see Prospectus for the

Mississippi Freedom Summer.) The Freedom Schools’ major contribution to that process


was to implement a curriculum based on the asking of questions whose answers were

sought within the l ives of the students. As the curriculum itself states:

We are going to talk about a lot of things: about Negro people and white people, about rich

people and poor people, about the South and about the North, about you and what you think

and feel and want. . . . And we’re going to try to be honest with each other and say what we

believe. . . . We’l l also ask some questions and try to find some answers. The first thing is to

look around, right here, and see how we live in Mississippi.

Under the direction of Staughton Lynd, professor at Spelman College, the schools were

established to teach confidence, voter l iteracy and political organization skil ls as well as

academic skil ls. The curriculum was directly l inked to the formation of the Mississippi

Freedom Democratic Party. As Edwin King, who ran for Lieutenant Governor on the MFDP

ticket, stated, “Our assumption was that the parents of the Freedom School chi ldren, when

we met them at night, that the Freedom Democratic Party would be the PTA.”

Both the schools and the Summer Project set about to support black Mississippians in

naming the reality of their l ives and then in changing that real ity. The classroom and voter

registration became one; both began with the l ives of the people of Mississippi and, for both,

“questioning (was) the vital tool. ” The questions raised struck at the most fundamental

assumptions white Americans held about themselves and the institutions they had created.

Our heritage ... our legacy - page 2


Cultural Awareness for Youth, Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m., MarissaBrown, facilitatorThis class is intended to raise awareness of the different cultures around us. We wil l explore

how our society treats theses cultural ly different groups (sometimes good, sometimes not so

good). We are all different but diversity should be celebrated; after al l , if we were all the

same the world would be pretty boring! In a society where people are not treated equally, we

all must work together to be upstanders for those who are mistreated based on physical and

cultural differences. In this class we wil l participate in discussions, perform activities, conduct

projects, and hear from a variety of people from different cultural backgrounds. This is a

course that is suitable for al l ages with a focus on elementary school age children. Skil ls this

course wil l promote and foster are critical thinking, compassion, empathy, observation,

research, and self-confidence.

Restorative Justice, Tuesdays, 4:00p.m.-5:00 p.m., Jacob Klippenstein,facilitatorIn this class we wil l learn a people's history of

the criminal justice system in this country and

how it's used to oppress poor communities,

communities of color, LGBT communities and

other minority groups. We wil l also learn

about the value of both restorative and

transformative justice, including their origins

and how they are currently practiced in our

neighborhoods and around Chicago. One

practice that wil l be central to the class is the

use of circles. These circles wil l be value

based, so that we can all participate ful ly and

share our best selves with each other. In the

circles we wil l use a talking piece so that one

person is talking and everybody else is

l istening. Local practitioners of RJ/TJ wil l be

an integral part of this class. And we wil l

practice techniques in class in an effort to

spread this radical practice to the rest of our

l ives, whether that is at our schools,

workplace or in the streets.


Computer Programming, Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m., April Peterson,facilitatorThe purpose of this course is to foster a community of students who want to learn computer

science and programming. We wil l uti l ize online resources such as MOOCs (Massively

Open Online Course), while providing an opportunity to discuss and share in person. The

content wil l be self directed where each student chooses their topics and sets their own

learning goals.

Creative Writing, Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m., Vicktoriya Kamara,facilitatorThe purpose of this class is to show students how

writing can be used as a tool for self reflection.

Writing can provide the freedom, perspective, and

safe space needed to be honest with oneself.

Through a series of interactive written and verbal

exercises/games students wil l be asked to explore

their thoughts, feel ings, experiences, and

imagination, helping them to better understand

themselves. Hopeful ly, at the end of the course,

students wil l have gained confidence in

freestyle/journal writing and sharing their thoughts

with others. Call igraphy wil l be taught to students who would l ike to record a portion of their

journal as a finished piece to share with others.

Basics of Environmental Science, Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., VoloriaNoland, facilitatorThis 5 part workshop wil l focus on environmental conservation tactics, defining and planning

ways of going green, and looking at local efforts to save our planet. This class wil l consist of

a nature walk, video presentations and group discussions and activities.

Interdisciplinary studies, Mondays, 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., A.J. Segneri,facilitatorThis course wil l offer multiple topics on a quarter by quarter basis. During this course

participants wil l be able to learn how to conduct research, conduct presentations, and draft

research writing papers.


Health and Fitness, Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., David Olo,facilitatorThere is a well known quote that says "The mind is a terrible thing to waste," but the mind is

nothing without the body, so it is paramount that we take care of ourselves and each other so

that we can live ful l and happy lives. Nutrition, and dietary changes wil l be a big focal point,

but it wil l be emphasized to exercise for at least 1 5 minutes for this class, even if it is a l ight

workout. Too often in our fast paced culture we don't find the time to exercise, so this class

wil l seize the opportunity to carve those pesky 1 5 minutes out of your day for you.

Civic Engagement, Thursdays, 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m., A.J. Segneri, facilitatorThis course is going to examine how governments from the local to international level

operate. Those participating in this course wil l have a better understand how government

works and have discussion on the topics in the political arena.

Gardening From the Ground Up, Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 2:00p.m.-3:30 p.m., Gabriel Piemonte, facilitatorEverything we are is bound up with the soil and its fruits. Using the

soon-to-be-opened Freedom Garden across the street and the

Abundance Project gardens at 64th Street and Kimbark Avenue as

laboratories, we wil l explore all the basics behind garden creation and

cultivation, from building raised beds to soil composition to seed

starting to planting and tending vegetables.

We wil l also look at the relationship between our cultural and political

real ities and the food we eat, discussing Genetical ly Modified Organisms, seeds as

revolutionary tools, and the future of food.

No experience is necessary, but al l wisdom is welcome! CLASSES START FEB. 2

Sustainability, Saturdays, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., David Olo, facilitatorThis collaborative course wil l only be initiated by the facil itator and then handed over to the

participants. I t wil l be a very hands on approach to understanding the waste we produce as

individuals and a community and ways that we and change that and combat harmful

environmental habits. Some times "clean energy" means getting down and dirty first.



Cours

esche

dule

FAQs:Q: Are you all a “Real” school?

A: Yes we are! Our day time program is essential ly a home school network that provides parentsand students with the space and tools they need to educate their chi ldren themselves with thesupport of a ful l volunteer staff. South Side Chicago Freedom School (SSCFS) does notconform to the traditional school standards consisting of letter grades, standardized testing,suspensions and the one-size-fits-al l model. The I l l inois School Code (1 05 ILCS 5/26-1 et seq.)and the I l l inois Supreme Court held that home-schooling is completely legal, provided that theteacher (either the parent her or himself or a private tutor) are competent, the required subjectswere taught, and the student received an education at least equivalent to public schooling.(People v. Levisen, 404 I l l . 574 (1 950), SSCFS meets al l of these requirements.

Q: How much time must the student spend on home-schooling?

A: I l l inois law does not set any minimum number of hours per day, or days of instruction peryear, for students in private/ home schools. However, the I l l inois courts have ruled that home-schooling must provide an education that is equivalent with the standards set for public schools.(e.g. Scoma v. Chicago Board of Education, 391 F.Supp. 452 (N.D. I l l . 1 974)).

Q: Are there any testing requirements for students enrol led in an I l l inois home school?

A: There is no requirement that students in a home school be tested. I f parents choose toadminister tests to their chi ldren to assess their progress, they are not required to submit theresults to any school official .

Q: My child is currently attending a public school. Is there a formal procedure I must fol low towithdraw him/her from school to begin home-schooling?

A: No it is not, although it is highly recommended that you give the public school a dated letter(keeping copies for your records) that states you wil l be withdrawing your student to placehim/her in a private school. Such a letter indicates your intent to continue your student’seducation and wil l make it less l ikely that the school reports your student to county officials astruant after a prolonged absence.

Q: Can you provide more information and resources for home-schooling?

A: Here are some of the resources available to parents and others interested in home-schooling:

• Your public l ibrary should have information on home-school groups in your area as well asstate-wide or national home schooling associations. Some or all of these contacts may shareinformation on home-schooling textbooks, study guides, homework materials, and curricula.Your l ibrary would also have information on home-schooling magazines and books.

• The Internet has thousands of l inks to home-schooling information ranging from suppliers ofhome-schooling materials to home-schooling “e-zines” and support groups to research studiesand legal analyses. Parents interested in purchasing a home-schooling curriculum or relatedmaterials through the Internet are advised to first research the products, and their claims, asthey would do before making other types of on-l ine purchases.

• Your Regional Office of Education may have information on local home-schoolingorganizations as well as l inks to state and/or national organizations. For a directory of RegionalOffices see: http: //www.isbe.net/regionaloffices/Default.htm

• You may have friends, neighbors and/or relatives who are home-schooling their chi ldren andwould be wil l ing to share their experiences with you.


Q: Is there financial assistance available to help with the costs of home-schooling?

A: The State Board of Education is not aware of any financial resources designed to helpparents meet home-schooling expenses. South Side Chicago Freedom School, however, iscompletely free of charge for al l classes.

Q: My home-schooled student is completing the equivalent of 8th grade. Is s/he entitled toreceive an 8th grade diploma from his local public school and/or take part in the graduationprogram?

A: No. Since your student is attending private school ful l-time he has no legal right to participatein public school graduation ceremonies. This is why SSCFS offers an AccomplishmentCeremony to commemorate the accomplishment of entering the next educational stage in l ife atboth the 8th grade & high school levels.

Q: Who are the facil itators?

A: All of our teachers - or, as we call ourselves, facil itators - are 1 00% volunteer. We areChicago residents with a variety of backgrounds who are wil l ing to contribute to the learningexperience of students of al l ages.

Q: How is a house instead of a school building an effective learning environment?

A: While we uti l ize free spaces around the city, we are primari ly operating out of a restoredgreystone house. By holding classes in a home instead of a more traditional class setting wefamil iarize students with the concept that learning can and should take place everywhere, notjust in a classroom.

Q: I f I decide to enrol l (or re-enrol l) my student in public school after a period of homeschoolingor other private schooling, how wil l his work be evaluated by the public school?

A: The individual school wil l determine grade placement for the student based on an evaluationof his/her work and pursuant to its policies. Public schools may prefer to focus on appropriategrade placement for the student rather than assigning individual course credits. However, thedistrict may not make a placement decision that is unreasonable or arbitrary. (For example, apublic school cannot require a home school program to be “registered” or “recognized” throughthe State Board of Education since the School Code excludes home schools from this voluntaryprocess.).

Q: Can a home-schooled student return for the 1 2th grade and graduate?

A: Yes, if the public school determines that the combination of credits awarded for work done atthe home school and credits earned in an accredited private or public school meet stategraduation requirements and if the student passes any other reasonable requirements after re-enrol l ing in the public school.

Q: How do colleges evaluate the work of a student whose high school diploma was receivedthrough a private home school?

A: Many colleges and universities have procedures for admitting home-schooled students andfor assessing their background. For example, here is information from the University of I l l inois:http: //www.oar.uiuc.edu/future/faq/home_school.html

FAQs - page 2


Testimonials"I am a mother of 4 children who have been participating in the public school system for the last 1 5

years. Additional ly, I myself am a “product” of the Chicago Public School system.

"While my daughters have always excelled in school and have been deemed “good” students, my

son has never enjoyed the traditional educational structure. Over the years I have tried a variety of ways to

educate my son; he has attended public, charter & parochial schools. All of these models have been unable

to get him excited about education. I ’ve seen the hurt & frustration that not being able to keep up

academical ly with his peers has caused him. Last school year after having my son negatively impacted by

the CPS “Zero Tolerance Policy” I decided to take ownership of the role of primary educator of my children.

"The South Side Chicago Freedom School is the medium in which this educational journey begins

for my family. In this space we are able to manage the classes in which we participate. In Freedom School

there are no As nor Fs. There are no standardized tests to hog learning time. There are no “wrong”

answers. Critical thinking is encouraged and infused into al l of the courses that are led by volunteer

instructors. Freedom School is 1 00% free to attend and led by volunteers who are passionate and

enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge in their respective fields.

"Parents are an intricate part of Freedom School and a driving force behind the development of

classes. I t is great to be able to share learning with my children in a “hands on” way that encourages the

growth and development of al l who participate. We are happy here and I am confident that I have made the

right choice to protect my children’s educational future."

Marissa Brown,Parent & Freedom School Volunteer

"For me, it has nothing to do with jobs, or the economic impact of an unskil led workforce, or

competing for technological jobs overseas, or being able to combat the most pressing issues facing our

society today. For me it is about humanity, our humanity, and I think we've lost sight of education's role in it.

Beneath the layers of skin, the muscles, tendons, l igaments, and bones, cel ls and neurons, there is

something intrinsical ly unique that transcends biology and defines us as human. I t is a type of spiritual ity

that feeds off of our own curiosity and we are starving ourselves to death by limiting access to not only

education, but raw information itself. So I 'm here to unleash as much of it out into the world as possible,

because as one man I can only do so much, but if I can empower 1 0 people to reshape the world around us

I would have given us a 1 000% better chance of bringing that better world into being rather than just

busting my butt for a piece of paper that would satiate my self-esteem to know that I 'm qualified to perform

certain tasks."

David "Olo,"Freedom School Volunteer


About UsMission StatementThe South Side Chicago Freedom School offers quality, no-cost, volunteer-run,

community-based educational opportunities for people of al l ages through the city of

Chicago. Classes and workshops directly respond to neighborhood and community

specific desires and needs.

The South Side Chicago Freedom School also acts as a nexus of information and

opportunities for the broader community of Chicago's education based organizations.

The South Side Chicago Freedom School bel ieves that al l community members are also

teachers and that therefore anyone can teach a class. This fundamental faith and belief in

the worth of existing stores of knowledge within our own community supports our mission

to encourage the growth of grassroots educational opportunities.

Manifesto1 . Come everyday with a new question and leave with a different one.

2. The optimal class is one where both student and facil itator are able to step outside of

their comfort zone and learn from their experience.

3. When in doubt, err on the risky side.

4. Passion, not progress, is what is most valued.

5. I t is not what you know, it is what you apply.

Relationship to OccupyThe Occupy Freedom School is autonomous from Occupy although this project is the brain

child of a member of Occupy The South Side in Chicago, but it doesn't just stop there.

Many of the volunteers have been or currently involved with Occupy to some capacity.

The Freedom School is run essential ly in the same manner: horizontal ly organized and

through direct democracy, meaning that there is no single "leader", rather each person that

gets involved is encouraged to be a leader, and each person is given equal standing and

all voices are heard and respected. Many within the Occupy movement and the school

bel ieve that education is a human right and is much more than a piece of paper, or a

means to a job. I t is this unique relationship with the Occupy movement that makes us

stand out because we aren't simply looking to provide a useful service to the community

but we envision this to be the first step in many when it comes to shifting the education

paradigm from the business model that treats students and knowledge as commodities to

the academic which views knowledge and information as that which should be shared and

free to access by all to improve your own life and the l ives around you.


Documents

Freedom School Catalog Winter 2013